Condition is paramount to many collectors. A pristine perfect condition of a book may fetch many many times that of even a good copy. Currently in the world of Comics here is a Comic Guarantee LLC also known as CGC. Professionals grade comics and mark them out of 10. A 10 being a perfect copy of a book, no faults at all. In the past a near mint copy would be acceptable, now collectors are wanting high grade CGC copies of comics. A CGC 10 copy of a comic can even be worth many more times than a near mint copy. At some point in the future I will look at Professional Book Graders.
Personally I still gather books in Good and Fair condition. It would be interesting to guage opinion on whether collectors would rather given a sum of money to spend one perfect book (which you might be afraid to touch as you may damage it) ir many lesser quality tomes? I have a number of books such as Jaws by Peter Benchley, Travesties by Tom Stoppard and A Flag on the Island by V S Naipaul that many collectors would not consider.
Personally I still gather books in Good and Fair condition. It would be interesting to guage opinion on whether collectors would rather given a sum of money to spend one perfect book (which you might be afraid to touch as you may damage it) ir many lesser quality tomes? I have a number of books such as Jaws by Peter Benchley, Travesties by Tom Stoppard and A Flag on the Island by V S Naipaul that many collectors would not consider.
Condition of Books
As New is self-explanatory. It means that the book is in the state that it should have been in when it left the publisher. The is the equivalent of Mint condition in numismatics.
Fine (F or FN) is As New but allowing for the normal effects of time on an unused book that has been protected. A fine book shows no damage.
Very Good (VG) describes a book that is worn but untorn. For many collectors this is the minimum acceptable condition for all but the rarest items.
Good (G) is (as an old bookselling joke has it) not very good. It is used to describes the condition of an average used worn book that is complete.
Fair shows wear and tear but all the text pages and illustrations or maps are present. It may lack endpapers, half-title, and even the title page.
Poor describes a book that has the complete text but is so damaged that it is only of interest to a buyer who seeks a reading copy. If the damage renders the text illegible then the book is not even poor
As New is self-explanatory. It means that the book is in the state that it should have been in when it left the publisher. The is the equivalent of Mint condition in numismatics.
Fine (F or FN) is As New but allowing for the normal effects of time on an unused book that has been protected. A fine book shows no damage.
Very Good (VG) describes a book that is worn but untorn. For many collectors this is the minimum acceptable condition for all but the rarest items.
Good (G) is (as an old bookselling joke has it) not very good. It is used to describes the condition of an average used worn book that is complete.
Fair shows wear and tear but all the text pages and illustrations or maps are present. It may lack endpapers, half-title, and even the title page.
Poor describes a book that has the complete text but is so damaged that it is only of interest to a buyer who seeks a reading copy. If the damage renders the text illegible then the book is not even poor
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