Grading

[Sunsanvil]

Just wondering what grading scale most people here on the forum use.

As a noob I've gotten myself use to emovieposter's simply because I've spent so much time in their archive.

[paul waines]

Unfortunately nothing is set in stone with poster grading, unlike the comic, baseball card, stamp, kind of collecting. So you just have to judge for your self.

Personally I had mine on a 1-10 scale using half's if necessary. 1 being totally knackered, and 10 being mint, but that was only for me personally so I knew
what condition the copy I had was in.

You will find condition descriptions a right pain, just go with how it looks to yourself. 

[Harry Caul]

Even photos can be deceiving... my vacuum board make everything look amazing!  The closest thing to a standard is probably the Warren scale:

http://www.icollectmovieposters.com/article/3/making_the_grade_how_to_grade_movie_posters_and_related_memorabilia/

[Mirosae]

Thanks for sharing that link Matt.
It is very helpful. I fully agree with their description (particularly the description below)



VERY FINE (8.0)- The following flaws are acceptable in this grade, but should be described:

- Writing, (pencil, light pen) on the front of the poster if it is very small and in an unobtrusive area (a mustache pencilled on Bogart's face would not qualify*).





*I will leave that Bogie for Chris, hehehehe

 

[MoviePosterBid.com]

most bigger dealers use a C-1 to C-10 scale from Good to Mint

some use a proprietary scale that does not match this format

I use the C scale, but I use a well done photo & large images so buyers can make their own judgements

[MoviePosterBid.com]

Even photos can be deceiving... my vacuum board make everything look amazing!  The closest thing to a standard is probably the Warren scale:

http://www.icollectmovieposters.com/article/3/making_the_grade_how_to_grade_movie_posters_and_related_memorabilia/

and Jon's scale was in part based on comic book grading scales. most of us adhere to some similar format to this system

[Harry Caul]

and Jon's scale was in part based on comic book grading scales. most of us adhere to some similar format to this system

If they are using variations on it anyway... I would love to hear your thoughts as to why it doesn't simply get adopted officially.  Are there problems with it?  Wouldn't standardization help the hobby? 

[crowzilla]

Of course standardization would help the hobby.
I've said for years that word descriptions are meaningless, especially when it comes to foreign buyers where English might not be their first language.
What's better - "Fine" or "Excellent"? They mean the same thing.  But an 8 is always better than a 6.
It's much easier to understand and simpler to execute.

Truth be told, nearly all the major dealers use the 10-pt scale, there is just one real hold-out.
And it is easy to see why that dealer is a hold-out. Limiting your descriptions to only a few grade words instead of using more precise numbers allows you to process many more items without having to be so exact. When Rich lists something as an 8.5 - that is an exact point on a 10-point scale, where if someone merely describes it as "good to very good" it allows for a lot of ambiguity in the description (when those words aren't tied to a number).
It also allows you to say "our very good is equal to many people's fine" (or excellent, or whatever) because it really doesn't mean much.
Someone should start a two word grading scale of poor and fair and then trumpet how their fair is equal to other dealers Fine or Mint.

Numbers are the way to go, especially in consideration of a world-wide audience.

[CSM]

I gotta say I think the "way to go" is accurate pictures with descriptive wordings of flaws.  Any ratings scale is just too subjective to become a hobby standard...

[paul waines]

The unfortunate thing is, as we're all individuals we will naturally see things differently. So what ever scale is used, it's only as good as the person grading it.  Until we are like the Borg, my personal way is what ever condition anyone says a poster is in, assume its worse, then you can only be pleased it's better than you thought.


The thing I find with posters is, on a photo they don't look as good as they are in person. Also any faults don't look as bad on a photo, but are a dam sight worse in person.  This is the only way to grade.  

[erik1925]

I gotta say I think the "way to go" is accurate pictures with descriptive wordings of flaws.  Any ratings scale is just too subjective to become a hobby standard...

Indeed. You certainly can't go wrong with clear, detailed photos of any and all flaws or issues as well as good, verbal descriptions of those issues.

The numbering grade scale, while measured in exact points, as Sean said, is good. The only issue is, and as Paul alluded to, is that one person grading something as a 7.0 might be given a 5.5 by another individual, who is grading the exact same piece. Regardless of the grading scale used, there is always going to be human subjectivity to it all. 

[Pancho]

A grading scale with less opinion might be useful. For example, any poster with fold separation cannot be higher than an 8 or any poster with paper loss cannot be higher than a 6. This could be expanded into a % scale - <2% paper loss = 6, 2% - <5% = 5 etc.

But I agree, what you can see will generally be all the info you need. Given that most of the posters discussed in this forum are ones that may only surface for sale once in a blue moon, condition is often a moot discussion; would you care if it's a 5 or an 8 if it's on your wish list? - Hell, I bought a daybill for 'Coffy' with liquid paper and black marker on it once because I'd never found one before! (I've since found a cleaner copy, but the point is still the same!)

