We work on a general condition grading scale, but more importantly we try to describe flaws and defects in detail in addition to the grade.

Generally the breakdown is as follows:

Mint: Flawless and unused; because the strictest graders can find a tiny defect in virtually any piece, you will find almost no pieces described as such on the site.

Near Mint: Unused or very slightly used with almost no defects at all.

Excellent: A clean, crisp copy with minor wear or defects noted.

Very Good: Moderately used, with some expected handling or age wear, with moderate defects.

Good: A heavily used copy with some possibly serious defects; the overall eye appeal of the piece is intact but bound for restoration/filler copy status in most cases.

Fair: Heavy wear & tear and/or defects of a more serious nature.

Poor: Pretty much been through it all; we offer very few items in this condition.

BRIEF CLARIFICATION OF SOME DEFECTS DESCRIPTION TERMS/PHRASES

While most of the descriptions of flaws are fairly self explanatory, a few clarifications follow:

Minor wear: This term is used in  description of a piece without notable flaws, but with overall imperfections or handling wear that keep it from the near mint category.

Dings: Indentations of the type that would result if you thumped a piece of paper hard and it didn't tear.