Record Grading WTF

[sabadabada]

Grading Scale:
10: Mint??? Perfect record, clean gloss, no marks, beautiful in every way. Very few records will make mint.
9: Mint -??? Very clean, only a few light marks. A great record.
8: Condition between 7 and 9. but closer to 9
7: VG+??? Used, but not abused. Light scratches only. Should play, and look very nice with minimal surface noise.
6: VG??? Looks a bit used, light scratches, no gouges, still plays well, some surface noise.
5: VG-??? A bit rough but will play ok. Fills the collection.
4: G??? Plays very rough. Has multiple scratches. What a bargain!!
3-2-1: It only goes down from here.



My favorite is 8.

 

[LaserWolf]

Years ago I bought a batch of records out of goldmine graded between NM and EX.


They were all trashed, including water damaged and torn sleeves.





Turns out their grading started at


N+ (New Plus)


From there:


N


N-


M+


M


M-


NM+


By the time you got to NM some scratches were acceptable.


...

 

[sabadabada]

There's a seller on Gemm that grades like that.

 

[LaserWolf]

I also avoid sellers that use excess + & -: VG++(+).





I have also seen sellers who have a 1-10 for each letter:


NM 7 Better than near mint 6 but not as good as near mint 8.

 

[TheKindCromang]

Two of my friends who are buyers have a long standing argument whether EX is actually a grade or not

 

[Murdock]

TheKindCromang said:Two of my friends who are buyers have a long standing argument whether EX is actually a grade or not






Nope

 

[soulcitizen]

I recently sold a totally mint unplayed album to a guy in France (no shit sherlock) who tried to back it saying it was 'vg++++ only, this is not mint grade'. When i advised him 'vg++++' wasn't actually a grade and it was a brand new record, he advised by I was 'a thief but as he didn't want to go to the post office he'd keep it'. Just makes you want to give up.

 

[high_c]

Murdock said:TheKindCromang said:Two of my friends who are buyers have a long standing argument whether EX is actually a grade or not






Nope




Manship uses Ex and he authored the fucking bible.

 

[RAJ]

All grading done under 1000 watt Metal Halide Light Bulb

 

[Murdock]

high_c said:Murdock said:TheKindCromang said:Two of my friends who are buyers have a long standing argument whether EX is actually a grade or not






Nope




Manship uses Ex and he authored the fucking bible.



English Northern Soulman Revealed...

 

[talkinboutwillis]

i definitely use EX as a grade. that's mostly because i basically never grade anything mint. if i look under a bright light and there are no visual flaws whatsoever thats an EX to me. if i opened a record myself and never played it, i mean to me that's mint. but i agree, people can't grade for shit.

 

[georgeibrahim]

Manship EX can mean anything from close to NM to cueburnt, warped & skated to fuck in my experiences buying records from him.

 

What you want is + what you don't is without +.





There is no such thing as a mint condition record because no record is perfect.





I grade primarily by ear to get the + or not, and by eye in the sunlight to determine the letter grade.





Funny thing is that I don't currently sell. But I do trade quantity because it is a faster way to send around what I call come-a-rounds. trade is better for me because I normally get 20% more than cash. 20% is 20%.





Have a good one.

 

[Horseleech]

high_c said:Murdock said:TheKindCromang said:Two of my friends who are buyers have a long standing argument whether EX is actually a grade or not






Nope




Manship uses Ex and he authored the fucking bible.




Please, the guy didn't invent record collecting.

 

[nzshadow]

NorthernDealer10 said:What you want is + what you don't is without +.





There is no such thing as a mint condition record because no record is perfect.





I grade primarily by ear to get the + or not, and by eye in the sunlight to determine the letter grade.





Funny thing is that I don't currently sell. But I do trade quantity because it is a faster way to send around what I call come-a-rounds. trade is better for me because I normally get 20% more than cash. 20% is 20%.





Have a good one.




Something about this post makes me smile.

20% is 20%.





Have a good one.

Right on.

 

[Dante]

NorthernDealer10 said:What you want is + what you don't is without +.





There is no such thing as a mint condition record because no record is perfect.





I grade primarily by ear to get the + or not, and by eye in the sunlight to determine the letter grade.





Funny thing is that I don't currently sell. But I do trade quantity because it is a faster way to send around what I call come-a-rounds. trade is better for me because I normally get 20% more than cash. 20% is 20%.





Have a good one.




Grading is always done visually under a bright light. Play grade is a whole different thing.