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Vintage Collectible Condition Rating System - Toys, LEGO, Electronics, Books

All collectors, whether their interests lean toward LEGO sets, books, electronics, vintage toys, model trains, or other areas, have one thing in common: They care about the relative condition of items they are hoping to acquire.

That being the case, how can we as collectors go about determining the relative condition of an offering? Who is to say an item is new?

What is needed is a basis of comparison, a reference regarding what flaws or lack thereof can be expected as the norm for a given condition rating.

Once this is established, we then will have a language to express our opinion of the condition of a piece, a language that can be universally understood. For example, when we describe an item as "Used, Very Good" condition, this must mean something to the other party.

We will now call on our years of experience with collectibles to provide a system for understood and accepted evaluations.

Let's use Toys, Electronics, and Books as examples for the purposes of this article.

When we use the designation New for toys and electronics, the item must be as delivered from the manufacturer. That would include intact, original seals or shrink wrap (if utilized), all original paperwork and accessories along with the original box or container.

First-hand knowledge of use, even if there are no signs of wear present on the item disqualify the item as New -- this due to the fact that each individual is different relative to perception of use.

Retail price stickers or bar codes, or areas where these have been applied and neatly removed are acceptable, provided they are not excessive.

Shelf wear on the external box or container should be minimal for the item to still be classified as New.

Shelf wear can be observed as folded corners, lighter patches on printed paper boxes, dull finishes when the box should be shiny, excessive scratches, minor incisions, minor indenting of corners or the sometimes spider-webbed creased bulging of sides common to stacked boxes, in the case of paper materials.

For collectible books, shelf wear is most commonly observed as a thinning or widening of the material used for the cover boards at the bottom of the book, or inward curvature of the fore edge of the cover boards. In cases of use, books sometimes feature horizontal scratches on the front and back cover boards as they are removed or inserted onto shelves relative to other volumes.

Some of the above is tolerable in the case of New Old Stock (NOS) items. These are generally items that were produced years ago, but have never been opened or used.

When flat paper materials included with the item have a collectible significance, or, in the case of stand-alone collectible books, very minimal if any shelf wear should be present for the item to qualify as New.

Finally, odors unique to the household or facility where the item was stored must not be present to a notable degree in New items.

New, But Not Really: The Gray Area

What shall we do when an item is new, but a seal on the box has failed, or the shrink wrap is torn, or any number of less than ideal circumstances? On some sites and web resources, the only allowed condition indicators are new and used. This presents a problem. However, what we do is present the item as New with Qualifier.

In the item description, the qualifier should be indicated. Common qualifiers include:

An open box with items still sealed inside. While the die-hard collector will pass this over, some people will see it as just what they want, a new item without the new item price. This price gap is especially large with items that are very scarce in unopened form, such as vintage LEGO sets.

Items which are still sealed, but excessive shelf wear or smashing of the product box, container or the item itself if sold sans box, prevents it from qualifying as New. Again, a bargain. It is up to the individual whether he or she wishes to sell or buy something such as that.

Missing manual, dust jacket or accessories -- This is especially important to state as a clear qualifier, as the lack of these items may not be immediately apparent in a photograph or during casual discussion.

Missing components -- An open container may invite the inevitable -- something falls out and we cannot find it. This is different than missing accessories, above. For instance, in the case of a building set, a package of parts may fall out and become misplaced or destroyed, rendering the main product incomplete. This is a disqualifier more than a qualifier in our opinion, but someone may still cherish half an item.

One qualifier that many would consider a disqualifier, again, would be odors including tobacco products, cooking smells, cleaning agents, perfumes, etc. As humans, we tend to become acclimated to our surroundings. As such, it may be helpful to get feedback from a third party regarding any odors an item may retain.

Used Collectible Toys, LEGO Sets, Electronics: The Condition Scale

Now that we are familiar with what to expect from New and New with Qualifier items, we enter into something altogether more complicated: Used items. This is a realm of subjectivity more than objectivity, but we will try our best to formulate an understandable and logical scale by which to judge a collection or individual piece.

As with opened New items, it is important for all Used condition ratings to mention if there are any missing components, paperwork or accessories that are typically included with a given collectible.

Mint

Items in Mint condition will often be, in some ways, superior to New items. Whereas New, unopened items sometimes conceal factory flaws in workmanship or materials, Mint used items have been carefully inspected and each component is flawlessly formed and free of marks of any kind. Generally, each part will represent the ideal as would be expected from a New product. The Mint designation is, however, slightly flexible when speaking of items several decades of age. Some types of materials have a natural aging process, and items that display the absolute minimum of normal aging will be acceptable as Mint. Mint used items bearing paint, silkscreened printing, and the like will have all of the color and vividness of the best New product. Mint is usually the most desired condition for collectors in the Used category. All pieces should be extremely clean, as New.

