Two identical 1959 Disneyland guidebooks can sell for $15 and $150. Same printing, same year, same cover. The difference is entirely condition — and the ability to see and describe condition accurately is the single most valuable skill a collector can build. This guide gives you the vocabulary and the checklist we use on the floor at Main Street Collectibles, where every piece gets graded in plain words on the tag.
Key Takeaways
- Use the standard scale — Mint, Near Mint, Excellent, Very Good, Good, Fair, Poor — and define your terms.
- Describe, don't just grade: "VG — light corner wear, small crease lower left, no writing" beats "VG" alone.
- Completeness and originality (box, pieces, tags) are graded separately from condition.
- Paper, ceramics, tin, plush and pins each have their own failure points — learn them.
The grading scale, defined
Collectibles grading borrowed from coins and comics, and the terms overlap. Here's how they're used for Disneyana:
| Grade | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Mint (M) | As made. No flaws under close inspection. Unused, unplayed, unread. Rare for anything vintage. |
| Near Mint (NM) | One or two flaws so minor you hunt for them. Sharp, bright, clean. |
| Excellent (EX) | Light handling evident — minor edge wear, a faint crease, tiny scuffs. Displays beautifully. |
| Very Good (VG) | Honest wear. Softened corners, light creasing, some fading or small chips. Complete and attractive. |
| Good (G) | Obvious wear. Creases, tears, chips, fading, soiling — but intact and identifiable. |
| Fair (FR) | Heavy wear, damage, or missing parts. A filler until better comes along. |
| Poor (P) | Damaged, incomplete, or altered. Reference value only. |
Two rules of thumb. First, most honest dealers grade conservatively — when in doubt, the lower grade. Second, "very good" is a real grade, not a polite way of saying "bad." A VG 1955 item is a desirable, displayable piece; the scale just has a lot of room above it.
Describe, don't just label
A grade is a summary. A description is the truth. The disneyana dealers who earn repeat customers write both. Compare:
"Disneyland Fun Map, 1968. VG."
"Disneyland Fun Map, 1968. VG — folds as issued with light wear at fold intersections, one ½" closed tear at top margin, colors bright, no writing, no tape, no pinholes."
The second tells a buyer exactly what they'll receive, and it protects the seller from a "not as described" dispute. When you catalog your own collection, write it the second way. Read how it's done at scale in our guide to how to sell a Disney collection.
Condition versus completeness versus originality
Grade three things separately:
- Condition — physical state of what's present.
- Completeness — is everything there? All game pieces, the instruction sheet, the original box, the hang tag, every coupon in the ticket book.
- Originality — is everything original? A reproduction box on an original toy, a replaced string on a pull toy, a re-glued figurine, a retouched cel.
A "complete in original box, EX" item is a different animal from "EX, no box." A board game with a reproduction spinner is "complete" but not "original." The reissue and fake guide goes deeper on originality.
The material-by-material checklist
Each material fails in its own way. Check for these:
Paper (tickets, guidebooks, maps, postcards, posters). Creases and folds (as-issued folds are fine; extra folds aren't). Tears — open or closed. Tape and tape stains. Pinholes. Foxing (brown spots). Toning (yellowing). Writing, stamps, price stickers. Fading from sun. Trimming (check that dimensions match known originals). Musty odor, which signals mold. Storage tips in our storage and display guide.
Ceramics and figurines. Chips (especially ears, noses, tails, hat brims, bases). Hairline cracks — hold to light, tap gently and listen for a dull note. Crazing (fine glaze cracks — often age-appropriate, note it anyway). Repairs: look for glue lines, paint that doesn't match under UV light, repainted areas. Original labels and stamps on the base. Our ceramics guide covers makers' marks.
Tin and metal. Rust and pitting. Lithograph scratches and wear. Dents. Missing wind-up keys. Does the mechanism work? Rivets intact? See tin toys.
Plush and dolls. Fading, fabric wear, balding, moth damage. Eyes original? Stuffing firm or collapsed? Tags present — a hang tag or sewn-in label can double the value. Odor.
Pins and buttons. Enamel chips and scratches, back stamps (important for authenticity), the pin post and clutch original? Button celluloid cracked or discolored?
Plastics (Disneykins, playsets, Marx). Warping, brittleness, color fade, paint loss on hand-painted figures, stress marks.
Tools worth owning
- A 10× loupe for repairs, reprints, and print dot patterns.
- A UV flashlight — repairs, repaints, and modern paper fluoresce differently from originals.
- A ruler — reprints are often a fraction off in size.
- Good light — daylight-balanced, not the warm lamp on your desk.
- A reference guide — Tomart's remains the standard; The E-Ticket keeps a copy on the shelf, and the historical detail across The E-Ticket Magazine issues is invaluable for knowing what "correct" looks like.
How much does condition move price?
More than anything except rarity. As rough rules: moving from VG to EX often doubles the price of paper; moving to NM/Mint can double it again. For ceramics, a single chip can cut value by half. A missing box on a Golden Age toy can remove three-quarters of the value. The lesson isn't to avoid lower grades — a VG piece you love is a fine thing to own — it's to pay VG prices for VG items.
Grading in the real world: three examples
A 1960s Disneyland ticket book. Cover bright, spine intact, three coupons remaining (one A, one D, one E). Light corner rounding, a faint pencil price on the back. Our tag: "EX. Three coupons remain incl. E. Light corner wear, small pencil notation verso, otherwise clean." Note we list which coupons remain — the E is the one buyers want.
A Hagen-Renaker Disneyland miniature. Glaze bright, no crazing, but a tiny flea-bite chip to one ear tip, visible only under the loupe. Tag: "EX- — minute flea-bite to left ear tip, otherwise perfect. Original Disneyland sticker present." That sticker is worth calling out; it's the park provenance.
A 1970s Walt Disney World plush. Fabric slightly faded on one side (sun), stuffing firm, both eyes original, sewn-in label legible, no hang tag. Tag: "VG — light one-sided fade, firm, eyes original, sewn label present, no hang tag." Honest, specific, and a buyer knows exactly what's coming.
Write your own pieces up the same way and you'll never argue with a buyer again.
How we grade at the store
Every piece on the floor at Main Street Collectibles is inspected under good light, researched against references, and tagged with a grade and a plain-English description — chips, creases, repairs, reissue status, all of it. We'd rather tell you about a hairline crack than have you find it at home. Bring your loupe; we'll bring ours.
✦ Want a second opinion on condition? ✦
Bring a piece by 4070 Washington Rd, Martinez, GA and we'll look at it with you — free. And if you're thinking of selling, the same honest grading is how we build a fair offer. Start here.