Vinyl Grading Systems

INTRODUCTION:

      Vinyl grading systems are very prone to error. The current system of grading used by most record collectors (Mint, Near Mint, Very Good, etc.) was originally adopted from very old systems used by coin and stamp collectors. The problem with this terminology is that while it works well for metal coins and paper stamps, it does not apply well to vinyl records, for three main reasons.
      First, whereas coins and stamps usually consist of only one material, vinyl records consist of two major parts (the sleeve and the record itself) made of very different materials. So when a record is labeled "Near Mint" does that refer to the paper sleeve, the vinyl record, or both parts? A good seller will give grades for both parts of a complete record, many do not.
      Second, grading of the vinyl record itself is prone to error. How a record looks when held up to the light does not always suggest how the microscopic grooves will sound when played. A great LOOKING record may not be a great SOUNDING one!
      Finally, the quality of sound is entirely subjective! What sounds great to one person may sound worn out and scratchy to another. As vinyl begins to wear, the grooves begin to get "rounded off". This results especially in a loss of the higher frequencies as the groove channels straighten out. This wearing process may be very easy for one listener to hear, but another listener may not notice a difference.
      While the present grading system works as well as can be expected, it has lost much of its meaning in recent years. For example, many sellers on sites like eBay use the term "Mint" to describe just about anything they are selling. A vinyl purist will tell you that a "Mint" record simply doesn't exist. Mint is defined as perfect, and even sealed records straight out of the box are rarely if ever perfect.
      With this Introduction in mind, I present the two grading systems below. The first table gives a brief version of the system originated by Goldmine Magazine years ago. Next is a more recent 1 to 10 scale proposed by Jerry Osborne in his "Rockin' Records" oldies price guide. Some grades have been combined for ease of explanation, since the differences would only make sense to serious collectors of older records. Following the grading systems are a few links to more in depth discussions of vinyl grading systems.
      A last bit of advice as far as grading vinyl... don't trust anyone except a vinyl record sales specialist, and even then, trust your EARS to make the final judgment!


GRADING SYSTEMS:

Condensed From The Goldmine Grading System

NAME

GRADE

DISCUSSION

Mint

M

Vinyl has just left the vinyl pressing machine and does not have any manufacturing flaws. It has never been handled and never played. Unless you work at the record plant, there is no such thing as mint!

Record sleeves just left the pressing machine that made the sleeve. It has never been handled and a record has not been placed inside it which would deform it. Unless you work at the record plant, there is no such thing as mint!

Near Mint

NM

Vinyl is virtually perfect. At most, perhaps a light scuff appears on the record. It should play without any noise or skips of any kind whatsoever.

Record sleeve should look close to perfect with only minor signs of wear. The artwork should have no marks of any kind and there should be no "ring wear" (that is, the outline of the record inside should not show through the sleeve).

Excellent

EX or VG++

Vinyl should play with no skips of any kind. It should sound better than it looks. Often "Excellent" or "VG++" is a conservative version of "Near Mint." Perhaps some very minor surface scuffs, but again no effect on sound quality.

Record sleeve might have some minor "ring wear" but otherwise the artwork should be unaffected. There should be no "ink wear" to the artwork. That is areas where the ink has worn down to the paper underneath. Perhaps some minor creases in the corners but no splits in the seams.

Very Good Plus

VG+

Vinyl will show wear including surface scuffs and some light scratches. Often, minor scuffs will be caused by the inner sleeve rubbing against the vinyl. If held up to a bright light, you will often see many tiny lines on the vinyl. Perhaps a few minor clicks or pops can be heard, but no deep scratches.

Record sleeve should be clean, but slightly more aged. Perhaps some very small writing on the sleeve. The corners may be slightly bent, but not broken. There may be wear to the seams but not tears or holes popping through.

Very Good

VG

Vinyl doesn't necessarily look good, but still plays well. Surface noise will probably be present including pops and clicks. At good volume levels, the music should overpower any pops and clicks present. Flaws should only be heard between tracks or on low volume passages.

Record sleeve will look warn and used. There may be seam splitting, but not complete separation of the sleeve panels from each other. There will be noticeable ring wear on the cover, but most of the cover should still be in good condition.

Good

VG-/G+/G

Vinyl looks well played, dull, and possibly not well taken care of. However, the record should still play without skipping. It will have substantial surface noise, pops and clicks. Loss of various parts of the dynamic range will occur due to worn grooves. This grade depends a lot on the owner and the type of record. A rock record may still sound "good" at high volume whereas a slower styles of music will sound terrible.

Record sleeve may have many problems including seam splits, writing, taped repairs. However some of the artwork will still be visible. There can't be large tears and gouges in the cover.

Fair/Poor

F/P

Doesn't meet the lowest standards for "good". At this point, the vinyl is difficult to listen to. The only reason to keep it would be due to extreme rarity or to fill a good sleeve until a better copy of the vinyl comes along.

Doesn't meet the lowest standards for "good". The sleeve is torn, bent, and shows a very high level of wear. Attempts to tape the sleeve have made it worse. The only reason to keep the sleeve would be due to extreme rarity or to protect a good copy of the vinyl until a better sleeve comes along.

NOTE:   As you can tell, this system is very difficult to use and remember. Toss in the fact that some people use additional made up grades like M+ or M++ NM+ VG- M-- and that the system is used by many people who have no clue how it works and you can see that it gets out of control quickly. The Goldmine system is still, however, the most common in usage by stores and mail order houses.

Jerry Osborne's "Rockin' Records" System

GRADE

NAME/DESCRIPTION

10

Mint Condition

9

Near Mint Condition

8

Better than Very Good, but below Near Mint

7

Very Good

6

Better than Good, but below Very Good

5

Good

4

Better than Poor, but below Good

3

Poor

2

Really Trashed

1

It hurts to think about it

NOTE:   This system is an attempt to mix the historical system with a straightforward numerical system that normal people can handle, and a bit of humor. I think Osborne's system is much better for beginners, but the Goldmine system is so universal, I doubt it will be displaced by another system.


VINYL GRADING LINKS:

An more detailed discussion of the Goldmine System can be found at:

http://www.houseofmusic.com/vinlgrad.htm

A more detailed discussion of Osborne's system can be found at:

http://www.ears2hear.on.ca/vinyl.html