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Goldmine Grading System Defined:Questions & Answers


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Questions in this section:


Q1: What is the Goldmine Grading System ?


Q2: How can I grade my own vinyl based on these grades?


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Answers:


Q1: What is the Goldmine Grading System ?


A1: The Goldmine Grading System was 1st created in the early years of record collecting. These grades were

established from various other resources pertaining to collecting (for example coin, book, comics, and card

collecting) Goldmine Magazine first published a grading scale in 1974.

It has undergone changes through out the years, yet has for the most part remained the same.

Remember! Two people may not come up with the same grade for the same record. One person may feel a record is MINT

and another may say NM (Near Mint). After reading the next part of this answer, perhaps you will be able to

identify each grade with out too much confusion, and allow yourself to grade more conservatively (fairly).


Grade Scale with definitions of each grade: ==================================================


Q2: How can I grade my own vinyl based on these grades?


A2: Below is the grade scale and what you should look for when assessing a grade for each record you have.

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MINT or M : Perfect! A mint record should look like it has just left the manufacturer, with NO flaws what so ever.

It should look as though it had never been handled. No scuffs or scratches, blotches or stains. No stickers address

labels, writing on the covers or labels. No tears or seam splits. No wear to the cover or record period! Age of the

record has nothing to do with it. A MINT record from 1949 should look like a MINT record from 1996.

The number one complaint from collectors about grading over the years, have been the deteriorating standards that

dealers and private sellers have had when grading. It is only natural for most people to turn to the "MINT" grade

and read "highest prices" listed in price guides. Since most price guides have a high and low price range, the

assumed grade most often is NOT mint, but near mint (NM). MINT COVERS: Simply put, a mint cover should appear to

have never had a record inside it. No wear to the corners or any marring on the face or back of the cover. EP

jackets and 45 single picture sleeves also apply to this rule. The record inside can cause an impression (rounded

shape in the face of the cover/sleeve) Many dealers or sellers feel that the artwork (the ink) has to be worn or

starting to rub off, before there is any ring wear.

NOPE!! Mint means perfect and nothing else!

SPECIAL NOTE: It has been brought to my attention that because stickers may involve promo and special track

listings that were applied from the factory, it is still not a standard practice. Promo stickers and large white

programming labels (on the bottom of the covers) are considered a turn off. Therefore even these stickers would

lower the grade from a MINT status to perhaps only EX. For stickers that show special announcements, such as

"Featuring the hit song...etc", were not applied to all the commercial releases. Some earlier copies may not have

the sticker since the song in question had not even charted yet. It was to advertise the whole LP and draw

attention to the buyer. Some stickers are worth money! That means they actually have value. Most companies applied

the stickers to the shrinkwrap and thus, one should save these items, but if applied to the covers, lower the

covers grade. If you wish to place value on the sticker (most are anywhere from 50 cents to $2.00) then do so but

make mention of the sticker being on the cover to potential buyers!


MINT VINYL: This should be very simple to define. A mint record should look perfect, as described earlier. Any

defect from the factory pressing, such as bubbles or pits in the vinyl are not acceptable! Even if they do not

cause any problem when played. It should, as we said, be a perfect pressing. Records often were packaged by hand

and the simple placing of the record into a paper sleeve can caused minor scuffs. Probably very insignificant, but

they are flaws as never the less. For this reason, it is impossible to call a sealed record mint, thus any sealed

record that is sold, should be sold only with the guarantee that it is assumed to be un-played. Sealed records have

sold for more than the high end of price guides. If you are selling sealed records, be advised that many collectors

shy away from them. A sight unseen record is hard to sell. A sealed record is even harder to sell.

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NEAR MINT or NM-: Sometimes dealers use M- (Mint Minus)grade.

You may need to ask the dealer if he/she uses the M- grade the same way as NM. They should mean the same thing

however many people have had used several confusing grades all based around the Mint status. We define NM and or M-

as being almost mint. This grade should be, for the most part, the most widely used grade for records that appear

virtually flawless. Virtually flawless records are not perfect. A very minor scuff and very little else can appear

on the vinyl. This will most likely have occurred during packaging, or removing the record from the inner sleeve

but had been handled with extreme care. It should play without any noise over the flaw. The flaw should be very

hard to see. If a scuff covers more than a few tracks yet can be seen, it will not be NM, however it may come very

close. Use strong judgment when evaluating the vinyls condition.

