What do you consider to be mint condition?

Hello, I'd like to hear your opinions on what constitutes a mint condition Mega Drive/Genesis game. The reason I ask is that I've seen plenty of people advertising games as mint (on ebay for example) when in fact they've seen quite a bit of wear.

Do you guys who look for mint condition games think they should be perfect and look like new throughout? Or do you take into account that most of these games are now at least 15 years old (you don't mind if the manuals are creased, cart labels are peeling, etc.)?

"Mint condition" means that it's unopened and untouched by greasy, grubby human fingers. Any seller on eBay who says otherwise is a moron.

The case should be pristine. No blemishes and still glossy. The manual should look untouched with no bent corners or tears. The cart should be dust free, no scratches or blemishes, and the label should look like its never seen the light of day.

If an item cant meet all those standards, its not mint. Mint, to me, means absolutely perfect condition as if it just rolled off the assembly line.

runback22, do you have trouble finding games in the condition you described? Most sellers seem to think 'it's in good condition for its age so i'll say it's mint'...

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Originally Posted by mrpj

runback22, do you have trouble finding games in the condition you described? Most sellers seem to think 'it's in good condition for its age so i'll say it's mint'...

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Actually, no. I always take mint condition with a grain of salt, especially for Genesis games. I bought Ranger X and Phantasy Star 3 off of ebay and they both look like they just came off the production line. I was actually quite surprised at how great they looked. Everything from the case, to the manual, and the cartridge itself looked untouched.

On the flip side, I have bought things from idiots claiming "very good" condition and it showed up looking like complete ass. I try to stay away from sellers who dont post pics but I really wanted this particular game so I took a chance. I wont do that again.

Mint condition = new. Nothing less. It's a stupid word anyway.

I stay away from sellers who don't have photos of everything, or have blurry ones. Don't ever just trust vague descriptions - even if a seller tries to be honest (which most don't care to do) it's all based on opinion.

And if you're trying for a large collection (especially PAL or US games) it would probably be very hard to get everything in newish condition - unless you're willing to pay the extra to sellers who know what they're doing, or spend a fortune on sealed games.

mint condition means: used, but still perfect.

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Originally Posted by MrMatthews

"Mint condition" means that it's unopened and untouched by greasy, grubby human fingers. Any seller on eBay who says otherwise is a moron.

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110% Correct :ok:

http://www.hookahlounge.net/hookah-b...f7713b3022.jpg

when it looks like that.

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Originally Posted by ThugsRook

mint condition means: used, but still perfect.

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This.

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Originally Posted by ThugsRook

mint condition means: used, but still perfect.

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Spot on.

Mint should mean sealed/unopened. Mint condition, as oposed to used condition. At least this
is how the quality of a record is classified in an internet store, when selling both used and
new/unopened records. A used one can only become near mint at best, because it was
actually opened and used. Mint records are usually the ones which remained unopened until
purchase.

If I buy something online like on Ebay, I have to see a picture of the merchandise precisely because written claims can be misleading. Pictures don't lie. If I have an accurate picture, I can decide for myself whether the item is mint or not.
For me, a mint Genesis game is a perfect CIB copy. The boxcover is complete with no tears, markings or fading. The cartridge has to have a perfect label with no peeling, tears, markings or fading. All the connector pins have to be present on the cartridge. The instruction manual has to be complete with no bending, markings, tears or stubbed edges. It all has to be in excellent condition.

When selling my self on different internet auctionsites I use this:

NOS/Mint = Unopend, unused never ever played!!!
A = Near mint (As new but played, No wisible damage or scratches)
B = Very Good (small hardly wisible damage or scratches)
C = GOOD (Normal whear, wisible damage and scratches)
D = Playable (For play not collecting)
Below D = garbage!!

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Originally Posted by HobbyData

When selling my self on different internet auctionsites I use this:

NOS/Mint = Unopend, unused never ever played!!!
A = Near mint (As new but played, No wisible damage or scratches)
B = Very Good (small hardly wisible damage or scratches)
C = GOOD (Normal whear, wisible damage and scratches)
D = Playable (For play not collecting)
Below D = garbage!!

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your sig was asking for it:

http://1.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_krw...mq7ho1_500.png

"I'm 50, 50 years old, not afraid ta say it like some other gals!"

I always enjoy descriptions, such as "The game is in mint condition, except for a torn spot on the label."

It's kind of like describing something as "Brand new, except used."

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Originally Posted by 17daysolderthannes

"I'm 50, 50 years old, not afraid ta say it like some other gals!"

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Epic last words. :chewie:

Let's just clear this up...

Not only have I been a games collector for many years, but I also collect vintage toys and models so I do feel I can speak with some authority on this.

Mint as ThugsRook quite rightly said is "used, but still perfect." basically the game looks just like the first time you opened it.

Sealed items are always described as NEW not mint as they are classed as brand new NOS (New Old Stock)

A good example of this would be a "NEW SEALED" Saturn NetLink modem pack I brought a few years back, it was indeed NEW and SEALED however on opening the contents were badly water damaged (i reckon it was steam) meaning that the item was NOT MINT.

I've also had quite a few old toys in NEW SEALED boxes that on opening have been badly corroded.

Basically, you can never describe a sealed item as MINT as the only way of properly inspecting it's condition is to break the seal at which point it no longer becomes sealed anyway.

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Originally Posted by 17daysolderthannes

your sig was asking for it:

http://1.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_krw...mq7ho1_500.png

"I'm 50, 50 years old, not afraid ta say it like some other gals!"

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Hehe!! Well m8 I Say, like all big men when caught with their fingers in the cookieyar "No comments"!!! (I'm big yes ....ehm well tall at least: 196cm!)
And up here is the wind blowing hard sometimes.................

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Originally Posted by wavelX

I always enjoy descriptions, such as "The game is in mint condition, except for a torn spot on the label."

It's kind of like describing something as "Brand new, except used."

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Haha I've seen a few descriptions like that, where the seller is so desperate to get the word 'mint' in their description no matter what.

You can only go by pictures on ebay. I don't nitpick too much, I like my carts to be in very good condition, can't stand if they have stickers or anything like that. Manuals I can stand a few creases, actually probably prefer the manual to have some wear. If it looks like it's brand spanking new I get nervous handling it and feel like I'm Nicholas Cage in The Rock.

@mick aka

Could you tell me some good places to buy mint Mega Drive games in the UK? At the moment I just use ebay, but I'm finding that people either don't describe accurately, or they're accurate but with high prices!