A record's grade (or condition) indicates its state of preservation. Records that are in better condition are worth more than records that are in lower grades, and records that are in better condition are more useful for playing, making them in higher demand.

Below are the criteria that you should use when listing an item for sale on Beatles Collecting. Buyers should refer to this page to understand grades and abbreviations used in classified listings.

Record Grades
M or MT	No scratches, "jacket rubs," pock marks or blemishes. The labels have no writing, no stickers, no tears and are well-centered.
M-	No scratches, "jacket rubs," or pock marks. Possibly one or two small blemishes. The labels have no writing, no stickers, and no tears, but one may be slightly off-center.
NM	No scratches or "jacket rubs." Possibly one or two small blemishes or imperfections. The labels have no writing, no stickers, and no tears, but one may be slightly off-center.
NM- or VG++	No more than 3 small scratches or jacket rubs, none of which measures longer than 1/2". Possibly a few small blemishes or imperfections. The label(s) have no stickers and no tears, but one may be slightly off-center and may have unobtrusive initials or a name.
VG+	No more than 10 small scratches or jacket rubs, none of which measures longer than 1/2". The record still looks "shiny" and new. Possibly blemishes or imperfections. The label(s) have no writing, no stickers, and no tears, but may be off-center.
VG	Record has a number of small scratches or jacket rubs, none of which measures longer than 2". The record may not look new, but it still plays without too many audible distractions and does not skip. The label(s) may have writing or stickers. No large label tears.
VG-	Record has a number of scratches and/or jacket rubs, none of which is deep enough to cause a skip. The record does not look new, but it plays with only the occasional audible distraction. The label(s) may have writing or stickers. No large label tears.
G+	Record has a number of scratches and/or jacket rubs, none of which is deep enough to cause a skip. The record does not look new, but it plays with only the occasional audible distraction. The label(s) may have writing or stickers and may be torn or missing.
G	Record has a number of scratches and/or jacket rubs, none of which is deep enough to cause a skip. The record does not look new; it plays with audible distractions. The label(s) may have writing or stickers and may be torn or missing.
G-	Record has a number of scratches and/or jacket rubs - too many to count, one of which may cause a skip. The record does not look new. It plays with audible distractions. The label(s) may have writing or stickers and may be torn or missing.
Fair (FR)	Record has numerous scratches and/or jacket rubs - too many to count. It may skip several times. The record may have a crack or chip that does not impair play. The record looks beat-up; it plays with considerable distractions. The label(s) may have writing or stickers and may be torn or missing.
Poor (PR)	Record has numerous scratches and/or jacket rubs - too many to count. It may skip several times. The record may not play. It may be cracked or chipped. The label(s) may have writing or stickers and may be torn or missing.

