Grading Standards for Magazines

All magazines are graded conservatively.  In an attempt to give customers an accurate impression of condition rather than adhere to somewhat arbitrary criteria, Duffelbag & The Great Escape give an "overall presentation" grade, supplemented when necessary with additional remarks.

NEAR MINT (NM)

Almost perfect copy, virtually no defects.

VERY FINE (VF) 

Cover looks virtually flawless with clean, flat, sharp interior pages. shows full cover gloss, tight unmarked binding, untarnished staples, sharp corners, no marks or "thumbing" (indentations) from reading, but may have 1 or 2 minor defects from shipping or being shelved. Slight visible signs of wear could include small rub spots (scuffing) from initial shipping, minor fray at top or bottom of the spine, a few small spine stress lines. older copies in this grade may have the year neatly written on the front cover (1950's & 1960's issues).

FINE (F)

The most popular grade. these are tight, flat solid copies with minimal signs of wear. may have some loss of cover gloss, very light spine wear, a "dinged" corner, small noticeable areas of "rubbing" (light scuffs). Older copies (1950's & 1960s issues) may have a rubber stamp or a date neatly written on the cover. this is the general condition of a magazine you might find on a newsstand. at a glance they look great!

VERY GOOD (VG)

An average read copy with normal handling (many 50's, 60's & some 70's issues are usually found in this grade). may have a reduced cover gloss, a few creases, scuffing/rub marks (not excessive), fold-over ("dog-eared") creases on the interior pages, centerfold could be loose and/or have a fold or crease in it (but still intact with no major tears or chunks missing), cover and spine might show moderate wear (no holes or major tears), small corner bends/creases may be found, finger creases (indentations) on the cover, very light cover soiling, no large creases, large tears, holes or rusted staples (may be slightly tarnished). a very solid copy with some noticeable defects.

GOOD (G)

A very read and handled copy. Expect some wear, creases, small tears on pages or covers, minor water damage or stains, loose centerfolds, scuffed and non-glossy cover, lightly soiled cover, may have rusted staples, heavy spine wear (but intact-no holes or major tears), completely loose centerfold (with only minor defects), minor tape repair. regardless of the type of defects, the magazine is not badly mutilated or damaged. it is still complete, generally in "solid" condition (without fear of falling apart), with no chunks missing (a small chip here or there may be acceptable).

FAIR (FR)

Lots of general wear but overall still a complete and solid copy. may have small chunks missing (nothing major affected), loose cover, heavy creasing, large tears, water damage that affects the texture, distracting writing on the cover. a nice "reading" copy.

POOR (PR)

Includes defects that affect the structural integrity of the book. defects such as missing panels, pages or centerfolds are included in this grade. we only sell these grades if they are extremely rare or sought-after.