Near Mint

Near Mint condition indicates an item that is very close to the high standards of Mint. Near Mint allows slightly more flexibility in the area of marking (very shallow scratch, small dig). However, if there is any marking present, it should be only at such a subtle level that it would require strong lighting and possibly magnification in order to detect. In addition, printing or paint standard on the item may be slightly less bright than Mint items. All components should be extremely clean.

Excellent

Used items in Excellent condition relax the standard slightly farther, while still ensuring that the piece is of extremely collectible quality. Vintage items in Excellent condition may feature very light wear consistent with careful use over time. Paint or printed patterns on components or face plates may have been slightly affected by normal skin oils and thus lightly faded or discolored - especially metallic inks. In the case of model trains, wheels may show the slightest of grooving where they meet the rails, indicating the train has been operated. All parts of the item should be extremely clean.

Very Good

Collectibles in Very Good used condition compromise in one or only a handful of small details versus items in Excellent condition. A typical item in Very Good condition will have many component parts that range from Excellent to Mint condition, with minor scuffing, chewing, folding, or very limited and purely cosmetic breakage in an extremely minor, nearly invisible area of the product. Alternatively, inks or paints present on a New item may be entirely missing in a single area of limited size. Every surface of the product should be very clean, with at most only the slightest sign that there may have been some dust on the product in the past. As with all of the above, the older the item, the more leeway should be given.

Good

With items in Good condition, unless approximately 30 years old or more, serious collectors may wish to seek out a higher grade. Good condition indicates that up to half of the component parts of the product may feature some level of scoring, scuffing, scratching, digging, etc., consistent with normal household use. Breakage, if present, will be minor and limited to a small area or a small percentage of components not affecting normal function of the article. Patterned items printed or painted may feature extensive fading to the point of being difficult to make out. Books in Good condition will have been read more than once. However, all items classified as Good condition will be clean and free of debris. In the case of sets, all pieces should be present and exactly correct per the factory specifications of color and pattern, as is the case with all condition ratings above.

Fair

Vintage items classified as Fair will feature wear consistent with regular and sustained use. Toys, in particular, if played with by children or youths, will be typically of Fair quality. Fair condition items will normally showcase a moderate level of wear and tear, but still remain usable. An amplifier that has seen many gigs but works perfectly and sounds great is an example of an item of Fair quality. Extensive cleaning swirls, bent, rounded or chipped corners, controls that perhaps have replaced or substituted knobs or levers, sets with color-substituted pieces, moderate chewing, deep scoring and scuffing up to 1mm in depth are all allowable at the Fair condition rating. In the case of books, the spine may have some looseness or a crack in the middle when the book lays flat on a table, or if stapled, one staple may have worn through a few pages. Slight dust is allowable at the Fair rating. In the case of sets, such as LEGO, all of the pieces should be of the correct type, with only a very small percentage of pieces substituted for a different color than that specified by the factory. For model trains, extensive buildup of lubrication, paint or corrosion and minor paint chipping on a running model would be consistent with Fair grade. As with all of the above, items of Fair condition should be free of obvious odors.

Poor

Many everyday items from half a century ago will feature this level of condition. Classic items at the Poor condition rating level will display signs of rougher-than-normal use or handling over a long period of time. Items of Poor condition may be of untested functionality and likely to have problems working as expected. Electronics in particular may need the attentions of a skilled technician in order to become workable. Some restoration work is the norm for any item in this classification. Toys, including LEGO sets in Poor condition will feature several un-usable or missing pieces, with many of those pieces present being of below-average quality (heavy teething, soiling, pet activity). Sets or lots will often additionally include mixed, non-related junk items. Books will feature pages that are removable, cut or torn out areas of potentially useful information, missing sections, stains larger than 25mm, hanging flaps of loose material along the spine. Items with metal housings or components may feature significant denting or some rust. Items of Poor condition may retain slight odors.

Very Poor

Generally speaking, items of Very Poor condition will be difficult to restore to acceptable usability. This is the converse of Mint. Items will potentially feature severe odors, health concerns, heavy soiling, chipping, breakage, smashing, and extremely rounded-off corners, among other problems. Sets of items will be missing up to half of the pieces shipped from the factory. Printed patterns will typically be lost under layers of grime and wear. Functionality is virtually guaranteed to be non-working.

Conclusion

After reading this article, it is our hope that the next time you have a need to identify a condition rating for a collectible item, you will be able to confidently classify it.

If your customers would benefit from knowing exactly what you mean when referring to a certain condition level, please do share this with them. If you wish to use this system for your customers, please add a link from your web pages to this article.

Ben - Toy Tech

Friday, 12:01 pm | June 12th, 2009

Comments

Bill on Tuesday, 2:12 pm | June 16th, 2009

I had always wondered how these things are judged. This article gives me a leg up in understanding.

Nice site.

Ben - Toy Tech on Wednesday, 11:11 am | June 17th, 2009

Thank you, Bill, I am glad that you found it to be useful. Welcome to Ask Toy Tech. There is much more to come. -Ben