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EXCELLENT or EX or VG++: This is truly NOT Goldmine defined grade, however it is becoming more and more mainstream

among collectors and sellers. It is also a very conservative grade for those who don't want to grade NM, for fear

they may over grade the record and cover. In which case it is very acceptable yet should not command the highest

price based on NM value. Only NM records or better are considered collectable and WILL command top dollar. Anything

less, the prices drop dramatically. However many very rare (collectable) items can command very close to NM value,

simply because NM copies may not even exist. This will be explained under a different topic...

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EX VINYL: An excellent (EX or VG++) condition for vinyl will allow minor scuffs which are visible but only

slightly. There may be more than a few, so be careful not call a record that has wear to more than 15% of the

surface. The wear should be minimal and of course should play mint! Any scratches that can be felt with your

fingernail can NOT be called scuffs. Scuffs lay on top of the grooves. If any break in the grooves are felt, they

ARE scratches. And most often, they will be heard when played (soft clicks or even loud pops). Once again, no

scratches can make this grade!

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VERY GOOD PLUS or VG+: What does this mean? Some people will call a less than NM record VG+ and skip the EX grade.

Goldmine defines it as Excellent (EX), yet commands only 50% of the value (for most records). It can easily be

defined as 2 ways. VG+ should be the next grade below a NM value when grading 45 singles. EX can be used for EP's.

45 singles have only 2 songs and EP's (7" by the way) can have anywhere from 3, 4, 6 and 8 (rarely found) songs on

the record. With 45 singles one side may be NM and the other side may not. If the flip side is not NM but still

plays well (or great, no noise), VG+ is a conservative grade. Very few 45's should be called EX unless they are of

rarities. Use careful judgment when buying and selling them with this grade!

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VG+ VINYL: Now for LP's (the big ones <G>). VG+ will show wear, surface scuffs,(or spiral scuffs that came from

turn table platters or jukeboxes for 45 singles) and some very light scratches. Surface scuffs are caused from

blunt (not sharp) objects. Often the minor scuffs are caused from inner sleeves. The vinyl should still have a

great luster, but the flaws will be noticeable to the naked eye. Sometimes holding the record up to a very bright

light, you will see many tiny lines across the surface. If the flaws don't cause any surface noise, the vinyl can

make the VG+ grade. Most (but not all) VG+ records should still play like a NM record. But because the vinyl has

more than 15% (yet less than 30%) wear to the surface, it can make this grade. Remember, the record still should

look as though it was handled with extreme care. Sometimes people find records that have no scuffs that are

visible, yet a careless needle scratch causes a break in the grooves. Play the record. If there is any obtrusive

clicks or pops, which cause the the song to be less than enjoyable, it may not even be VG+! Scratches are not

acceptable to a serious collector in any way. If you call a record 95% NM but note the record as having 1 track

with a bad scratch, many will only consider it as VG (explained next). You should seldom call a record "A Strong

VG, plays mostly VG+". It does not explain the overall condition well enough. Use this very cautiously when

grading.


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VERY GOOD or VG: The Very Good Grade does not mean Very good at all. At least not in the visual sense. A Very Good

(VG) record will appear well played but still have some luster. The vinyl may be faded, slightly grayish, yet

appears to have been handled as carefully as it could have been helped. Records that get continuous playing time

will start to deteriorate. More and more surface scuffs and scratches, and audible sound defects WILL be heard.

They should not overpower the dynamics of the music. With VG records, the surface noise will be minor crackle or a

slight hiss, but should only be heard in between tracks or in low musical passages.


IMPORTANT NOTE: With Jazz and Classical recordings, the music can become very low to the point where no music is

even heard. If any crackle, tics, clicks or pops are heard, these records will have very little value to a serious

collector! Classical and Jazz is seldom wanted if they are in less than VG+ condition. It is wise to play these

records (as should all records) when evaluating grades. Some classical records may look VG+ or even NM, however

play less than than perfect. Beware of over grading these. They are difficult to grade and conservative grading is

a must with them. Also equally as important. Most dealers truly will not have a lot of time playing every single LP

they sell. It just is impossible. However when records have questionable flaws, the record should be tested at

least where the flaw occurs in the playing surface. Visually noting the flaw may not be good enough. If the record

skips, you will have made a mistake and the value would thus be less.

