How to Grade Vinyl Records - The Goldmine Standard 

Thanks for another tremendous and informative video Marc! You've demystified the grading process entirely with this one. I'm addicted to used vinyl bargains at the local record shops, and at times I think they even sound better than newer pressings. Even more so after a proper cleaning on my trusty Record Doctor V. Also, after all these years, I was not familiar with Goldmine - until now.

Great straight forward no nonsense practical and very useful guide to grading vinyl. I must ay I'v been collecting vinyl since 1971 and never before have I heard ANYONE refer to bubbles on the surface of a record!

A quick comment: Sometimes a needle with a finer stylus can ride deeper in the groove. If the record has been well-kept, there may be fewer clicks and pops. I also use an ultrasonic record cleaner (Kirmuss) to remove any gunk from the record's grooves.

The subtle hail to the thief in the background made me jealous

Right now I am having about 50% luck when it comes to my on line purchases. If I am buying on line, it is a LP that I know and want a better copy of. My problem is that even ordering VG+ or NM, about half of them have a skip or big repeating pop. Some sellers, not all, will overgrade a LP, price it at the low end compared to the others listed. Then when the buyer sees it, they pick it over price comparison. Then when they complain about it, the seller refunds the amount that puts it at the higher end of the true grade, selling a copy sooner then they would have. My line is that skip or pop that should never be there. Keep in mind that I do not think most sellers do that, so in the end I will just go by how things are handled and give the benefit of the doubt. This is why I always read the feed back of a seller and look for patterns that may indicate a problem. I would pay more for a copy if I trust and know the seller.

Hi, very informative video. I tend to be careful buying used records on line. I used to buy a lot from Redlick in Wales (sadly gone now), whose grading was great. Most other online buying has been new records. Used ones I buy in person at stores, garage sales, estate sales or record fairs. I do buy some records online if the seller is here in Australia because it is far to costly to send the record back to the UK or USA if its not to standard. When I sell records my grading is strict goldmine grading. .......Enjoy the music.......

I have had sleep disturbed nights thinking about the condition of my records. Better now, but I do have relapses. I tell myself that the records are about the music, enjoyment and that my records aren’t for sale anyway, so what’s the problem really? It is what it is. Some records are veg+. The majority. Others g or Nm. Shouldn’t be a mental hassle, but it has been at times for me. Today I say live in the moment and enjoy them while you are alive despite a small dent in a corner of otherwise nm record.

I personally grade conservatively with the “Goldmine” standards. I would suggest, for one’s good conscience and seller’s reputation, to listen to the entire LP with headphones before properly grading it for sale. A Universal Truth still exist. Being kind and generous to others will always return to you. You reap what you sow. What goes around comes around, and that thing Buddhist call Karma; all the same Truth. Peace

I've bought lots of records online and most of them were certainly overgraded. The listings are usually accompanied by very poor photos of the actual record and the sleeve.

Rather than coffee coasters, don't forget that 'fair' and 'poor' rated records are handy for turning into mounted framed gold discs. All you need is a clip frame, some card to mount the disc on and some aerosol paint. 😉

Interesting, thank you. I have several times bought factory sealed records which have surface markings - I think it is 'mould release' which doesn't have any effect on the sound that I can hear, but if you were grading visually, might knock it down to NM. In my experience of buying from eg Discogs, I find dealers tend to be very conservative with their grading and have rarely bought a disc that I thought was lower than the seller's grade. If that happens, a good tip is to politely contact the seller with your observations - I got a partial refund for one recently; I suspect the seller had only done a visual check and the record had quite some noise evident. It is also not that uncommon to get factory sealed records graded as 'VG' by very cautious dealers.

eBay adds EX between VG+ and NM-

Very informative! I almost always grade a tier down with the records that I don't have time to audibly test, just to be safe. It's a good idea to listen to as much as you can, though! Bought an original copy of With the Beatles last week that looked worn to death, but plays immaculately.

VG video! :) One note missed and super important on on the Goldmine standard of "G" rated records: "... it has significant surface noise and groove wear…"

You can tell what condition a secondhand record is in until its been played it dosent matter where its brought from .even if you've brought it at a record fair and looked at it. just because it looks nice doesn't mean it will sound nice.

Great

When I'm buying records, this is what I have found... Mint NM - Excellent, Pristine VG+ - Looks Good/Great VG -50% chance it's playable I don't buy less than. VG...

really well explained, thanks!!!

Now we want a video on how to grade Flac files.

I've found out that when I've opened some brand new sealed records, they had clicks on them. What do I do there?

very well explained, huge help thank you!

Great vid. Thanks

Good video. Where did you get the light?

What kind of turntable do you have there , it looks like a very good one and I really like the way it looks ! Expensive ?

Hi there good good video. I have a record it plays very very well. No back ground noises but it d9se have a little skip. All plays very well and with 3.5g down f9rce plays as a vg+ i dont no how to grade this record i have stated the little skip in listing 😮

What is VG++?

What about records that do have a corner/circle cut-out on its sleeve (a trick to sell unsold batch of album at a discount back in the '70s-'80s) - how does that impact otherwise NM copy?

This was an enlightening video, not sure I agree with this scale of condition, it looks to me as though people are trying to convince themselves that 'average' just doesn't exist. All this good, very good, very good plus is just plain bonkers, and if your vinyl is below good well it's just rubbish, what a load of nonsense. Last week I received from Mr Postman a box containing 2 LP's, now at the moment according to the 'Goldmine' scale they are both mint as they haven't been opened and are therefore unplayed, yet one jacket is marked, but not by the supplier it was clearly marked when it was packaged at the factory, the top left corner is marked under the shrink wrap, I have jackets on LP's that are in better nick that this new one but they are not mint???? Recently I did a bit of secondhand LP shopping picked up two LP's one for £5.99 and the other for £7.99 from my local record store, both LP's are original pressings of popular artists from the mid to late 1980's so 35+ years old, in both cases the jackets show over three decades worth of being loved and enjoyed, the records inside were pretty damn good, a few minor pops and clicks on one whilst the other is all but silent, not bad for something of that era and sold as 'Average condition'. Me thinks that there is a lot of smoke being blown around to make something look better than it is. Just my humble opinion other opinion's are available.

I don't buy records online for the simple reason I can't see the condition for myself. When I do sell anything from my collection, I always give a visual grade alongside how the record plays and the equipment that it has been played on. I also wet clean everything before I sell.

Skip the first four minutes and save you some time!

What about new records you buy that have some factory defect? Are they still considered NM or M?

I must have had a least nearly 200 near mint records that I have bought on eBay , lol😂

Hey! Great video, it helped me (roughly tho) grade some records I have! ☺️ Still I have a question for anyone who could help. So, I've got a copy of Metallica's "And Justice for All" from 1988 which plays almost perfectly, except for a bit of skipping around track 2 of Side B (One, for those interested). It was there when I first bought it, and according to the seller, it can be attributed to a failure in the pressing. How could I come around to grade this particular record?

Good information but too much repetition!