bygonevinyl web store FAQ section

All records are graded by actually listening to them as well as visually inspecting the jacket and any inserts. All of our records are played on a professional quality Technics SL-150MK2 turntable with a SME tonearm and Stanton stylus. We grade our records on the conservative side (if in doubt, we give them a lesser quality grade) and use a 10 point system similar to the one outlined in Jerry Osborne's excellent guidebook "The Official Price Guide to Records". We use the following numbering system: 10. MINT 9. NEAR MINT 8. Better than VERY GOOD but below NEAR MINT 7. VERY GOOD 6. Better than GOOD but below VERY GOOD 5. GOOD We rarely grade anything as a 10 (Mint) on the premise that someone will always find something wrong with it and we never sell a record graded below 5 unless it is extremely rare. NEAR MINT will be close to perfect but may have one or two very minor ticks & pops and/or very minor flaws on the jacket. VERY GOOD will have a minimum of visual or audible imperfections that will not detract from your listening pleasure. GOOD will show definite signs of wear and tear and will fill a gap in your collection until a better copy is found. We mention all flaws we notice in the descriptions of our records.