STANDARDS FOR VINYL
NM (near mint) = Vinyl gloss nearly full, no scratches. Label wear, if any, should be barely detectable. Label full, original color. Lightly played, should play without surface noise.
VG (very good) = Vinyl may have visible imperfections. Vinyl displays some gloss. May have slight label wear, nothing major. Record may play with some very slight surface noise, but nothing that impedes sound.
G (good) = Vinyl has imperfections that don’t affect play. Label may be worn.
F (fair) = Both vinyl and label show major wear to the surfaces.
STANDARDS FOR COVERS
NM (near mint) = Cover appears new at first glance. There will be some barely noticeable wear. Cover artwork colors are full.
VG (very good) = Cover shows some very minor wear, but no serious defects. Cover artwork colors are complete, but may show some minor friction rubbing. The corners will still be relatively sharp. May show some age mellowing of the white and colored areas.
G (good) = Cover will have visible signs of wear. There may be one or two minor scratches or splits. Corners may be somewhat frayed.
F (fair) = Cover shows extreme wear. Cover may have scratches and tears, or other disfiguring defects.