The Goldmine grading scale

We use the Goldmine standard — the same grading scale most of the secondary market uses — to keep grading consistent and predictable. Each listing has two grades: media (the disc or tape) and sleeve (the cover).

The eight grades

M — Mint Sealed, never played. No defects. Use only for genuinely sealed copies.

NM — Near Mint Played once or twice. Essentially perfect. Sleeve has the slightest cellophane scuff or sticker mark; vinyl is shiny, no scuffs visible under angled light. Most "near-new" copies are NM, not M.

VG+ — Very Good Plus Played carefully a few times. Vinyl shows light marks under angled light but plays cleanly. Sleeve has minor cosmetic wear: corner softness, light edge wear, a small ring trace.

VG — Very Good Played regularly with care. Vinyl shows visible scuffs and the occasional light scratch, plays with very minor surface noise. Sleeve shows clear wear: ring wear, edge wear, possibly seam wear or a small split.

G+ — Good Plus Played a lot. Visible scratches that you can feel with a fingernail, audible surface noise. Sleeve is worn through — seam splits, writing, tape marks possible. Still complete and playable.

G — Good Used hard. Surface noise is constant; pops are common; the music is still recognisable. Sleeve may have substantial damage. Buyer-beware territory unless the record is otherwise rare.

F — Fair Plays through, but with significant noise. Mostly a collector's-shelf piece, not a listening copy.

P — Poor Skips, locks, or near-unplayable. Sleeve may be partial or detached. Usually only worth listing for very rare titles.

Grading practice

• Grade under angled light. Hold the disc at 30–45° under a strong light to see hairlines that vertical light hides.
• Play-grade if you can. A clean-looking VG+ that pops on track 2 should be downgraded — or noted explicitly in the description.
• Be a tougher grader than you'd want to be. Buyers reward sellers who under-promise. Over-promising costs ratings, time and trust.
• Note specifics in the description. "VG+ with one small scuff on side B, plays clean" is far more useful than "VG+".

Media vs. sleeve

The two grades are independent. A common combination is NM/VG+ — the record has been played carefully but the sleeve has been on a shelf for 30 years. Listing the two grades separately is part of the standard.

When in doubt

Grade down. A buyer who finds the record better than expected leaves a positive rating. A buyer who finds it worse than described raises a dispute.