Making the Grade: Collecting Vinyl

Today, vinyl records hold 8 tiers of grade Mint, Near Mint, Excellent, Very Good Plus, Very Good and Good; Fair/Poor. These grades, decreasing 50% per tier, as dictated by the pressing method per company, have spurred innumerable quests for vinyl gurus and nostalgia seekers alike. Vinyl grading varies somewhat from dealer to dealer, thus interpreting true values can be tricky. (The Goldmine Grading system is used by many collectors). This grading system - by no means exhaustive is a good starter for future hunts:

MINT or M : Absolutely perfect: no flaws, scuffs or scratches. Promo stickers and labels are a no-no - lowering the grade from MINT to EX. And of course, no tears or seam splits. Truly here, the sell of a vinyl is the art on the cover as much as the play of the record. Stands to reason that MINT (M) grade LPs will have virtually no impressions of the record within the cover sleeve as this will inevitably downgrade the LPs' condition. The album jacket should have no creases, folds, seam splits or cut-out holes. Lyric sheets, booklets or posters are also immaculate.

The catch-22 in finding a true Goldmine-approved MINT record lends itself to the inability to play the record, as the vinyl must be sealed in order to maintain MINT status. Therefore, the buyer cannot hear surface noise, or spot warp-ness or scratches on the record. (Originally, records were hand-packaged, thereby lending minor scuffs to even a sealed record). On the plus side, some stickers applied to the shrink wrap, not the cover, may slightly increase the value of the record and hold value within themselves, though minimal.

NEAR MINT or NM: M- (Mint Minus) grade. This is grade is worth trusting and should be a cautiously realistic goal for the collector: new and old alike. Very minor scuff, evidence of being handled with extreme care, and minimal surface noise when played. The flaws, if any, should be near invisible. Scuffs may interfere over a few tracks and will not be NM, however it may come very close.

Near mint covers should display impeccable artwork with minimal wear or indication of age. Still Sealed (SS) records are a red flag and pressing methods vary from area to area, so if you are looking for a specialized pressing (thicker pressing is better), the only way to know for sure is unseal the record.

Note to the buyer: European Imports claiming factory-sealed are bogus and have been sealed by a third party, as their manufacturers

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