Adolf Busch Quartet Beethoven String Quartets Rudolf Serkin German HMV 5 LP Box
Item History & Price
• Mint (M) Absolutely perfect in every way. Certainly neverbeen played, possibly even still sealed.(More on still sealed under "OtherConsiderations"). Should be used sparingly as a grade, If at all.• Near Mint (NM or M-) A nearly perfect record. Many dealers won't give agrade higher than this implying (perhaps correctly)that no record is ever trulyperfect. The record should show no obvious signs of wear. A 45 RPM or EPsleeve should have no more than the most minor defects, such as almostinvisible ring wear or other signs of slight handling. An LP cover shouldhave no creases, folds, seam splits or other noticeable similar defects. Nocut-out holes, either. And of course, the same should be true of any otherinserts, such as posters, lyric sleeves and the like. Basically, an LP innear mint condition looks as if you just got it home from a new record storeand removed the shrink wrap. Near Mint is the highest price listed in allGoldmine price guides. Anything that exceeds this grade, in the opinion of bothbuyer and seller, is worth significantly more than the highest Goldmine bookvalue.• • • Very Good Plus (VG+) Generally worth 50 percent of the Near Mint value. A Very Good Plus record will show some signs that it was played and otherwisehandled by a previous owner who took good care of it. Record surfaces mayshow some signs of wear and may have slight scuffs or very light scratches thatdon't affect one's listening experiences. Slight warps that do not affect thesound are "OK". The label may have some ring wear or discoloration, but it should be barely noticeable. The center hole will not have beenmisshapen by repeated play. Picture sleeves and LP inner sleeves will havesome slight wear, lightly turned up corners, or a slight seam split. An LPcover may have slight signs of wear also and may be marred by a cut-out hole, indentation or corner indicating it was taken out of print and sold at adiscount. In general, if not for a couple things wrong with it, this would beNear Mint. All but the most mint-crazy collectors will find a Very Good Plusrecord highly acceptable.• • • Very Good (VG) Generally worth 25 percent of Near Mint value. Manyof the defects found in a VG+ record will be more pronounced in a VG disc.Surface noise will be evident upon playing, especially in soft passages andduring a song's intro and fade, but will not overpower the music otherwise.Groove wear will start to be noticeable, as with light scratches (deep enoughto feel with a fingernail) that will affect the sound. Labels may be marredby writing, or have tape or stickers (or their residue) attached. The same willbe true of picture sleeves or LP covers. However, it will not have all of theseproblems at the same time, only two or three of them. Goldmine price guideswith more than one price will list Very Good as the lowest price. This, not theNear Mint price, should be your guide when determining how much a record isworth, as that is the price a dealer will normally pay you for a Near Mintrecord.• • • Good (G), Good Plus (G+) Generally worth 10-15 percent of the Near Mintvalue. Good does not mean Bad! A record in Good or Good Plus condition can beput onto a turntable and will play through without skipping. But it will havesignificant surface noise and scratches and visible groove wear (on a styrenerecord, the groove will be starting to turn white). A cover or sleeve willhave seam splits, especially at the bottom or on the spine. Tape, writing, ringwear or other defects will start to overwhelm the object. It is a commonitem, you'll probably find another copy in better shape eventually. Pass it up.But, if it's something you have been seeking for years, and the price is right, get it...but keep looking to upgrade.• • • Poor (P), Fair (F) Generally worth 0-5 percent of the Near Mint price.The record is cracked, badly warped, and won't play through without skipping orrepeating. The picture sleeve is water damaged, split on all three seams andheavily marred by wear and writing. The LP cover barely keeps the LP inside it.Inner sleeves are fully seam split, crinkled, and written upon. Except forimpossibly rare records otherwise unattainable, records in this conditionshould be bought or sold for no more than a few cents each.