(courtesy of Goldmine)

The following grading system will apply to any vinyl records that I will be selling on ebay. Any records that will be sold were/are from my own personal collection, they have not simply been acquired for selling through this forum.  I didn't have thousands of albums like some people, but I do have a bunch (OK a large bunch ;-) My wife got me a wonderful Christmas present recently...it is a little machine that allows me to record/digitize all of my old vinyl on to a CD's...and I took it as a hint (because I have plenty of them around). As much as I hate to let them go, it may be time.

Worth also noting is the fact that I always considered myself "an audiophile"  SO...if you do win one of my records...you will be happy with the condition of both the vinyl AND the sleeve. Before playing, (which was VERY infrequently) they were cleaned and shot with a zerostat AND each album was handled correctly. Oh, and almost every album in my collection had a protective plastic covering to preserve the sleeve itself from excessive wear. Thats about it...following is the grading I will use...

Unless otherwise noted, records are visually graded.

NEVER opened.

Near Mint (NM or M-):

A nearly perfect record.

The record should show no obvious signs of wear.

An LP jacket should have no creases, folds, seam splits or any other noticeable similar defect. No cut-out holes, either. And of course, the same should be true of any other inserts, such as posters, lyric sleeves and the like.

Basically, an LP in Near Mint condition looks as if you just got it home new from a record store and removed the shrink wrap.

Very Good Plus (VG+):

A Very Good Plus record will show 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. Slight warps that do not affect the sound are okay.

The label may have some ring wear or discoloration, but it should be barely noticeable. The center hole will not have been misshapen by repeated play.

Picture sleeves and LP inner sleeves will have some slight wear, lightly turned-up corners or a slight seam-split. An LP jacket may have slight signs of wear also and may be marred by a cut-out hole, indentation or corner indicating it was taken out of print and sold at a discount.

In general, if not for a couple of minor things wrong with it, this would be Near Mint. All but the most mint-crazy collectors will find a Very Good Plus record highly acceptable.

Very Good (VG, VG-):

Noticeable surface noise will be evident upon playing, especially in soft passages and during a song's intro and fade. Groove wear will be noticeable, as will scratches that will affect the sound.

Labels may be marred by writing, or have tape or stickers (or their residue) attached. The same will be true of picture sleeves or LP covers.

Thankyou!