[Crazy Vick]

This is a descriptive scale used in another auction i found interesting for example:

47"x32" France OF, PM-BL,TR ,VT-M, ST-BL

BT- Borders Trimmed
C- Creased
F- Faded Color
OF- Original Folds
LB-Linen Backed
PC- Poster Coated.
PM-Paper Missing
RE- Ragged Edge
SS- Slight Staining
ST- Small Tears
WD- Water Damage
WR- Wrinkled
VT- Visible Tears

Location of tears or ragged area:

B- Bottom
T- Top
M-Middle
L- Left Side
R- Right Side

Example- BT,RE-T,B = Borders Trimmed, Ragged Edge on the Top and Bottom.

[erik1925]

That particular scale might make me crazy, too, Vick!   

 

[Simes]

Ii W C G U A M O I F Wi T S

A - And
C - Completely
F - Faced
G - Give
Ii - I
I - If
M - Move
0 - On
S - Scale
T - That
U - Up
W - Would
Wi - With

[Crazy Vick]

Its not that bad after you start going through the posters you remember the letters pretty quick...  I do find the liveauctioneers has crap descriptions and crap pictures. I know they are the middlemen but its frustrating to put your buyer in a position where he spends several hundred dollars based on a 200kb jpeg.  At least these guys are making an effort I guess.

[erik1925]

True enough, the more ways to describe and give details, even if overkill, the better. Its the lack of those written details and descriptions that can be crazy making and infuriating.

[Neo]

Its not that bad after you start going through the posters you remember the letters pretty quick...  I do find the liveauctioneers has crap descriptions and crap pictures. I know they are the middlemen but its frustrating to put your buyer in a position where he spends several hundred dollars based on a 200kb jpeg.  At least these guys are making an effort I guess.

I just got a piece at LiveAuctioneers and everything was excellent.  Of course, it all depends on the individual sellers, who are listing on the site.  

[erik1925]

I just got a piece at LiveAuctioneers and everything was excellent.  Of course, it all depends on the individual sellers, who are listing on the site.  

So true, as LA are the "go thru" guys; they don't edit, amend or add to a seller's description.

Good it all worked out on the piece you got, Brandon. 

[brude]

Ii W C G U A M O I F Wi T S

A - And
C - Completely
F - Faced
G - Give
Ii - I
I - If
M - Move
0 - On
S - Scale
T - That
U - Up
W - Would
Wi - With

 

[MoviePosterBid.com]

grading will always be subjective. Period.

until the day comes that everyone sits down & decides upon a universal system, you just have to figure out who the sellers that grade in a fashion that helps you to understand their own system and who is fair and who is not. Even more, if all dealers took a symposium on grading for an acceptable system (never going to happen) it would still not be universal as only a few would grade similarly at the end.

This isn't just about movie posters - it's about any form of paper in any paper hobby.
Comic books solved this issue by having a grading company (CGC) that is accepted by all.

However now comics has 3 grading/encapsulation companies - CGC, CBCS a new company formed by the original owner of CGC after he left CGC and PGX.
I Use CBCS and both CGC & CBCS are the favored companies (Though we all like Steve at CBCS more)
PGX on the other hand does not grade the same way as the others, so even the three graders are not consistent.

There is not likely to be any such system in posters anytime soon.

[Crazy Vick]

So 3 grading systmes for comincs and none for posters?  Why dont those guys start a poster grade one?

 

[erik1925]

grading will always be subjective. Period.

until the day comes that everyone sits down & decides upon a universal system, you just have to figure out who the sellers that grade in a fashion that helps you to understand their own system and who is fair and who is not. Even more, if all dealers took a symposium on grading for an acceptable system (never going to happen) it would still not be universal as only a few would grade similarly at the end.

This isn't just about movie posters - it's about any form of paper in any paper hobby.
Comic books solved this issue by having a grading company (CGC) that is accepted by all.

However now comics has 3 grading/encapsulation companies - CGC, CBCS a new company formed by the original owner of CGC after he left CGC and PGX.
I Use CBCS and both CGC & CBCS are the favored companies (Though we all like Steve at CBCS more)
PGX on the other hand does not grade the same way as the others, so even the three graders are not consistent.

There is not likely to be any such system in posters anytime soon.

Truly the nature of the beast and the fact that 2 people can look at the same piece and seeing subtle differences, which could then translate to a slightly different grade, right, Rich?

[Crazy Vick]

this would be the grading system I use currently.

8- no one can ever know how much money i spent on this poster, ever, especially not her.
7- my relatives need to know this is going into the grave with me
6- this is going into the tupperware
5- this is probably nice enough for my wife to accept in the living room
4- this is probably nice enough for my wife to accept in the bedroom
3- why did I buy this, this is going to emovie
2- odd smell, mild itching, this is going in the basement
1- funky smell, major rash, this is going into the garbage

[CSM]

So 3 grading systmes for comincs and none for posters?  Why dont those guys start a poster grade one?

 

It's been tried:

http://www.mpgrading.com/