If you have ever bought a used record on the internet, you will probably have encountered some kind of description of the record’s condition. How else could you know how it would look and sound when it arrived?

A record’s condition greatly influences its value to collectors. Sure, if the disc is truly incredibly rare, a scuffed but playable example without its liner and with a damaged outer cover could still command a high price in a bidding war, but these instances are by definition “rare.” As with any vintage or antique collectors, audiophiles aim to get the very best example of a record for the least expenditure.

To aid us in our quest, record grading systems have been developed. A record grade relates not only to how well it plays but also how it looks cosmetically and how complete it is. Let’s look at each of these variables in turn.

Playing condition:

This is a statement of the condition of the grooved parts of the record (a 2-sided record only has two grooves, normally, one on each side, regardless of how many tracks there may be on each side).

It gives the potential buyer a prediction of how the record is likely to sound. The grader is aiming to predict whether it will play without skipping, estimate the amount of surface noise, scratches, pops or clicks that might be audible under ‘normal’ playing conditions.

There are two main ways of grading playing condition.

Play grading

The first and least common is “play grading”—in which the grader actually plays the record right through, noting any defects in playing or sound. These may be described in detail, in addition to the record being assigned a particular grade.

Because it requires the grader to play the entire album and pay attention throughout, it is too time-consuming for most commercial resellers, since they may buy and sell hundreds of albums daily. Most single rock albums last about 20 to 22 minutes per side, so anything up to 45 minutes to listen to an entire album makes this impracticable.

Visual grading

That’s where the second method—“visual grading”—comes into play. As the name suggests, this entails looking carefully at a record under a strong, white, highly directional light source to discover any obvious damage such as warping, surface scratches or scuffs, or contaminants such as stains, dirt, or mould.

Combined Visual + Play Grading – appearances can be deceptive!

Sometimes a visual grading will highlight a possible fault that the grader investigates further by playing the part of the record where the defect is found.

Since many scuffs and marks on a record only affect the “lands” (the peaks between adjacent grooves), rather than the deeper part of the V-shaped groove, these visual defects may not make any sound or affect playing at all. I have many such old records in my collection that look pretty awful but play like new! This is even more true when using modern styli, which ride very low in the V of the groove, making no contact with the top edge of the lands.

On the other hand, a record that looks visually perfect but has been played with a damaged modern stylus in the past may sound noisy, muffled, or have excessive sibilance. Again, I have bought albums that appeared perfect but turned out to be unplayable for these reasons. Alternatively, albums may have residue in the grooves from incorrect cleaning—they may look good, but this residue will need to be removed before they are played again.

Differences in seller and buyer systems

It is tempting to think that buying play-graded albums guarantees satisfaction, but this isn’t always true. The turntable equipment used by the seller for grading will almost certainly differ from that used by the buyer, simply because few people have identical setups. A record that plays perfectly and quietly on one setup may skip or be noisy on another.

Still, in spite of the limitations of grading systems, there is no doubt they are the best we have right now as record collectors.

Non-Playing Condition:

Collectors are not just interested in how the record plays. The value of any record is also affected by the remainder of its features: The labels, inner sleeve, outer cover and other items such as booklet, box, lyric sheet, poster, stickers, are also taken into account. Ideally, these must all be original—by which is meant that they are as received by the original buyer of the record. For example, putting a 1960’s record into a pristine 1990’s reprinted cover may be better than having no cover, but will not be worth as much as that same record in its original 1960’s cover, even if tatty.

So, grading should also describe all of the other parts supplied with the record. Are there “spindle marks” on the label from inaccurately or carelessly placing the centre hole over the turntable spindle?

Has the label been torn, scratched or written on?

Is there “ring wear” where scuffs tracing the outline of the LP mar the the outer cover? Has the cover been torn/repaired/written on, damaged by water, or worn on the spine (“spine wear”), edges (“shelf wear”) or cut by a discounting retailer, for example?

Is the inner liner “correct” (as would have been supplied when this example of the record was brand new) and what shape is it in?

All of these variables are involved in grading a record for value. This is quite separate from whether the record is a desirable “pressing” or “issue” – more on which in a future article (so subscribe)!

Accuracy and Honesty in Grading

The aim of the grading process is to enable the seller to describe a record’s condition accurately, to the best of their ability (humans are inherently diverse—eyesight (visual acuity) and judgement are not constants from person to person. What one person considers “quiet” may seem “noisy” to another. So the variability can lead to differences in opinion regarding the grade assigned to a record or its cover, etc.

Grading accurately requires some skill and experience, as well as feedback. A seller who consistently disappoints buyers because they have graded “too high” is likely to lose future business. For this reason, commercial sellers generally try to tend towards “conservative” gradings. For example, they may grade as “very good plus/VG+” a record most buyers will grade as “near mint/NM.” That way, buyers are most likely to return to buy more from that seller, confident that they will not be disappointed.

Grading and Profitability of Record Sellers

Ideally, of course, the grade will match for both seller and buyer. That way, the seller can maximize their profit and the buyer will feel they have received acceptable value for money. Conservative grading costs sellers for each sale, but results in strategic business growth, which is important to most commercial setups. This is particularly the case where buyers are able to publicly rate their transactions with each seller. A seller who consistently pleases buyers should have overall a high quality and value-for-money rating from clients. This reassures first-time customers and enables business growth. That’s how important proper record grading is—it can make the difference between being in business and going out of it!

People selling their own record collections on a once-for-all basis may be tempted to inflate record condition. Most do not, of course, but without a business reputation to protect, it is very much a case of buyer beware. On the other hand, without any overheads, private sellers can be a cost-effective source for building your collection.

So, I’ve talked a bit about grading, and here is a well-known grading system, “Goldmine,” as set out on the website of The Record Collectors Guild:

Goldmine Grading System

However, the buyer will encounter a lot of different “gradings” such as “Excellent”, “Near Mint Minus NM-”, “VG+++” and will be hard pressed to make any sense at all of these unless the grader also explains their grading system very clearly.

There is no International Standards Organisation (ISO) for record grading, so we just have to muddle along, buying the odd pig-in-a-poke and hopefully buying plenty of true gems along the way.

Nothing really beats building a relationship between buyers and sellers so that both learn to trust the other. Some will argue that a record that is misgraded too high should either be replaced or partially refunded. Maybe, but what about the other 30 albums you bought from that seller where they graded too conservatively—are you going to pay the seller more than they asked for? As with any relationship, buying and selling records is about each being prepared to give and take. The imperfections of grading systems make this not only desirable, but essential.