MAGAZINE GRADING

HELLO

I HAVE BEEN LOOKING FOR A GUIDE FOR THE LAST 3 YEARS TO GRADE MAGAZINES

I have been selling and buying magazines on ebay and other forums , and it seems that everyone
means something else when it comes to MINT , EXCELLENT , VERY GOOD  AND GOOD
CONDITION

Some people think just because they have all the pages that is very good , excellent or mint this is an
attempt to clear the  MYSTERY OF GRADING MAGAZINES

While some Buyers think good means a mint copy

The attached guide , I received permission from CLIFF at  things-and-other-stuff ,
WHOSE EBAY STORE IS   
Collecting Old Magazines 
and whose feedback seems perfect at with a score of nearly 9000  , I feel he is an excellent source


THANK YOU SO MUCH CLIFF  
 AND BE SURE TO VISIT  things-and-other-stuff  
Whose ebay Store  is     Collecting Old Magazines 

And don't forget  BLUE KITTENS for your Old Arizona Highways Magazines


Guide by Cliff   at   things-and-other-stuff   Whose ebay Store  is  Collecting Old Magazines
GUIDE AND NOTES  START HERE
to feel assured that I only adhere to the strictest possible grading.  Each item which received a grade
is examined under high light to make absolute sure any and all flaws are caught.
Some photo or magazine collectors may adhere to different grading systems, however I am most
comfortable with a ten point system which seems to take into account a larger variation of
possibilities.  The categories (Magazines, Photos, Trading Cards) are not absolute--by this I mean
that several paper items which I sell may be graded by magazine standards (which is appx. 80%
about the covers), while heavier stock items may be graded by Photo standards, and cardboard
stock items graded by Trading Card standards.
Items are not graded as being "really nice for 100 years old," and the grades don't take age into
account. While a 5/10 magazine from 1985 might look a little beat up, and a 5/10 magazine from 1865
might look really nice, they're both getting graded 5/10 because they have similar problems -- both
are EX, but it's obvious that the older item is more desireable (in most cases).

MAGAZINES:
10/10: Absolutely pristine, off-the-rack, perfect. I've never used this grade.

9/10: Mint. About as perfect as can be. The only difference between this and a 10/10 is that it may
have been read once or twice before being put in plastic. I try to avoid this grade.

8/10: Near Mint. Clean and glossy. Tightly bound. No mailing label. Not quite perfect, but almost. The
grade I give to magazines many others would put at a 9 or 10.

7/10: Excellent-Mint. May have a mailing label if it's still neatly affixed. May have one noticeable minor
flaw, such as a slightly curled up corner on one of the covers or a tiny crease on an inside page.

6/10: Excellent +. A copy that's been carefully read with two or three minor flaws. Still very nice.

5/10: Excellent. Exactly what you'd think: Average. A copy of a magazine that's seen it's time on the
coffee table but has not fallen prey to any mishaps.

4.5/10: Very Good-Excellent. Just below average. Read, not abused, with one flaw driving it below
average. Maybe a crease to one of the covers of an otherwise EX magazine, or an EX magazine that
has slightly yellowed. Light stress marks at the covers along the spine area. Not a minor flaw, but just
one little bit of damage that keeps it from being average on the eye.

4/10: Very Good. A well-read copy of a magazine that may have a somewhat substantial flaw (a
heavy crease across the cover perhaps, yellowed pages inside, a tiny tear on the edge) or a couple
of minor flaws. Stress marks at the covers near the spine area. Still nice, still collectible.

3.5/10: Good-Very Good. A couple of substantial flaws. Still not terrible, but a copy that has enough
warning signs that you'd pick up to inspect carefully and look for more than obvious problems.
Perhaps a minor tear at the staples on the binding, or the beginnings of a split of the covers at either
the very top or very bottom of the spine.

3/10. Good. Now the magazine is getting a little beat up. May have some minor binding issues but the
pages are all still attached and present. May have some soiling on the covers. A stain. Some minor
tears but nothing torn off. A slightly heavier fray splitting the top and/or bottom of the paper where the
covers meet at the spine. Whatever it may be, something's wrong.

2/10: Fair. Beat. Binding may be starting to come loose. Substantial tears in cover or inside pages,
perhaps some small missing pieces as long as it doesn't affect the text. Heavy creasing to covers.
Dirty.

1/10: Poor. Torn pages. Pages torn out. Covers missing. Heavy soiling and/or staining. Bad, actually
the worse.

Once again
THANK YOU CLIFF
at   things-and-other-stuff   Whose ebay Store  is  Collecting Old Magazines


Jessica

BLUE KITTENS