Since everyone grades records a little differently, please take a moment to read this page before buying so you know exactly what our grades mean.
We believe listening to the full MP3 clips provided are the best way to 'grade' the record for yourself and we encourage you to take the unique opportunity to listen to the whole record before buying so you know exactly what you are getting; however, we are happy to also provide a visual grading to give a more complete picture of the record as this is the standard practice in record collecting.
All our records are graded under BRIGHT LIGHT so our visual grades tend to be lower. A record that looks M- in regular light can quickly drop to VG under bright light.
We list 2 separate gradings for each record. We offer a visual VINYL GRADING for just the look of the vinyl and a STRICT GOLDMINE GRADING which includes the label.
For our VINYL GRADING, we stick close to Standard Goldmine Grading with a few adjustments as follows...
M- A nearly perfect record. The 45 shows no obvious signs of wear at all. (We rarely use this grade)
EX A 45 between M- and VG+
VG+ This 45 will show some signs that is has been played by a previous owner who took good care of it. The record surface may show slight signs of wear and may have slight scuffs or very light scratches. The center hole will not be misshapened. Slight warps or lifts that do not affect the play are acceptable for this grade.
STRONG VG A 45 between VG+ and VG.
VG Many of the defects found in a VG+ record will be more pronounced in the VG 45. Groove wear will start to be noticeable, as well as scratches that will affect the sound. Surface noise will be evident upon playing, especially in the softer passages, but it will not overpower the music. Warps or lifts that do not significantly affect the play are acceptable for this grade.
VG- A 45 between VG and G
G This 45 has multiple scratches and visible groove wear and depending on the thickness of the vinyl, will have moderate to significant surface noise. Some G's look terrible but sound much better than they look. Others, well...honestly sound as bad as they look but are listed here for sale because they tend to be rarer records and they are suitable as fillers.
G- A 45 between G and P
F This 45 is just above a P
P This 45 will either be cracked (anywhere from a tight hairline which is not noticeable when playing and has no effect on the sound, to a more severe crack that can be heard when playing), severely warped, or it won't play through without skipping or sticking. Many sellers won't list P's. We only list P records that are rare or if the flip side is the side that skips or sticks or if the record sticks at the very end. We've sold many, many records of this grade to very happy customers.
For our STRICT GOLDMINE GRADING which includes the label we use the above vinyl information plus the following...
M- The label is not written on, has no stickers or residue, almost invisible ring wear and is bright with slight signs of handling. (Again, we rarely use this grade)
EX The label is between a M- and VG+
VG+ The label may have some ring wear or discoloration, but it should be barely noticeable with normal age wear.
STRONG VG A label between VG+ and VG
VG The label may be marred by writing (small or large, pencil, pen or marker) or have tape or stickers (or their residue) attached.
VG- The label is between a VG and G
G The label has tape, writing, stickers, ring wear, discoloration, tearing or other defects all at the same time.
G- The label is between a G and P
F The label is just above a P
P The label is missing or severely water damaged.
PICTURE SLEEVE GRADING:
M- The sleeve should have no more than the most minor defects such as almost invisible ring wear or other signs of slight handling.
EX The sleeve will be between a M- and VG+
VG+ The sleeve will have some slight ring wear, lightly turned up corners, or a slight seam split.
VG The sleeve may be marred by writing or have tape or stickers (or residue) attached with minor wrinkling. It may have seam splits.
VG- The sleeve will be between a VG and G
G The sleeve will have multiple large seam splits. Tape, writing, ring wear or other defects will start to overwhelm the sleeve.
P The sleeve may have water damage, be split on all three seams or may be heavily marred by wear and/or writing. | 
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