The Vinyl records are graded for the quality of the Records as well as its cover.
The records are visually inspected for scratches, wrapping, skips, stickers, writing and other problems. You will appreciate the fact that most these records are 30-40 years old and so will almost never be equal to International standards of grading. The records that we sell are guaranteed to be playable, and not to skip or have unplayable tracks.
RECORDS
MINT (M) – A record that has never been played. If it is still sealed, it is assumed to be mint (10/10).
NEAR MINT (M-) – A record that has not been used, or shows very little use. It may have one or two very minor scratches or marks, and will look new unless examined closely (9/10).
EXCELLENT (EX) – A record that shows only minor signs of use. Has a fairly clean appearance, with only a few minor scratches or marks which is not affecting the playability of the records. Playback can be expected to be of excellent quality, with only very minor noise if any at all (7-8/10).
VERY GOOD (VG) – A record that shows moderate signs of use, and has been played many times, but not abused. It may have some scratches and scuffs, and they will appear all over the record. Playback will be of very good quality overall, but may crackle, pop or hiss in spots, but never continuously and never so much that it is louder than the music (5-6/10).
GOOD (G) – A record that shows moderate to heavy signs of use, and has been played many times. It may have multiple scratches and scuffs, and they will appear all over the record without examination. It may crackle, pop or hiss in spots, but should play through, even if a little noisy (3-4/10).
FAIR (F) – A record that shows heavy signs of use, and has been abused. It will have multiple scratches and scuffs, many severe, and they will appear all over the record without examination. It will be very noisy with crackling, popping and hissing, and may even skip (1-2/10)
COVERS
MINT (M) – A cover that appears new, is new, or the record is sealed (10/10).
NEAR MINT (M-) – A cover that appears nearly new. Only the most minor wear is allowed under this grade (9/10)
EXCELLENT (EX) – Used and handled a little, but overall in excellent shape. May have slight corner, edge and ring wear, and may be a little discoloured from wear or dirt. Normal shelf wear. Any defects will be relatively minor at this grade (7-8/10)
VERY GOOD (VG) – A cover that has been frequently handled, but shows only normal wear and tear and is still good for protection of the record. May show moderate corner, edge and ring wear, and may be discoloured from wear or dirt. Some record covers in this category may have transparent/brown tapes put on the edges for protection as seen from the photographs (5-6/10).
GOOD (G) – A cover that shows heavy use and handling. Will have significant wear on the corners and edges, and may be creased and soiled, or split. Not very attractive, but still intact and should suffice for record protection (3-4/10).
FAIR (F) – A cover that shows very heavy use. Will have heavy wear on the corners and edges and be heavily creased. It will most likely be split and dirty, and is no longer good for protection, but still intact (1-2/10).