Grading is judgement, so we keep it consistent and we keep it transparent. Every piece is assessed in hand by a specialist against the same scale, then photographed in detail — including any flaw — before it is listed. The grade is a summary; the photographs and written report are the full truth.

We grade conservatively. Where a piece sits between two tiers, it takes the lower grade, and the report explains why. Nothing is buffed out of a description: a small fault disclosed up front protects both the buyer and the value of the piece.

A grade is the sum of several judgements, not one glance. We weigh six factors on every piece. For a LEGO set these read as box, completeness, the parts themselves and so on — but the same six apply to any collectible we handle.

Six grades, from a factory-sealed piece down to one sold honestly as a project. Each listing carries one of these, and the report tells you which factors moved it up or down.

For a sealed piece, the seal is the value — so we never break one to inspect the contents. Instead we authenticate from the outside: examining the seams, factory seals and print, checking weight and packaging against known originals, and photographing every face of the box.

Because the contents cannot be confirmed item-by-item without opening, a sealed grade describes the exterior and the seals, and our authenticity guarantee stands behind it. If you intend to keep a piece sealed, handle accordingly: once opened it can never return to this grade.

Every listing carries a report in this shape. The grade is the headline; the rows beneath it are where the detail lives. Read them.

Originality matters to collectors, so we treat any departure from it as something to declare, not hide. If a piece has been cleaned, repaired, restored, replaced in part or modified, the report says so — what was done, and where possible by whom.

Modified and customised pieces are welcome and graded on their own merits, but never passed off as factory-original. A grade always describes the piece as it is now, with its history attached.

Shorthand you will meet across listings and reports.