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GOOD or G (including the G+ and VG- grades): A good record will look very well played, dull, grayish and possibly

abused. However a Good record should still play. It will have distracting surface noise. Such as crackle that is

continuous or some hiss. Will also have some loss of dynamics caused from grooves being worn. It should play

without any skips or any obtrusively loud pops or repeated clicks, caused by deep scratches. If you can't enjoy the

record, it is not no longer even good. Good means that it will play with some form of decency, so one can still

enjoy the music even though you can still hear noise caused from the wear.


NOTE: Rock and Roll records generally play loud. G condition records for them will be the most likely thing that

will still sell well. Jazz and Classical and easy listening in G condition are almost worthless to a collector,

since the musical passages often get very low and surface noise is too distracting to the listener. Also check on

45 singles for the length of time. Records that play longer than 3 minutes, may not be as dynamic and thus any

where will be heard more than the music (overpower the dynamics). Use conservative judgment when grading these

types of singles.

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G+ and VG-: This is separate from the above. Many records that appear in VG condition often play less than very

good. Goldmine defines them as better than Good, but less than Very Good. The value should not increase more than

the value of a Good record. Meaning they all should be priced somewhere within the same guideline (most often it is

10 to 15% for Good, and only 15% for Good Plus (G+) and Very Good Minus (VG-). With a G+ record, it will look just

as the described condition for Good, yet may play better than it looks. Dynamics for are usually good enough to

overpower the surface noise. Same for VG-, However VG- and G+ are of the same value. It is more of a visually and

audible combined grade. There should be no large price increase for these records. Price them like G records and

you should not have a problem.

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FAIR, & POOR: The easiest way to define this is if does not meet the lowest grade above (GOOD), it is trash. It is

worthless. Unless it is so rare, it won't sale worthy at all. It is ok to throw them away or give them to someone

who just wants to have them. It won't be playable for the most part, and so they are not much good hanging onto

them. Very few poor records are collectable. Some rare colored vinyl or picture discs are ok, and can still be nice

to have, but they won't be good enough to play again.

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Quick rundown in abbreviated Grading System


MINT


NM


EX or VG++


VG+


VG


G (with minor exceptions to G+ and VG-)


F and P (Trash) (some records in Fair condition will be wanted but very, very few.



Common Abreviations


7" - standard 45 RPM

co - cut-out

pc - picture sleeve

sl - slight

UK- United Kingdom (British Pressing)

10" - 10-inch vinyl LP

dj - Disc Jockey (promo)

pi - picture Insert (CD Single)

sm spl - Seam Split

US - United States (domestic pressing)

12" - 12-inch single

ep - Extended Play

promo - promotional copy

soc - sticker on cover

va - various artists

bb - bb hole in cover

imp - import

ps - picture sleeve (45)

sol - slicker on label

wlp - white label promo

boot - bootleg

lp - 12" vinyl album

quad - quadraphonic

ss - still sealed

woc - writing on cover

cc - cut corner

m - mono Lp

re - reissue

s/t - self titled

wol - writing on label

cd - compact disc

nap - not affecting play

ri - reissue

tc - title cover (12" and CD's)

xol - "x" on label

cd3 - 3" compact disc single

non-lp- not on full-length LP or CD

rpm - revolutions per minute

ti - title insert (CD single)

* check the context, as "m" can also mean "mint"

cd5 - 5" compact disc single

oc - original cast recording

rw - ring wear

toc - tape on cover

coh - cut-out-hole

ost - original soundtrack

s - stereo Lp

tol - tape on label







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Copyrighted 1996 by Weldon T. Toms & Goldmine Records (1974?)


You have permission to download, transmit or post to other WWW sites.


INFORMATION SOURCE: GOLDMINE MAGAZINE


In Composing this Q & A, the following people have participated with vital information....


Susan Murray (NOD International Records) cyteen @ ix.netcom DOT com

Fred Walker (Vinylonly) vinylonly @ aol DOT com

Paula Major (Paula's House of Music) doowoplvr @ houseofmusic DOT com (Paula),




Copyright 1996 by Weldon T. Toms & Goldmine (1974?) Any additional insight can be forwarded to Tim at backtrac45 @

aol DOT com for future updates if needed. Grades listed will not be altered or modified. The following grades

defined are those as listed with Goldmine magazine.


This is not to say that other grading systems are not viable. This is the most mainstream system used as compared

to others that are not. It is to be used only as a reference but to keep in mind, that when grading, anyone can

choose alternative means to grading records, as long as they can define the terms the use without confusion.


FAQ: Compiled August 16th, 1996

the full text of this guide may be found here: www DOT eskimo DOT com/~bpentium/beatles/grading DOT html