Goldmine is the industry standard grading system for records. Goldmine writes, “Most records are graded visually”, so that’s what I’m doing here and grading this 45: VG.

Grading isn’t required, in fact, I’d personally rather just describe the flaws that I see instead. Either way, the goal is for me to give you an idea of the record’s condition. Per Goldmine, “The truth is that most records, especially before the 1970’s, are not in anything close to Mint or Near Mint condition”.

VG+ is the next grade down from NM, and even VG+ grade entails marks and slight warps to the vinyl, etc. Unless you clean them, I assume all vintage records are dirty, with gunk in the grooves that can affect playback. In my Goldmine Price Guide To 45 RPM Records 6th Edition, they don’t say what to do about condition issues, and practically speaking, people who want to play vintage records might want some helpful solutions.

An excellent starting place is to read the web page, ‘Sound Preservation at the Library of Congress’. Vintage records don’t play like new ones. For this reason, many things exist: Tergitol, Vinyl Vac 45 (it’s only $30), Nitty Gritty record cleaning machine (RCM) w/ 45 adapter, Keith Monks RCM, VPI Typhoon RCM, Record Weight by U-Turn Audio, Orb Disc Flattener, various stylus (needle) types and sizes, turntables w/ adjustable counterweight like a USB Numark, plus Audacity to clean up recording’s sound, etc.

GOLDMINE GRADING

M and NM (M-): Perfect / No visible defects. There is no such grade as NM-. M, NM, M-, and NM- aren’t used by me.

VG+ (E): Light scuffs, light scratches, slight warps, marks around center hole, light ring wear / discoloration, etc. E+ aka VG++ (I don’t use these) are technically VG+ grade.

VG: Lack most of original gloss, groove wear, scratches deep enough to feel with a fingernail, writing / tape / sticker can detract from label, etc.

G: Goldmine groups G+ and VG- (I don’t use these) as basically the same thing as G. They have more extensive flaws than VG: more groove wear / scratches, more worn label, more significant ring wear, heavier writing, label loss from stickers removal, etc.

P and F: Cracked, extremely warped, etc. I don’t offer these.

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