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Woman with Vinyl

How do we grade our records?

At Rabbit Hole Records, we know that nothing is more important to you than the condition of your records. That’s why we take the utmost care and consideration in making sure our inventory is top quality. We follow the Goldmine grading system to ensure that you’re getting records graded as accurately as possible for your hard earned cash!

The Basics:

  • Always check for wear and tear in strong light

  • Some defects are easy to detect by sight alone 

  • When buying preloved records there are usually two grades: one for the record and one for the sleeve

  • Only clean your records with good quality products

  • Store your records upright to reduce warping

  • Protective covers will reduce dust and help to increase your records longevity

MINT CONDITION (M)

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  • Even Mary Poppins doesn't quite get in this category! Mint condition requires the record to be absolutely perfect (not practically)

 

  • It is very rare to see an item in "mint" condition, as there are always small signs of wear.

NEAR MINT (NM or M-)

These are some seriously high standards...

  • The record should be shiny / have a sheen

  • No visible marks or scratches on the record or labels

  • There should be no surface noise

  • The sleeve should be crease-free and have no seam splits / ring wear

  • No factory defects (pressing / printing)
     

VERY GOOD PLUS (VG+) or EXCELLENT (E)

May show some small signs of wear...

  • Light scuffs / hairlines / scratches that do not affect the playback

  • Slight warps that don't affect the sound

  • Minor signs of handling (usually around the centre hole) but not misshapen

  • The sleeve may have some seam wear or even a small split

  • The sleeve may have some defacing or cut-outs
     

VERY GOOD (VG)

More obvious flaws...

  • Record has lost some of its shine

  • Scratches deep enough to feel with your nail

  • Some surface noise, scratches may be audible, but doesn't over power the music

  • Labels may have writing or stickers

  • The sleeve will have signs of handling, corner creasing, or ring wear.

  • Seam splitting will be more prominent, possibly even on all three sides
     

GOOD (G), GOOD PLUS (G+) or VERY GOOD MINUS (VG-)

It isn't quite as bad as it sounds...

  • Record still plays through without skipping

  • May have significant surface noise/groove wear

  • Worn labels or heavy writing / sticker marks 

  • The ring wear is prominent

  • The seam splits on the sleeve are obvious

  • Obvious manhandling and personalisation i.e. stickers and writing.
     

OUR FINAL BIT OF INFO:

Sealed albums...things to be aware of

  • Even though sealed, this does not mean the item is mint/near mint condition (We can only grade what we can see)

  • Make sure you purchase from a reputable supplier / contact 

  • It happens, the record supplied inside isn't the one you were expecting, mix-ups can occur at the factory!

POOR (P) or FAIR (F)

This is as bad as it gets...

  • Record is incredibly warped, maybe cracked

  • They skip/jump and repeat when you try to play them

  • Sleeves are heavily worn, split and marked

  • Most records in this condition are just put in the bin.

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(This bit makes me upset!)

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