Condition Grading Guide

Every item at Mint Underground is inspected by hand and graded on two things: the media (the record, disc or tape) and the packaging (jacket, sleeve, case, J-card, inserts). Our grades follow the Goldmine grading standard, and the condition you pick on a product page (for example "New", "Used: Like New" or "Used: Very Good") tells you exactly which copy you're buying.

New & Sealed

New / New: Sealed – Unplayed. Factory-sealed, or resealed by us after inspection. Old stock can show light shelf wear, corner dings or seal splits on the outer wrap. We list those details when they matter.
New: Promo – New promotional copies. These often carry an industry mark such as a hole-punched, drilled or missing barcode/UPC, a notched spine, or a "promo" stamp. The variant name lists the mark.
New w/Hype Sticker, Long Box Version, 1st/2nd Pressing, Music Club Version – New copies with that specific feature or pressing.

Used grades (Goldmine scale)

Our label	Goldmine	What it means
Used: Like New	Mint (M)	Played very little, if at all. No visible flaws on the media or packaging.
Used: Near Mint	Near Mint (NM / M-)	Nearly perfect. At most a tiny mark you'd have to look for. Plays perfectly.
Used: Excellent	Very Good Plus (VG+)	Light signs of handling, such as faint scuffs or light wear, that don't affect play. A very nice copy.
Used: Very Good	Very Good (VG)	Noticeable surface marks or wear. Vinyl may have light surface noise in quiet passages, but plays through. Packaging may have ring wear, creases or small writing.
Used: Good	Good (G / G+)	Heavy wear, but it plays all the way through without skipping. Packaging may have splits, stickers or writing. Priced to match.
Used: Acceptable	Fair / Poor (F / P)	Heavily worn. Sold mainly for the music, the artwork or collection filling. Any known problems are listed in the description.

When the variant name includes extra notes (for example "Used: Good: Lots of scratching" or "Condition as written"), the description takes priority over the general grade.

Format notes

Vinyl

The media grade covers how the record looks and plays: scuffs, scratches, warps and surface noise.
The jacket grade covers ring wear, seam splits, corner wear, writing, stickers and cut-outs. We note original inner sleeves, inserts and hype stickers.

CDs

We grade the disc surface by its scratches: light hairlines that don't affect play are normal on Excellent and Very Good copies. Every used disc should play through.
Cracked jewel cases are replaced where possible. We note original insert/booklet condition, tray card and any promo marks.
Long box CDs are graded on the cardboard long box as well (creases, edge wear, folds). Hype stickers are called out when present.

Cassettes

We check the tape, the shell and the pressure pads. The tape should be intact and wound evenly, the shell free of cracks, and the pads present.
The J-card is graded for fading, creases, tears and writing. A cracked or scuffed case is noted, or swapped for a clean one when possible.
Cassette singles are graded the same way, including the slip case or card sleeve.