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Pen Grading
New Old Stock |
An
unused pen asserted to have been never sold. Uncertainty exists as to
confirming how the unsold status possibly could be confirmed. |
Mint
|
Pen never met ink. Unused. |
Near Mint
|
Pen has been inked. Otherwise
superb. Expect sharp imprints, unbrassed trim |
Excellent |
Minimal wear. Trace high
point brass IS allowed (eg. the clip ball of a Parker Duofold). Imprints
sharp. Threads intact and functioning |
Extra fine |
A gray zone grade offered
as a concession to pens a nominal flaw away from Excellent. One feature
is off. Imprint weak or a bit more brassing than is conveyed by Excellent.
Consider Extra-Fine to mean "Pen is Excellent except for X", with X representing
one weaker detail |
Fine |
Still a nice pen. Moderate
brassing, weaker imprint, more wear to plastic (light teethmarks) etc all
can be in play. Pen still is clean and presentable. |
Very Good |
The slippery slope continues.
Light imprint, heavier brassing, stress lines (but not hairlines
or cracks) to cap-lip, etc. |
Good |
Bad. |
User Grade |
User grade pens have a large
flaw that is of great significance to value, independent of other grading
features. Most commonly, user grade will reference a Hairline cap
crack, barrel crack, bad cosmetic flaw, etc. Note that the flaw will be
described, and the overall grade will be provided independent of the flaw
that renders the pen USER GRADE. |
These grading standards
and their descriptions were developed by David Isaacson, and were
lifted wholesale from his website with his permission.
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