Grading

How I grade: for the most part I follow the internationally accepted standards laid down by Goldmine (and Jerry Osbourne’s Rockin’ Records, which was the “gold standard” for all things record collecting back was I was heavily involved in it many years ago), with the addition of the “VG++” grade that some don’t care for (please see below for more info on that). Those grading standards are also generally recognized by Discogs, and Reverb LP when they were around (although I suppose that can vary by seller on those platforms).
I don’t give a grade of Mint (M), because I don’t believe I’ve ever had a record that had absolutely zero flaws—nothing at all wrong or imperfect about it—and so the highest grade I give is Near Mint (NM), which is reserved for records (or jackets) that are practically or essentially perfect. I won’t ever use a grade of NM+ as that doesn’t make sense to me...NM is the best you can get, in my opinion. And then, so that we’re all on the same page, here are the specific criteria I use for grading, as well as pricing/valuation (for grades that have no pricing/valuation info at the end of the description, I just estimate between the value of nearby grades that do have valuation info listed):
NM = NM records will be shiny, with no visible defects (including no major factory defects). There will be no writing, stickers or other markings on the label, and no marks from a turntable spindle (and no surface noise when played). Covers will have no creases, ring wear or seam splits of any kind. In my opinion this is the best condition that you could expect a record to be in. I generally price a NM record somewhere in the neighborhood of the Rockin' Records price guide range for a NM copy of said record.
NM- = A record graded NM- is almost NM; not quite down to the “VG+” range, but still not quite good enough to be a straight-up NM. Records that I have graded NM-, or even VG++, have been graded by other reputable sellers as NM (some sellers—including reputable dealers who own and run well-respected used record stores, that have been in business for decades—even graded as M something that I had graded as NM-). This is not the same as VG+ or VG++, it is a higher grade than both of those.
VG++ = A VG++ record is almost NM-; it's still technically in the “VG+” range, but at the very highest end of that range—basically a VG++ record is one that is better than pretty much everything else that is graded as VG+ but still not quite as nice as a NM or NM-. For those that don’t like the use of a “++” designator, please just consider any records I’ve graded as VG++ to just be VG+ (but you can be confident that it will be a superb specimen, and know that it will be priced accordingly).
VG+ = A good description of a VG+ record could be “except for a couple of minor things, this would be NM or NM-;” another could be "the same issues that you would expect from a VG record, but to a lesser degree." Records graded VG+ will show some slight signs of wear, including light scuffs or very light scratches that do not affect the listening experience; one could even encounter a VG+ record with a slight warp that does not affect the sound. Minor evidence of handling will probably be present as well, such as spindle marks around the center hole (but the spindle hole shouldn’t be misshapen). There may be some very light ring wear or discoloration on the label and/or cover, but it should be barely noticeable. Cover may have some very minor seam wear or a small split at the bottom, or may have some defacing (such as a cut-out or other unobtrusive marking). I have seen many records for sale by other sellers through the years that they had graded as VG+ that I would never have graded higher than VG-, and some I wouldn't have graded higher than a G. I generally value a VG+ record at about 50% of the value of a NM copy (based on Rockin' Records' valuation), and I would usually price such a record a little below that.
VG = A record in VG condition will have lost most of its luster, and other surface issues—like groove wear and light scuffs and scratches—are visible and can produce surface noise and pops (although the noise shouldn’t be overpowering). The cover and label can have minor writing or stickers/tape, and signs of use/handling like ring wear, creases and seam splits. I generally value a VG record at about 25% of the value of a NM copy (based on Rockin' Records' valuation), and I would usually price such a record a bit below that.
VG- = A VG- record is almost VG; not quite down to the “G+” range, but still not quite good enough to be a straight-up VG. This is not the same as G+, it is a higher grade than G+.
G+ = A G+ record is almost VG-; still technically in the “G” range, but at the high end of that range.
G = A record that I’ve graded as G is basically “good enough” to own and keep in a collection—a copy worth having, maybe as a placeholder for if/when a better copy becomes available—but it is notably less pristine than a VG- (or better) copy; generally you’ll find more issues than you’ll find things to be impressed with (although those issues shouldn’t be “catastrophic” or so severe that the record isn’t worth keeping). You probably won’t find any records for sale here in the “G” range at all, but if there are they would most likely be at least a G+ (and it would still have to be something special for me to even bother with it in that condition). If I do post one for sale I will generally value a G record at no more than 5% of the value of a NM copy (based on Rockin' Records' valuation), and I would usually price such a record a bit below that.
G- (or below) = You can pretty much expect that you won’t find any of these grades for sale here, because I generally don’t bother with these records.
To give a broader (and hopefully more concise) description of how I grade: I consider NM to be essentially perfect; anything less than that is graded less than NM. I consider G to be "good enough" to keep if another copy can't be found or if I can't afford a better copy, and even then only until a better copy comes along (hopefully sooner rather than later); most records I won't even bother with a G copy of—only if it's sufficiently rare does it really make sense, in my opinion. And then VG is right about at halfway between those two.
The extra designations of the "pluses" and "minuses" then come into play, but I see those as extensions of the letter grade in front of them: so a VG+ record, to me, is really a VG record (if we're only using NM, VG, and G)—and so is a VG++ record—but in both cases they are better than the average VG record (but not quite as nice as any NM records). A NM- record is still technically "near mint" to me, but not quite the best that it could possibly be (but superior to anything in the "VG" range). And then the same goes for VG- records: they're still technically in the "VG" range, but maybe not quite as nice as the average VG—althought a VG- record would still be better than anything in the "G" range, even a G+. And of course, a G+ record is just a G record; not as nice as anything in the "VG" range, but better than most others in the "G" range.
As for a broad description of valuations at key points in those grades: NM=100% of book value; VG+=50% of book value; VG=25% of book value; G=10-15% of book value ("book value" meaning the NM value according to Rockin' Records).
Hopefully that, along with all of the detailed descriptions and tons of pictures of the records that I have for sale, will help to make my grading a little easier to understand—but definitely contact me before buying with any specific question you may have.
When I list two grades for a record (for instance, like I do in the page titles for the pages on this site), the first grade is for the record itself and the second grade is for the cover/jacket. If the record is a double (two-disc) album, then there will be two grades listed for the record; the third grade will be for the cover/jacket. In such cases, the first grade of the two record grades will be for the disc with side 1 on it; the other record grade is the other disc.

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