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Record Albums Definitions Page - Oasis Trading Post Online Store

Index A-C D-F G-J K-N O-S T-Z Definitions

What is the condition of this record album and this album cover? That is always the main question, when you are buying used albums. For the most part, I'm just trying to categorize these albums and covers, not grade them. I cannot listen to every album, of course, and even a pristine, new album can have pops or skips. Please review my Definitions below. All photos are the actual items you will receive. If you see more than one listing for a particular title, each listing is for the copy of the item that is shown in the photo. Click on the photos to see larger pictures. Record albums will be shipped via Media Mail, in a sturdy album mailer. Discounts are available on quantity purchases, please contact us for details.

First and foremost, a disclaimer - these definitions are guidelines, and they are just one person's opinion. When I categorize these albums, I consider the source, the overall condition of the albums in a collection, other albums that are on-hand, and my many years of experience with vinyl (I've been buying, playing and selling records, on and off, since the late 60s). There is no guarantee that you will judge any given record album exactly the same way that I judged it. These descriptions are subject to further definition over time.

Covers
	Great	It doesn't take much for me to consider a shiny new album cover to only be "very good", but a really nice cover from the 50s and 60s with no damage or wear will still be "great".
	Very Good	Shows minor use or wear on the corners or the edge that opens. Very little wear on the front and back. Always a nice, well-taken-care-of cover.
	Good	An average, typical album cover. Might have some obvious wear along the edges or the spine. Typical "circular" wear on the front and back. Could have some writing on it.
	Fair	A lot of wear, might have torn edges or spine, ugly writing, etc. How did the album survive?
	Poor	Falling apart. Technically, it's not an album cover anymore.

Sleeves
	Great	Sharp, crisp, looks like it did when it was new. In general, there's a slight difference between "new" and "like new", but both will fall into this category.
	Very Good	Clean, nice, but shows some use. Should have good colors, pretty good corners, no major wear. Might have slight marking or writing.
	Good	Shows some wear, might have a crumpled corner, slight spine wear or separation, a lot of writing, etc. Looks used, but no major damage.
	Fair	Shows serious wear, such as a worn edge, slight separation, tears, etc., but still usable.
	Poor	Terrible, should have been replaced long ago. Usually, it's a neat old sleeve from the 50s or 60s that somebody just couldn't bear to throw away.
	None	There was no sleeve, or it was so bad that we DID throw it away. If we have any generic sleeves on-hand, we will always supply one.

Albums
	Great	This is where I am the most picky. A "great" album has to look like it is brand new or "like new". Shiny, no scratches, no obvious handling. I can't play every album to be sure it's great, so it really must LOOK great, for me to call it "great".
	Very Good	Shows minor handling or fingerprints, but no obvious signs of wear or scratches. A really nice looking album, but not quite "like new".
	Good	A nice, typical album, might have small scratches or smears on it, or writing on the label.
	Fair	Most often, this would be considered a "worn" album.
	Poor	Worse than "worn", this album would most likely only be a place-holder in a collection.


The shipping charge for records is $4.50, for any quantity, for US orders only. Please contact us first for shipping charges on combination orders (records and other items in your order) and/or international orders.	Add Shipping $4.50	View Cart or Checkout

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