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Very pleased with the latest find, another one I've been after for a long time.
I enter all my models on an Excel spreadsheet with the following information:
Note: Mint value is for boxed model - NZ$1= GBP0.50 US$0.80

Yellow highlighting shows HTF model & blue shading shows model is boxed

On my listings for selling I include the following:
Condition Key:
MIB = Mint In Box (10)
Mint = as new (9.5)
Near Mint = as new but has minor blemishes (9)
Excellent = Undamaged but has some minor blemishes (8.5)
Very good = Undamaged but with noticeable blemishes (8)
Good = Has a general amount of wear (7)
Fair = A lot of wear (6)
Poor = Badly damaged (5)

I've added in brackets my assessment of grading - I don't include this the listing, just the text description.

A couple of questions.

Do other collectors grade their models?
Is my assessment a fair indication of condition?
For my personal records I've graded this model as 8.5 - Excellent = Undamaged but has some minor blemishes.
Is this too high a grade?

I recall seeing an example of grading with photos but can't recall which site it was, though I think it was one of the members here.

I am pretty much a stickler on grading but in my opinion, I would not grade this much above a 5-6 on a scale of 1-10, I also noticed some rust on the axle ends which I would take into consideration as well. I agree with you on the minor blemishes but considering the amount of them I would knock it down another grade or so. Grading is such a personal opinion. One person's mint is another's fine. I used to collect comic books and the grading is all over the scale there as well. Remember that beauty is in the eye of the beholder so if you think it is an 8.5 then by all means, it is an 8.5. Overall still a nice addition to any collection.

My grading for this would be 7.5 or 7+

tjlglass wrote:My grading for this would be 7.5 or 7+

I would agree Tim, It is good at best, and i would have expected the wheels to be more play worn given the condition of the body????

The body work has a lot of chipping yet the wheels look pristine??

Who did you buy this from as a matter of interest?

These don't surface that often so I think it's a nice find and I'd be more than happy with it. The larger photos do magnify the playwear, but on the scale I would agree with Tim too. I have plenty of models that are more playworn but with good wheels, I ususally put it down to indoor play on carpets (apart from the odd wheel swop that I've acquired of course)

Thanks for the help - The more I look at the wear and compare to other models I have and how I've graded them I can see that my grading was too high & your comments have helped clarify this.
I think johnboy that the flash also highlights the wear that I overlooked with the naked eye.

I found the site that I was thinking of (Frank Carnahan) and it had some useful information on other collectors gradings:
http://www.fcarnahan.com/pg/conditon.html
I'm going to go with 7.5 and match my other models to this.

motorman, I purchased it from a trader on our local site TradeMe - he owns a model shop and lists a variety of models.
Here are some of his latest Matchbox listings:
http://www.trademe.co.nz/members/listin ... 7-&page=15

Here's a photo of the baseplate:

Still a very tough model to find and a mint one is nearly impossible to find.

tractorboy wrote:
motorman, I purchased it from a trader on our local site TradeMe - he owns a model shop and lists a variety of models.
Here are some of his latest Matchbox listings:
http://www.trademe.co.nz/members/listin ... 7-&page=15

Here's a photo of the baseplate:

He seems to like $100 as a start price on all his auctions??? I recon he expects big bucks for everything.

I wont be buying!!!

johnboy wrote:These don't surface that often so I think it's a nice find and I'd be more than happy with it. The larger photos do magnify the playwear, but on the scale I would agree with Tim too. I have plenty of models that are more playworn but with good wheels, I ususally put it down to indoor play on carpets (apart from the odd wheel swop that I've acquired of course)

JB you are such an optimist whereas i am a pessimist!!

No one, where we lived, had carpets in the 60's and we all played with our cars in the street or in the nearest puddle or sand pitt!!

I still think the wheels look suss!!!

I would grade that model a 7, possibly a 7- It almost looks like the top of the windshiels shows some slight bending downward of the top of the frame over the areas where the glass would be. Also, is that a heavy amount of dust buildup in the inside corners of the interior or is that the start of corrosion coming through the paint?

I've noticed that many of us tend to grade on a curve when the models are super hard to find or rare. I've caught myself doing it. It only hurts if someone places more stock in your grading than they do opinions formed by viewing several good photographs (or the model in hand). Most collectors have a specific amount of visual wear they will tolerate on a rare item and it's a matter of setting a price to match the amount of wear vs the rarity.