Condition is enormously important to the long enjoyment of your art. Condition issues often distract from the beauty and statement of the art and often detract from the enduring economic value of the work. They also sometimes worsen over time. Thus, it is important to understand the condition of the work you are buying.

We use the phrase “Very Good Condition” to describe works which are generally viewed as very good. A work might be described as “Very Good Condition” if it has mild or moderate condition issues that might attract the eye. In traditional print-grading, a work which we describe as “Very Good Condition” would typically be graded as 6 (“very good”) or 7 (“fine”).

Mild condition issues can include surface soiling, handling creases, buckling, stray ink, and adhesive residue or staining.

Moderate condition issues can include colors attenuated, light or age staining, skinning to the margins, losses to the sheet, trimmed margins, tears to the sheet, creases to the image, some specks of foxing, staining, previous restoration, and mat burns.