To me, "mint" means simply no blemishes or defects in the packaging or media.
That has been a traditional definition in many hobbies, yes. However, most examples of that usage in other hobbies were for hobbies for which there was no shrinkwrap. In numismatics (coin collecting) for example, most collectable coins do not come shrinkwrapped because they were minted before shrinkwrap existed.
In fact, I'd argue that a shrinked game can't be verified as "mint" because you can't inspect the contents without breaking the shrinkwrap, and hence can't know whether (for example) the slider on one of the disk sliders has lost its spring or the CD case has a broken hinge. And this does occasionally happen even with factory-fresh titles.
This is true; in fact, I own a 7th Guest that did NOT have the videotape in it even though it was advertised on the box. (And I bought and opened it specifically for the tape.) But this is rare, and also a risk in any sealed collectable.
Some people on this list (myself included) have no problem "cracking the wrap" to play the game, or just see what's inside. This obviously changes a game from MS to Near Mint. There is *nothing wrong* with a Near Mint item; it is simply a fraction lower on the Scale than MS. In fact, it should be pointed out that the MobyScale grades are NOT LINEAR (I'm not shouting, just emphasising). I say again, they are NOT equally seperated from each other. From the Scale's FAQ: "We deliberately created granular grades for the best conditions and coarse grades (only two) for poor conditions. This was done to best serve the needs of collectors without overwhelming them."
For my part, I'd prefer that sellers avoid such labels and instead use detailed, specific descriptions of games and their contents.
That way, there is no possibility for confusion.
This is very true. For those who use the MobyScale, they want a consistent scale in shorthand because they deal in large volumes of software in both their personal collections and/or business. But there is nothing that says they have to use the MobyScale, or any scale for that matter, as long as everything is properly described.
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Jim Leonard ([EMAIL PROTECTED])
World's largest electronic gaming project: http://www.MobyGames.com/
A delicious slice of the demoscene: http://www.MindCandyDVD.com/
Various oldskool PC rants and ramblings: http://www.oldskool.org/
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