Magazine Condition grades and general condition information
Condition grades are subjective and shade into each other – We hope that each and every customer will be very pleased with their purchase and will find the magazine to be nicer than they expected. Most vintage magazines in nice condition, by virtue of their age and the minimal handling involved in reaching that age, are in “Good” condition – it is practically impossible for a vintage magazine to achieve a rating of “excellent” in our system. Many of those issues rated Fair or Poor are quite nice overall and received a lower rating due to a water marked margin or a missing ad. The heaviest sign of use (in any form) is almost always what dictates the grade of the magazine and we place a lot of weight on the condition of the cover. See general notes below about our magazine condition grades.

EXCELLENT (EXC) : Much like new. Almost no wear or signs of age.

VERY GOOD (VG) : A very nice copy. Very lightly used and clean. There may be faint to mild signs of use or age.

GOOD (G) : A nice copy. There are mild to moderate signs of use or age in this category. These issues are all intact and without serious damage.

FAIR (F) : Usable, but with moderate damage (defined in item listing). Perfect for the person who wishes to read or own a vintage magazine, but doesn’t want to pay the high price of a pristine issue. These are either more visibly used or have some more notable damage (nothing gross). Issues with detached covers are graded “Fair” even if cover and all content is VG. Most water marks give the magazine a grade of “Fair” or “Poor” – a single drip mark may not. In general, water marks in the “Fair” category are confined to a blank margin. If you have interest in a single article, the cover, or whatever – I can tell you the condition of that page. Very frequently, these issues are much nicer than you might guess.

POOR (P) : Still usable, but with significant damage (defined in item listing). Many “poor” items are damaged only in one place (i.e. most pages are very good). These issues are inexpensive and are always a good value for the right customer!