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"Very Good" Definition on NK
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bbarsh
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Posted: Fri Jun 11, 2010 4:13 pm

serleran wrote:*rages and calls his horde*

Yeah, what do want?

And I could've bought these damn modules off the 1$ rack!!!

New modules for your Old School game http://pacesettergames.com/

Everything Pacesetter at http://pacesettergames.blog.com/

Traveller
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Posted: Fri Jun 11, 2010 8:53 pm

Doug Williams wrote:
Think of it like wine. Would you rather have "good" wine or "fine" wine?

Coming from a comic book collecting background, I tend to grade D&D collectables just like I would a comic book. BTW, "Excellent" is not a grade in the comic book world, although I see it occasionally in D&D grading.

Poor = Complete Crap
Fair = Crap
Good = Ok for a play or reading copy
Very Good = Bottom end collectable
Fine = Nice looking copy, collectable
Very Fine = Better than fine, not as good as Near Mint
Near Mint = This is what most brand new items should be graded
Mint = Perfect, no flaws whatosever. Most brand new items are not Mint.
SW = Covered in plastic wrap. May be a pile of crap when you unwrap it.

There was a discussion I was involved in on these very boards where the grading system was being discussed. I made it abundantly clear where I stood in that matter: these are books therefore they should be graded as books.

viewtopic.php?t=1669&highlight=grading

My stance on grading has not changed in the intervening five years.

The Gray Book: My homage to E.G.G.

Star Trek: Alpha Quadrant: The game Mongoose failed to make.

sauromatian
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Posted: Sat Jun 12, 2010 1:58 am

Doug Williams wrote:Would you rather have "good" wine or "fine" wine?

"Good" in collecting is like when you hear a friend's horrible garage band, & you want to say something polite but the best you can muster is "oh sure, it's um.. pretty good."

"Fine" is more like "damn, girl, you sure got a fine [favorite body part]." "Mint" can have a somewhat similar usage, but is much less common. Perhaps "mint" should be analogous to a virgin bride. In that case, shrink wrap is more like a burqa.

Doug Williams
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Posted: Sat Jun 12, 2010 7:01 am

Traveller wrote:There was a discussion I was involved in on these very boards where the grading system was being discussed. I made it abundantly clear where I stood in that matter: these are books therefore they should be graded as books.

viewtopic.php?t=1669&highlight=grading

My stance on grading has not changed in the intervening five years.

I read that and understand your position. Like I said, coming from a comic book collecting background, I tend to grade in comic book terms. Many of the things we collect, such as the old modules, are basically pamphlets, held together with a couple of staples, much like comic books. Other items are actual books....and then there are the box sets.

As Gnat the Beggar said, a few high res scans are worth a thousand grading conventions. On the rare occasion that I sell something from my collection, I not only give it a condition grade, I do my best to describe any and all flaws it might have. This is the best approach, IMO.

Traveller
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Posted: Sat Jun 12, 2010 12:52 pm

My position on grading is definitely not a popular one, as that thread shows. I only lasted two pages into the discussion before bowing out, after being "invited to leave". I found that thread rather frustrating, because I believed (and still do) that they missed the target by attempting to create a totally new standard instead of adopting an existing one.

I know I brought it up in my previous post, but I don't want to derail the thread any further by continuing to discuss something I said five years ago. So, to get back on track....

I don't sell much stuff, but if I were to sell D&D, I'd have to do the math to get the true value and set my price at that value. That is of course, after describing every flaw the book has and assigning a condition based on those flaws.

The Gray Book: My homage to E.G.G.

Star Trek: Alpha Quadrant: The game Mongoose failed to make.

JasonZavoda
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Posted: Sat Jun 12, 2010 1:13 pm

gvaughn1 wrote:Hello - I'm looking at a module that is in VG condition on Noble Knight. Here is their definition:
VG Very Good. Used. May have medium sized creases, scuff marks, very small stain, etc. Complete and very useable.

Question: has anyone ordered a VG module from NK before? The description above sounds a little scary. I've heard excellent things in general about KN, but curious specifically if this will be a "decent, collectible quality item?"

Or should I hold out for something in Fine/VF?

Depends on what you want to get out of your collectable item.

If it is just for you, are you looking for pristine items? You may want to buy low grade fillers and then wait patiently for a pristine find at a good or bargain price. In that case the VG NK items would probably be good filler items if they are a good price. If you don't care too much if the items are in top shape, then the NK VG items might be perfect for you and you wouldn't have to upgrade.

If you mean collectable quality as resellable somewhere down the road, then you want to stick to collecting things with as few flaws as possible (and as rare as possible). In that case the NK VG grade isn't a good way to go.

gvaughn1
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Posted: Thu Jun 17, 2010 7:55 pm

Well, folks, I placed my order and received it in today's mail.

I'm very happy with the purchase. I bought S2 (White Plume Mtn), listed in VG condition.

It's in great shape! I think NK is very conservative in their grading. What they call "VG," a lot of people I've seen on Ebay would list it as Fine or VF. It's very sharp, no folds/creases, white pages, no markings, etc.

$15 seems about right. And it was shipped promptly.

So I will definitely be using NK again!

Doug Williams
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Posted: Thu Jun 17, 2010 8:44 pm

I'm glad to hear that.

White Plume Mountain is a fun adventure. I remember playing it back in the '80s. My character got Blackrazor!

Deogolf
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Posted: Thu Jun 17, 2010 8:58 pm

Doug Williams wrote:I'm glad to hear that.

White Plume Mountain is a fun adventure. I remember playing it back in the '80s. My character got Blackrazor!

[ Image ]

Love that illo!!

Eulaliaaa!!!

sauromatian
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Posted: Fri Jun 18, 2010 7:27 am

Deogolf wrote:Love that illo!!

Then you'd like the full canvas even more.

stratochamp
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Posted: Fri Jun 18, 2010 4:20 pm

i agree with you traveller about several of your thoughts regarding condition, but i disagree with others. it does seem to me to be logical to adopt already existing grading terms & conditions; given however that many items in our hobby are not books but modules, boxes or counters, it seems to me it's not cut and dried which criterion we should use......as i have written before, i think mint condition does exist, but it should mean that there could be no finer copy of an item; any other could only tie it for first. as a practical matter few things would obviously fall in to this category if they are looked at with a critical eye......i completely agree with you that the base price for an item should be set at vg (on a poor, fair, good, vg ,ex, nm, mint scale) with price movements up or down from there......i also agree with you that if an item is missing something that originally came with it, it is currently in poor condtion; as a practical matter of course people mix and match all the time to complete the incomplete so as such the "value" of such items is higher than "poor" would indicate...... my next big task is to grade the condition of all 7700+ frp singles in my collection so these issues have been weighing heavily on my troubled brow.

Doug Williams
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Posted: Fri Jun 18, 2010 6:35 pm

stratochamp wrote: these issues have been weighing heavily on my troubled brow.

Between the years when the oceans drank Atlantis and the rise of the sons of Aryas?

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