We grade like collectors, not sellers. When in doubt, we grade down — you'd rather be pleasantly surprised.
Sharp corners, flat spine, colors as bright as the day it mailed. May have the faintest shelf rub — that's it. The premium grade, priced accordingly.
Minor spine stress or a softly bumped corner, but no creases, no writing, no missing pieces. Most of our lots land here — the sweet spot of condition and price.
Light spine roll, maybe a small corner crease or a subscription label on the cover. All pages and inserts present. Great for reading, displaying, and gifting.
Visible wear — spine rolls, edge tanning, possibly a young reader's name in crayon on page one (we find this charming). Complete and readable, priced for classrooms and kids.
You'll see other sellers call 50-year-old magazines "unread." We don't — unless an issue is still in its original mailing wrapper, somebody read it, and that's fine. A magazine that taught a kid about wolves did its job. We grade what we see, describe what we find, and photograph the actual issues you'll receive.
Every lot ships with a printed grading card noting anything we found. No surprises — that's the whole business model.