Sold Date: January 19, 2018
Start Date: January 18, 2018
Final Price: $25.00 (USD)
Seller Feedback: 1513
Buyer Feedback: 272

Conrad Schnitzler ‎– Con 3 LP, Sky Records, sky 061, Germany, 1981


Grading:

DISK is EX condition with a very small amount of very light surface noise that is barely audible. Very close to NM condition audio. I've owned this disk since 1995, only played it a couple times, and I've never given it a proper cleaning. I'm pretty sure that an audiophile's proper cleaning of this disk would turn it to NM condition.

SLEEVE is EX condition with minimal surface wear (see photos). NO seam splits.


About the records:

All the jazz records that I sell came from a single collection. The collector was a serious jazz aficionado who carefully cleaned and cared for the records. In all, there were about 2000 albums in this collection, and I'm slowly listing them for sale on eBay. It's a great collection with a lot of good stuff. It is clear that the previous owner truly cared for the disks.

I carefully grade the albums and I make an effort to accurately describe them. For every album, I listen to one side in order to judge the sound, and I visually inspect the disks and sleeves. I take good quality photos of them so you can see for yourself. For items that are expected to sell for higher prices I will provide extra photos.

My grading scale (partially adapted from Goldmine standard):

MINT (M): Absolutely perfect in every way. I don’t think I have or will ever use this grade on any used record.

NEAR MINT (NM): For vinyl, the sound is completely crisp and clean with no audible pops or hiss AT ALL. In appearance, the vinyl looks like it was just opened from a factory sealed sleeve. There will be no spindle marks. The only allowable potential defect would be some minor noise at the beginning of the groove where the needle touches down, but only if it is well before the music begins. For the sleeve, there is no mark, ringwear, stain, discoloration, seam split of any kind. I rarely ever use this.

EXCELLENT (E): I know many people do not approve of this category, but I feel there should be a real grade category between “VG+” and “NM”. My definition is as follows: For the vinyl, the audio experience falls just short of NM. The sound is very nearly perfect, but there may be one or two spots where you might hear a light noise that is easily missed. The appearance is still crisp and clean, with no spindle marks. For the sleeve, I would only use this if the appearance was nearly perfect, perhaps with only some very minor shelf-wear, but NO marks, NO seam splits. This grade is rarely used.

VERY GOOD PLUS (VG+):  The vinyl may have some lightly visible scuffing and perhaps minor spindle marks, however the sound still is crisp and clean. There may be some very light audible defects, but they would be easy to ignore and would not detract from the experience. There may be a pop here and there, but on balance the audio is still completely pleasurable. For the sleeve, I would permit only a very light mark, or some very light ringwear, in order to use this category of grade. A cut corner is permissible only if the sleeve is totally devoid of any other defects. Quite a few albums in this collection fall into this category.

Very Good (VG): For the vinyl, I would use this grade if the audio is still very enjoyable in spite of the audible presence of hiss or pops across the record (they would have to be light enough to still be able to enjoy the record). There could be spindle marks, and the appearance of the vinyl could show some scuffs, though it would still be very clean and somewhat glossy. For the sleeve, there could be the presence of minor seam splits starting (perhaps taped up). There could be ample ringwear, but it would have to still look pretty clean. There could be some light writing on the sleeve.

Very Good Minus (VG–): In this category, the vinyl cold have clearly observable defects, and the sound would be somewhat marred by continual pops or hiss BUT the audio experience would still be good enough that one would enjoy hearing the disk. The defects might be somewhat distracting, but not overwhelming (I know this is subjective, but I try to be up front with these details). The VG- sleeve would have some noteworthy seem splits (perhaps taped up), unfortunate and large writing, and/or substantial ringwear.

Good (G): Bad shape. I will almost never bother to sell anything like this, and if I do it would be for only a dollar or two.

Shipping: I use album mailing boxes with two cardboard inserts for added reinforcement. To date, I have shipped about 600 albums, and only have one or two damaged by the post office in transit. I use USPS media mail shipping in the USA, and USPS First Class International (when possible) for international shipping. I can combine items for shipping as needed.