Item Grading at White City
Our grading of condition is aligned with Goldmine Standard.
Mint (M) – Price according to demand
Vinyl
Absolutely perfect condition in every respect. Certain to never have been played. Item is possibly still sealed. Rarely used as a grade unless the item is clearly brand new.
CD
Perfect condition. No scuffs, scratches or marks. Unplayed condition. Item is possibly still sealed.
Paper insert, inlays, booklet, sleeve, digipak condition is perfect. Item has no wear, marks, or any other imperfections.
Near Mint (NM) - Price according to market
Vinyl
An almost perfect record. A NM record has probably never been played and plays perfectly. The record shows no obvious signs of wear. Single or EP sleeves have nothing more than very minor defects. They may exhibit sign of handling but not damage. An LP cover has no creases, folds, splits, cut-outs, stickers or other notice-able defects. The same applies to other inserts, such as lyric sheets, inner-sleeves or other such additional paperwork. Exception: Promo stickers, embossing of other such additions are allowed as long as the normal NM conditions are met.
CD
Near perfect condition. No obvious signs of use. Item may have been played but has been handled very carefully.
Paper insert, inlays, booklet, sleeve, digipak condition is near perfect. Item has min-imal traces of handling.
Very Good Plus (VG+) - Price generally 50% of NM
Vinyl
A VG+ record will show some signs that it has been handled and played carefully by the previous owner. Any defects should cosmetic in nature and will not affect the playback. Surfaces of the record may show some signs of wear, slight scuffs or very light scratches that do not affect playback. Slight warps are acceptable as long as playback is unaffected. The label may have some minor ring wear or discoloration and spindle marking may be noticeable. Picture sleeves and inner sleeves may have some slight wear signs such as turned-up corners or minor seam splits. An LP cover may have slight wear signs and may have a cut-out hole, or cut-off corner.
If it were not for the presence of the above minor defects it would be considered NM.
CD
A VG+ CD will exhibit a few minor scuffs of scratches that will not affect playback. The item has clearly been played but has been handled with care.
Paper insert, inlays, booklet, sleeve, digipak condition shows slight wear signs, may have marks or indentations. It may possibly have a cut-out hole (or similar).
Very Good (VG) - Price generally 25% of NM
Vinyl
There will be defects found in a VG record that affect playback. Surface noise may be present, especially noticeable in quiet sections and during intro and fade-out. These will not degrade the listening experience considerably. Groove wear may be noticeable and light scratches may be present that affect the sound quality. Picture sleeves and disk labels may be written on or have stickers attached. (Includes evi-dence of sticker previous presence). However a VG item should not have all of these problems at the same time.
CD
A VG CD may have a number of light scuffs or scratches or several more pro-nounced scratches that will possibly affect playback. The item has cleary been played and has not been handled as carefully as a VG+.
Paper insert, inlays, booklet, sleeve, digipak condition shows more wear, marks, in-dentations or similar than a VG+ CD. Booklets, lyric sheets etc. may have minor fad-ing, small tears or writing present.
Good (G), Good Plus (G+) - Price generally 15% of NM
Vinyl
A G record can be played without skipping but will exhibit significant surface noise. This may be from either scratches and/or visible groove wear. Covers or sleeves will have split seams, especially at the bottom or spine. Stickers, tape, writing, ring wear or other defects will be present. The record will be playable but there will be notice-able surface noise and pops.
CD
A G CD will have a lot of scuffs and/or scratches. It will still play without problems. The item has not been handled with care.
Paper insert, inlays, booklet, sleeve, digipak condition shows heavy wear. It may be heavily marked, have more obvious indentations, tears, fading or writing than a VG CD.
Poor (P), Fair (F) - Price generally <5% of NM
Vinyl
A P-condition record may be cracked, badly warped and will not playback without skipping or repeating grooves. Picture sleeves are damaged, split on multiple seams and/or heavily damaged by wear and writing. Inner sleeves may be fully split, creased or written upon.
CD
A P-condition CD may not play some or all of the tracks.
Paper insert, inlays, booklet, sleeve, digipak condition is very worn. It may be ripped/torn, significantly faded, water damaged or have obvious writing on it.
Standard Jewel Cases are not graded as they are replaceable.
Note: White City Records sells items that are at least VG condition. Every listing describes condition. Exceptions are only for unique or very rare items.