Vinyl Record Grading: What M, NM, VG+ and VG Mean on the Goldmine Scale
Vinyl record grading explained: what M, NM, VG+, VG, G and P mean on the Goldmine scale, why disc and sleeve are graded apart, and how grade affects value.
Checked October 31, 2026
How are vinyl records graded?
Vinyl records are graded on a standard condition scale, and the most widely used is the Goldmine scale: Mint (M), Near Mint (NM, also written M-), Very Good Plus (VG+), Very Good (VG), Good Plus (G+), Good (G), Fair (F) and Poor (P). The record and its cover get separate grades, so one copy can be a VG+ record in a VG sleeve.
Grade matters more than almost anything else when a record changes hands. Goldmine's guide starts from the point that nothing is more important to a record's value than its condition: its price guides list Near Mint values, and every lower grade is worth a fraction of that. Most dealers grade by eye because they cannot play every record they stock, so knowing exactly what each grade allows is the only way to read a listing correctly.
The Goldmine grading scale, grade by grade
These definitions follow the Goldmine Grading Guide, which Goldmine describes as the most widely used guide for buying and selling vinyl albums. Each grade covers how the record looks, how it plays and what the label looks like. The standard does not slide with age: a record from the 1950s has to meet the same test for Near Mint as one from the 2000s.
- M (Mint)
- Absolutely perfect in every way. Goldmine says Mint should only be used when more than one person agrees the record or sleeve really is in that condition, and many dealers never go above Near Mint.
- NM or M- (Near Mint)
- Looks as if it just came from a store and was opened for the first time. Shiny, no visible defects, no writing, stickers or spindle marks on the label, no major factory flaws such as an off-center pressing, and no surface noise when played. It does not have to be unplayed. A Near Mint cover has no creases, ring wear or seam splits.
- VG+ (Very Good Plus, also E or EX)
- Near Mint except for a couple of minor things. Light scuffs or very light scratches that do not affect listening, a slight warp that does not affect the sound, faint handling marks around the center hole and barely noticeable ring wear are acceptable.
- VG (Very Good)
- Most of the factory gloss is gone, groove wear is visible, and light scratches can be felt with a fingernail. Surface noise is audible, especially in soft passages and at the start and end of songs, but it does not overpower the music. Minor writing, tape or a sticker may be on the label.
- G+ and G (Good Plus, Good)
- Plays through without skipping but has significant surface noise and groove wear. The label is worn, with ring wear, heavy writing or damage from removed tape or stickers. Goldmine puts VG- (Very Good Minus) in the same band.
- F and P (Fair, Poor)
- Cracked, badly warped, or skips and repeats. Covers are heavily damaged. Only the rarest records sell for more than pocket change in this condition, if they sell at all.
What does VG+ mean on a vinyl record?
VG+ is the grade most collectors who play their records are happy to buy. Goldmine sums it up as a record that would be Near Mint if not for a couple of minor flaws, and notes that copies near the top of the grade are sometimes called VG++ or E+.
What VG+ allows: light scuffs and very light scratches that do not affect listening, a slight warp that does not affect play, light marks around the center hole as long as the hole is not misshapen, and very faint ring wear or discoloration. What it does not allow: scratches you can feel with a fingernail, groove wear you can see at a glance, or surface noise you can hear while the music plays. Those belong to VG. A VG+ cover may show minor seam wear, a split under one inch at the bottom, or a cut-out marking, which on its own keeps a cover out of Near Mint.
Media and sleeve: why a record has two grades
LPs are usually sold with two grades, one for the disc (the media) and one for the cover (the sleeve). Goldmine treats the two as a pair because, with few exceptions, an album without its cover or a cover without its record is close to worthless. For a rough value of a mixed-grade album, such as a VG+ record in a VG cover, Goldmine suggests adding the values for the two grades and dividing by two.
Sleeves are graded with the same letters but for different defects. A Near Mint cover has no creases, ring wear or seam splits. A VG cover shows plenty of handling: ring wear in the middle or along the outline of the record inside that is obvious but not overwhelming, more creases, seam splitting that may run along all three sides, and perhaps writing or a stamped price. A Good cover has ring wear to the point of distraction, splits obvious on sight and sometimes heavy writing, such as radio station letters across the front.
Inserts count as part of the package. Under Record Collector magazine's grading system, a Mint item needs a perfect cover and perfect extras such as a lyric sheet, booklet or poster, so the state of the inserts is part of the grade.
How grade changes value
The drop between grades is steep. In Goldmine's guide, VG records usually sell for no more than 25 percent of a Near Mint copy, Good to VG- copies for 10 to 15 percent, and Fair or Poor copies for 0 to 5 percent. Mint has no set premium; Goldmine leaves it to negotiation between buyer and seller.
Record Collector magazine, which set its own condition standards for anyone buying or selling through the magazine, publishes a value table against the listed price: Mint 100 percent, Excellent 80 percent, Very Good 50 percent, Good 30 percent, Fair 15 percent, Poor 8 percent and Bad 2.5 percent. The two guides disagree on the exact numbers, but they agree on the shape of the curve: most of the money goes to the cleanest copies.
That is why clean old records are scarce and expensive. Goldmine estimates that no more than 2 to 4 percent of all records surviving from the 1950s and 1960s are truly Near Mint, and says most records from before the 1970s are nowhere near Mint condition. For most collectors, VG is the lowest grade worth paying more than bargain-bin prices for.
Goldmine vs Record Collector: VG+, EX and VG
The Record Collector scale has seven grades: Mint, Excellent, Very Good, Good, Fair, Poor and Bad. Goldmine itself lists Excellent (E, often written EX) as another name for VG+, so a UK listing marked EX is roughly a US VG+.
Read Very Good carefully. Record Collector uses it for a record that has obviously been played many times, with noticeable surface marks and the occasional light scratch but no major loss of sound quality. That is a lower condition than VG+, so a UK record sold as VG should not be read as VG+. When in doubt, ask the seller to describe the actual flaws rather than relying on the letters alone.
How to grade a record yourself
Grade under a strong light and look at everything before you decide. Check both sides of the disc for scuffs, scratches and dull, worn grooves, check the label for writing, stickers and spindle marks, and check whether the record lies flat.
Then play it if you can. Some defects are easy to see, but others, such as groove wear from a cheap or badly aligned tone arm, are subtle. Goldmine's experience is that older LPs, from the 1950s to about 1971, tend to play better than they look, while newer LPs, at least until 1989, tend to play worse than they look.
Grade the cover separately, and write down anything a single grade hides: writing, tape, seam splits or a promotional stamp. Goldmine's advice to sellers is to grade conservatively and let the buyer be pleasantly surprised, rather than grade on wishful thinking and lose a customer.
Sealed records are a special case. A still-sealed album can sell above the Near Mint price, but Goldmine warns that it may have been resealed, may not be Near Mint inside, may not be the original or most desirable pressing, and may even contain the wrong record.
Check your copy: what to look at first
Start with the disc. Tilt it under a bright lamp and look for scratches you can feel with a fingernail, because that alone points to VG or lower. Next check the label for writing and stickers, then the cover for ring wear and split seams, and give the record and the sleeve one grade each. Finally, find out which pressing you have, because grade works on top of the pressing: originals in the best condition sell for more than reissues and more than copies in lesser shape.
The VinylLens app identifies a record from a photo of its center label, tells you which pressing it is and shows its market value for every grade from M to P, with media and sleeve graded separately.