Time Tables
December 16, 1962
| MY GRADING SYSTEM |
| I try to be fair and honest in my grading, and make every attempt |
| to mention loose pages, stains, tears, binding damage, etc. |
| Sometimes I find that an item falls between two grades, |
| in which case I will list it with a two-grade scale. |
| NEAR MINT - MINT: I rarely use these grades, |
| except when an item is in truly exceptional condition. |
| VERY FINE: very nice with virtually no major defects. |
| FINE+: an even nicer copy, with minimal obvious defects. |
| FINE: a nice copy, flat with minor creases; may have some spine stress, |
| but no prominent defects. |
| FINE-: better than VG+ but just a bit short of what I would consider Fine. |
| VERY GOOD+: most of the items I list fall into this grade; |
| a typical read item with obvious defects as noted. |
| VERY GOOD: fairly well-read with an accumulation of tears and defects as noted; |
| may be heavily creased or spine-rolled. |
| GOOD: a complete but heavily-read item; may be missing pieces of covers, |
| loose covers, rolled spine or other noted damage. |
| FAIR: a rough item, with many defects including tears, |
| missing pieces, water damage, spine wear, etc. |
| POOR: no missing pages unless noted, but otherwise a pretty trashed item; |
| almost any and every damage may be present. |