Cover/Sleeve Grades
M or MT	Cover or sleeve has four tight corners with no "bumps." There is no missing color anywhere. There are no creases or folds. There is no writing, no erasures, no stickers and no tears. The cover is folded properly without any errors.
M-	Cover or sleeve has four tight corners with at most 1 one-third inch "bump." There is no missing color anywhere. There are no creases or folds. There is no writing, no erasures, no stickers and no tears. The cover is folded properly, but may be slightly off center.
NM	Cover or sleeve has four tight corners with at most 1 "bump." There may be a small spot or two of color missing - no larger than a small fleck. There are no creases or folds. There is no writing, no erasures, no stickers and no tears. The cover is folded properly, but may be slightly off center.
NM- or VG++	Cover or sleeve has atleast three tight corners. One or two may be "bumped," and one of the seams may be split up to 1/2". There may be a small spot or two of color missing - no larger than a small fleck. There may be one small corner fold, which has not creased. There is no obtrusive writing, no erasures and no tears, but there may be a price sticker or handwritten/stamped price. The cover is folded properly, but may be off-center.
VG+	Cover or sleeve has at least three tight corners. One or two of the seams may be split up to 1" (for 7" records) or 2" (for 12" records). Partial ring wear may be evident, but such wear does not make a complete ring. There may be one or two small corner folds, which may have creased. There is no obtrusive writing, no erasures and no tears, but there may be a price sticker or handwritten/stamped price. There may be a name written somewhere, but not in an important place (such as on someone's face). The cover is folded properly, but may be off-center.
VG	Cover or sleeve may have tight corners. One of the seams may be split up to half the length of the seam. The others may be split only as described for VG+ grade. These seams may be repaired with tape, which is not yellowing. Ring wear may be evident, and such wear may make a complete ring. There may be several corner folds, which may have creased. There may be writing and/or erasures, but the cover is not torn and still looks reasonably attractive. Non-company stickers may appear. The cover may be folded incorrectly.
VG-	One or two of the seams may be split up to half the length of the seam; the other(s) may be split only as described for a VG+ grade. These seams may be repaired with tape, which may be yellowing. Ring wear may be evident, and such wear may make a complete ring. There may be folds and creases. There may be writing and/or erasures, but the cover is not torn and still looks reasonably attractive. There may be light soiling or water damage. Non-company stickers may appear. The cover may be folded incorrectly.
G+	One or two of the seams may be split more than half of the length of the seam. The other(s) may be split up to half the seam’s length. Ring wear is likely evident, and such wear may make a complete ring. There may be folds and creases. There may be writing and/ or erasures. The cover may have tears and tape, but no pieces are missing. There may be soiling or water damage. Non-company stickers may appear. The cover may be folded incorrectly.
G	The cover may have "yellowed" significantly. One or two of the seams may be split fully. The other(s) may be split partially. Ring wear is likely evident. There may be folds and creases. There may be extensive writing and/or erasures. The cover may have tears and tape, but no pieces are missing. There may be soiling or stains. Non-company stickers may appear. The cover may be folded incorrectly.
G-	One or two of the seams may be split fully. The other(s) may be split partially. Ring wear is likely evident. There are folds and creases. There may be extensive writing and/or erasures. The cover may have tears and tape, and a small piece or two may be missing. There may be soiling or stains. Non-company stickers may appear. The cover may be folded incorrectly.
Fair (FR)	The seams may be split fully, but the cover is basically complete. Ring wear is likely evident. There are folds and creases. There may be extensive writing and/or erasures. The cover may have tears and tape, and a small piece or two may be missing. There may be soiling or stains. Non-company stickers may appear. The cover may be folded incorrectly. The cover looks unattractive.
Poor (PR)	The seams may be split fully. The cover may be incomplete. Ring wear, folds, creases, and writing are unimportant at this stage. The cover likely has tears and/or tape; pieces may be missing. The cover looks unattractive and unsuitable for most collectors.

Common Abbreviations
BB	BB hole	The record itself has a hole indicating a cut-out copy. Same as "drill hole."
CC	Clipped Corner	The cover or sleeve has a portion of one corner deliberately "clipped" off. This notation indicates a cut-out copy.
COH	Cut-Out Hole	There is a hole through the sleeve or cover indicating the record was a cut-out copy.
DH	Drill Hole	The record itself has a hole indicating a cut-out copy. Same as "bb."
DJ	Disc Jockey	The record is a promotional copy - possibly a designate promo.
GF	Gatefold	The cover opens like a book (or gate).
JB	Juke Box	The record was used in a juke box. Sometimes, this notation is used to indicate the presence of a timing strip - a paper insert used in juke boxes.
PS	Picture Sleeve	The 45 or compact 33 is accompanied by a custom sleeve showing the song title(s) and/or a photo of the artist.
RW	Ring Wear
	Saw Cut	The cover or sleeve has portion deliberately cut (into the cover). This notation indicates a cut-out copy.
SM SPLT	Seam Split	This notation usually occurs with a measurement of the length of the split.
SLT	Slight
SOC	Sticker On Cover	This indicates a price sticker and not a record company sticker.
SOL	Sticker On Label
SR	Sticker Removal	A sticker has been removed, leaving a noticeable tear or mark.
SS	Still Sealed	The record was sealed in shrink wrap by the manufacturer and has never been opened.
TOS	Tape On Seam	There is tape on at least one of the cover seams.
TR	Tear
WLP	White Label Promo
WOC	Writing On Cover
WOL	Writing On Label
XOL	X On Label	Usually used with promo copies. An X has been written on the label (possibly to indicate the hit side of a single).
#OL	Number On Label	Someone has written a number on the label. Usually, such numbers indicate a place in a person's collection. Sometimes they were numbered by a radio station.

Information reproduced from The Price Guide for the American Beatles Records, 6th Edition, by Perry Cox and Frank Daniels.