Most people agree that unless you are looking for a fight, it is a good idea to avoid discussing controversial subjects in which differences in opinion are predictable, such as religion or politics.

I would like to add vinyl record grading to that list of controversial subjects.

Record grading uses a variety of standards that are open to personal interpretation. Visual grading, which is most common, can be affected by the light used, how closely the record was inspected, what the inspection is for (spindle marks, scratches, mold, etc.) and, perhaps most importantly, whether or not the inspector has had a recent vision examination. However, even when a "play grade" is done (actually playing the record) the quality is affected by the system used and how well the person can hear (eh? what was that noise? you didn't hear that? Better get new batteries for the aid...)

Unless specifically noted otherwise, all descriptions were done by play grading. The problem with a visual grade is that it cannot guarantee the sound quality. Records that look new might have surface noise, such as the ones made with low standards in the late 70s and 80s and the budget labels in the 50s and 60s, although most records made in the 50s and 60s are of good quality. As a matter of fact, to add to the confusion of vinyl grading, some records from that period are of such good quality that they might look terrible, worn out with obvious scratches, but when they are played they sound great. *Sigh*

I won't bother listing a record that is damaged or obviously defective and cannot be played and I try to mention anything that most buyers would be interested in, such as huge openings in the seams or someone's name carved into Track 1 on Side 2. But chances are excellent that the mark on the bottom left corner of the back cover is not going to be in the description. Sorry, but there aren't enough hours left in my life for that. Also, I usually don't grade labels unless there is a special reason to mention the label's condition, such as in the case of the fake Beatles records.

You will find the standards I used to grade our records below. I am seriously myopic, or near sighted, which means my vision is near perfect as long as the object is within a few inches of my face - terrible when sight-seeing, great for vinyl inspection. My hearing is admittedly selective (I never hear the phone ringing or anyone calling my name if I don't want to hear it) but the reality is that it is as good as my eyesight is bad. I check both sides of a record by noting whether it is shiny or dull, whether it is chipped, obviously warped and/or has scratches and scuffs. I do my best to remember to look for spindle marks (marks on the label edges of the hole that are caused when a record is forcibly pushed down on the spindle and can prevent an otherwise "mint" record from playing well) and then I hold it up close and look at it from the edge (this is where my myopia is a real plus!) and look for warping or to see if any light marks or scratches I've noticed seem to disappear at this angle because if they do, that probably means they are "surface scratches" and won't affect the sound or play.

The small images within the listing's description link to larger pictures as a kind of "buyer's visual grade," but they are compressed for use on the internet and may not always show fine details. A copy of the raw original image is available in some cases, but these files are huge and will only be shown to serious buyers of the more expensive listings. Please try to keep in mind that even an image with a resolution of 2592 x 1944 Pixels at 16,7 Millions (24 BitsPerPixel) might not clearly show the defects of a vinyl record depending on the light source used to take the photograph.

I do not claim to be an expert when it comes to grading records. However, I am neurotically honest and have done my best to learn what serious collectors look for in a listing. I found the most useful information on the record collector's guild - which is one of the most informative and interesting sites on the net - even if you aren't into collecting vinyl, the things you'll learn at the site make it worth visiting. But, if I had to recommend only one page to a potential buyer, it would be this one, which gives a fairly in depth history of records without boring you to death and explains how "audio degradation [is likely] after two to five playings of a vinyl record."

The last thing I am looking for is a fight, so hopefully by adding this information to all of our listings we can avoid post sale problems. While I cannot promise that a record will meet all of your standards and expectations, I can guarantee that I have done my very best to avoid misleading anyone about the condition of the vinyl records in our listings.

~*~ ali ~*~

Our Vinyl Records January 2005