| Part
I: What You Do Not Know May Hurt You Grading
music collectibles is very subjective. There are a wide variety of scales that people
follow in order to grade their goods. If you have ever dealt with a seller, and have never
seen the item that you are interested in purchasing, all that you have to base your
decision on is the description provided by the seller. Many of you already know that mint
is the most over used term when describing condition. Therefore, to lessen the
confusion, we have provided a list of commonly used grading terms. The following grade
definitions were adapted from several sources including Goldmine
magazine and Southland CD.
Mint (M) This
is a grading which is rarely used for records as it indicates the record or CD is in
perfect condition (for playing surfaces and all accompanying artwork). The grading may be
used more for a CD that is usually still sealed.
Near Mint (NM or M-)
This is generally the highest grading. It means the record or CD (by default) is basically
new or as new and contains no imperfections on its playing surface that affect play-back.
All artwork accompanying the media is in near perfect condition with no wear, marks,
dents, creases, scratches, seams splits or any other defect. A NM/M- grading also means
all the issue is complete in that all items originally issued accompany the media. This is
basically an item that has just had the shrink-wrap taken off.
Very Good Plus (VG+)
The media has noticeably been played, there may be small scratches and scuff marks,
however these do not affect the quality of the play-back. The artwork accompanying the
media may show signs of wear. These will include slight righ wear, small scratches, small
creases or folds, however none of these can be large in size or such that they distract
heavily from the overall effect of the artwork.
Very Good (VG)
For this grading, the wear on the media will be noticeable on playback, although not to
great effect. A few scratches are likely to be noticeable. The condition of the artwork
will be worse than for a VG+ grading, however there will not be numerous problems, rather
a few more serious defects.
Good (G) The
media has enough defects to cause bad surface noise when played. The artwork will have
very noticeable defects, such as splits, creases and possibly tears.
Fair (F) or Poor (P)
The media may be broken or scratched so badly that it is almost unplayable. The artwork is
also badly damaged.
The media (CD or record) is commonly graded along with the
artwork. Some people vary in the order that they grade their items, media/artwork or
artwork/media. In most advertisements it is common to list the media first, then the
sleeve or artwork. If you are still unsure of how the item is being graded, it is best to
just ask if there are any defects and hope that the seller is kind enough to disclose any
and all defects. When all else fails, trust your instincts.
*The term Excellent (EX) is sometimes used interchangeably
with Very Good (VG). Many people also use varying degrees of VG by adding +'s or -'s.
Part II: How Rare
is Rare?
Other common questions collectors face is
knowing how rare an item is, and what people consider to be rare. The following is our
guide to grading rarity. Follow it at your leisure. Generally, items that are deleted or
made in sparse amounts are more rare, and fetch higher prices by collectors. Among the
rarest of the rare are acetates, CD-Rs, mistakes, mispresses, or misprints, and promos. In
some cases the media that plays the correct tracks is more rare than the mispress.
Ultra Rare The
most difficult to find. Basically if you find one of these you had better snatch it up
quickly because it may be a while before it appears on the market again. Equivalent to
finding a needle in a hay stack.
Mega Rare
Difficult to find but not impossible. Usually only available through mail order.
Super Rare
Becoming difficult to find, even through online shopping.
Very Rare You
will not find these in your local store. May be available through online shopping.
Rare Released
for a while, but becoming difficult to find in your local record store.
Common Major
releases that will not disappear anytime soon. |
