Condition Grades Reference

Every option in Shelvd's book and dust jacket condition dropdowns.

Condition grades are shorthand. They should never replace specific notes. Use the dropdown for the broad trade grade, then describe actual defects in Condition Notes: rubbing, foxing, toning, chips, tears, cracked hinges, repairs, inscriptions, missing blanks, or anything else a buyer or future owner should know.

The Shelvd Condition Scale

Abbreviation	Dropdown option	Use when
M	As New	Perfect as issued, with no wear, marks, or defects. Rare for older books.
NF	Near Fine	Nearly as new, with only the slightest signs of age or handling.
F	Fine	Close to mint, clean and tight, with no meaningful defects.
VG+	Very Good Plus	Better than Very Good, with only minor wear.
VG	Very Good	Some wear or ownership evidence, but no serious defects; binding remains sound.
G+	Good Plus	Better than Good, but clearly used.
G	Good	Average used condition with noticeable wear, soiling, markings, or other defects; text complete.
G-	Good Minus	Worn but complete, with heavier defects such as loose binding, tears, or heavy markings.
Fr	Fair	Worn but intact, with obvious defects; a catalogable reading copy.
P	Poor	Very worn, damaged, or fragile; useful mainly as a reading or reference copy.

Dust Jacket Condition

Dust jackets use the same scale, but they are judged separately from the book. A Near Fine book can have a Good jacket, and for many twentieth-century first editions the jacket condition drives much of the value.

For jackets, always mention chips, closed tears, fading, price clipping, creases, tape repairs, staining, and loss. Do not let the dropdown hide the evidence.

Common Pairings

Book	Dust jacket	Meaning
Fine	Near Fine	The book is essentially fresh; the jacket has a minor visible flaw.
Very Good	Good	The book is sound; the jacket has heavier wear, tears, or chips.
Good	No jacket	Common for reading copies or books whose jacket was lost.
Near Fine	Poor	The book survived well, but the jacket is badly damaged.

See also: Condition Grading · Condition Terms · Cataloging for Dealers