Factory Sealed / Still Sealed (SS): • VINYL and COVER- Absolutely perfect in every way and still factory sealed!
Mint (M): • VINYL and COVER- Absolutely perfect in every way - certainly never played.
Near Mint (NM): • VINYL- A nearly perfect record. Some minor hairlines or minor wear which are only slightly visible but do not affect play, the record shows no obvious sign of wear. • COVER- Appears new with some barely noticeable wear.
Excellent/Very Good Plus Plus (EX/VG++): • VINYL-
A very clean record, minor scuffs which are only slightly visible, but there is very little lessening in sound quality. • COVER- Artwork is still as close to perfect as can be.Some slight creases to the corners, but not wrinkled and obtrusive to the eye. The corners and edges can show white meaning, slight wear.
Please note: “Excellent/VG++" is truly not a Goldmine defined grade, however it is becoming more and more mainstream among collectors and sellers!
Very Good Plus (VG+): • VINYL- Shows some signs that it was played and otherwise handled by a previous owner who took good care of it. Record surfaces may show some slight signs of wear and may have slight scuffs or very light scratches that don't affect one's listening experience much but some background crackling is noticeable. • COVER- Sleeve will have some slight wear, lightly turn-up corners, or a slight seam-split.
Very Good (VG): • VINYL- Surface noise is evident upon playing, especially in soft passages and during the song's intro and fade, but will not overpower the music otherwise. Groove wear will start to be noticeable, as will light scratches that will affect the sound. • COVER- Cover will look worn, used. There may be some seam splitting. There will be some ring wear, there may be some writing on the cover. It will look aged.
Good Plus (G+): • VINYL- Record can be put onto a turntable and will play through without skipping. But it will have significant surface noise and scratches and visible groove wear. • COVER- Cover has seam splits. Tape, writing, ring wear or other defects will start to overwhelm the object.
Poor (P): • VINYL- The record is cracked, badly warped, and won't play through without skipping or repeating. • COVER- The sleeve is water damaged, split on all three seams and heavily marred by wear and/or writing.
