THE VINYL FRONTIER GRADING SYSTEM
GRADING FOR RECORDS
Our system for grading records is based largely upon the premise of the Record Collector grading system – but we operate to far stricter standards. As record buyers ourselves, we do not want to receive something graded as “Good” when it is covered in scratches and the sleeve is torn virtually in half. That is NOT good. Our gradings hopefully reflect what we would like to receive as buyers. It means that “Good” genuinely is good and even “Fair” is more than acceptable.
The prices of all records listed reflect their condition. If a grading is not shown, please be assured that the record has been examined and priced accordingly.
Please note that all our items are graded media first, packaging etc second.
Mint
The record is in brand new and unplayed condition. The cover and any extra items such as the lyric sheet, booklet or poster are in perfect condition. A grading of Mint is only used when we are certain the record has never been played and it is clear that all packaging is complete and perfect. Records that are factory sealed will be taken as being in mint condition. However, that does not always apply to the outer packaging, which will be graded accordingly
Near- Mint
The record itself is in very much new condition. It may have been played a few times but has no visible marks or deterioration in sound quality. The cover and any extra items such as the lyric sheet, booklet or poster are in near-perfect condition.
Excellent
The record shows some small signs of having been played, but there is very little if any lessening of the sound quality. One or two very minor surface marks may be apparent to the naked eye but nothing of note. The cover and packaging will have very minimal wear and no noticeable creasing.
The use of Excellent+ and Excellent- will demonstrate an item that is very slightly above or very slightly below the standard of Excellent.
Very Good
It is clear that the record has been played but it has been well looked-after. There may be some visible but minor surface marks or blemishes and the odd very light scratch but there is no major deterioration in sound quality. The cover and any accompanying items may have a little light general wear but no major defects, tearing or creasing.
The use of Very Good+ and Very Good- will demonstrate an item that is very slightly above or very slightly below the standard of Very Good.
Good
It is clear that the record has been played a number of times and the sound quality may have deteriorated slightly. There may be any number of generally light surface marks, blemishes, scuffing and very light scratches. The cover and contents may have some mild creases, scuffing, light discolouration, spine splits and even minor tearing at the edges but will remain in very presentable condition.
The use of Good+ and Good- will demonstrate an item that is very slightly above or very slightly below the standard of Good.
Fair
It is clear that the record has been played many times and there are a number of visible marks and noticeable scratches. There is some notable deterioration in sound quality but the record will still be listenable and would not generally be expected to jump. The cover and contents will be present but may have suffered some notable general wear, creasing/folding, some minor tearing or other damage. However, they will remain reasonably presentable.
The use of Fair+ and Fair- will demonstrate an item that is very slightly above the standard of Fair. We rarely sell records that we would consider worthy of a Fair- grading.
Poor & Bad
We do not sell records that we would consider worthy of a Poor or Bad grading. These are turned into coasters for use in our café, recycled in some other way or simply disposed of.
GRADING FOR CDs
Our grading for CDs uses the same general principles as for records and is based upon the visual appearance of the disc, packaging and case.
Unlike records, CDs are generally extremely resistant to scratches and will often play perfectly while looking absolutely terrible! However, that does not mean we will offer terrible looking CDs for sale. We won’t!
GRADING FOR CASSETTES
Once again, a common-sense approach is taken to grading cassettes, based on a visual inspection. Very often, direct print on the cassette shell will fade with use. This will be reflected in the grading and noted in any additional comments, even though the quality of the actual sound will not be affected in any way.
If you would like any more information about our grading systems, please do not hesitate to contact us.
GRADING FOR RECORDS
Our system for grading records is based largely upon the premise of the Record Collector grading system – but we operate to far stricter standards. As record buyers ourselves, we do not want to receive something graded as “Good” when it is covered in scratches and the sleeve is torn virtually in half. That is NOT good. Our gradings hopefully reflect what we would like to receive as buyers. It means that “Good” genuinely is good and even “Fair” is more than acceptable.
The prices of all records listed reflect their condition. If a grading is not shown, please be assured that the record has been examined and priced accordingly.
Please note that all our items are graded media first, packaging etc second.
Mint
The record is in brand new and unplayed condition. The cover and any extra items such as the lyric sheet, booklet or poster are in perfect condition. A grading of Mint is only used when we are certain the record has never been played and it is clear that all packaging is complete and perfect. Records that are factory sealed will be taken as being in mint condition. However, that does not always apply to the outer packaging, which will be graded accordingly
Near- Mint
The record itself is in very much new condition. It may have been played a few times but has no visible marks or deterioration in sound quality. The cover and any extra items such as the lyric sheet, booklet or poster are in near-perfect condition.
Excellent
The record shows some small signs of having been played, but there is very little if any lessening of the sound quality. One or two very minor surface marks may be apparent to the naked eye but nothing of note. The cover and packaging will have very minimal wear and no noticeable creasing.
The use of Excellent+ and Excellent- will demonstrate an item that is very slightly above or very slightly below the standard of Excellent.
Very Good
It is clear that the record has been played but it has been well looked-after. There may be some visible but minor surface marks or blemishes and the odd very light scratch but there is no major deterioration in sound quality. The cover and any accompanying items may have a little light general wear but no major defects, tearing or creasing.
The use of Very Good+ and Very Good- will demonstrate an item that is very slightly above or very slightly below the standard of Very Good.
Good
It is clear that the record has been played a number of times and the sound quality may have deteriorated slightly. There may be any number of generally light surface marks, blemishes, scuffing and very light scratches. The cover and contents may have some mild creases, scuffing, light discolouration, spine splits and even minor tearing at the edges but will remain in very presentable condition.
The use of Good+ and Good- will demonstrate an item that is very slightly above or very slightly below the standard of Good.
Fair
It is clear that the record has been played many times and there are a number of visible marks and noticeable scratches. There is some notable deterioration in sound quality but the record will still be listenable and would not generally be expected to jump. The cover and contents will be present but may have suffered some notable general wear, creasing/folding, some minor tearing or other damage. However, they will remain reasonably presentable.
The use of Fair+ and Fair- will demonstrate an item that is very slightly above the standard of Fair. We rarely sell records that we would consider worthy of a Fair- grading.
Poor & Bad
We do not sell records that we would consider worthy of a Poor or Bad grading. These are turned into coasters for use in our café, recycled in some other way or simply disposed of.
GRADING FOR CDs
Our grading for CDs uses the same general principles as for records and is based upon the visual appearance of the disc, packaging and case.
Unlike records, CDs are generally extremely resistant to scratches and will often play perfectly while looking absolutely terrible! However, that does not mean we will offer terrible looking CDs for sale. We won’t!
GRADING FOR CASSETTES
Once again, a common-sense approach is taken to grading cassettes, based on a visual inspection. Very often, direct print on the cassette shell will fade with use. This will be reflected in the grading and noted in any additional comments, even though the quality of the actual sound will not be affected in any way.
If you would like any more information about our grading systems, please do not hesitate to contact us.