Pen Grading

Grade A: New Old Stock
The pen is in pristine condition with no signs of wear or use but may bear sign of storage for a long time. It appears as if it just came out of the box, with no scratches, dents, or discoloration. The finish is flawless, and all the components are intact and never inked. The pen might be come without original boxes as the manufacturer usually use bulk cardboard pen-slots for shipment to the retailer. The nib is in perfect condition and writes smoothly.

Grade B: Mint Condition
The pen shows minimal signs of wear and has been well-maintained (user-grade). There might be a few micro-scratches that only visible under magnification or inspection under bright light as a sign of storage or minor chipping on the pen barrel. usually comes with replaced box or with the original box but some documentation are missing. The finish is still glossy and intact, with no significant discoloration. The nib is in excellent condition and writes smoothly.

Grade C: Excellent Condition
The pen has been moderately used and may show minor visible signs of wear, such as micro-scratches, swirl mark, small chip, stained ink or plating wear around the hardware. However, the overall appearance is still presentable and usually comes with replaced box. The nib is in excellent condition and writes smoothly. 

Grade D: Very Good Condition
The pen has been moderately used and may show visible signs of wear, such as scratches on several parts, small chip, stained ink or plating wear around the hardware. However, the overall appearance is still presentable and usually comes with replaced box. The nib is in excellent condition and writes smoothly. 

Grade E: Good Condition
The pen has been moderately used and bear personalization (either name engraving or company custom emblem on the barrel, cap or front grip), has minor dent and noticeable plating loss around the hardware (clip,front grip rings, capband rings). However, the overall appearance is still presentable and usually comes with replaced box. The nib is in excellent condition and writes smoothly. 

Grade F: Fair Condition
The pen has been heavily used and shows significant signs of wear and age. There may be noticeable scratches, dents, or discoloration throughout the pen's body. The finish might be dull or worn off in some areas, there are noticeable hairline crack but doesn't really affect for the pen performance (such as crack on older Pelikan binde) or the pen parts did not match the correct configuration (such as older Montblanc that has serviced by Montblanc AD, usually they swap the barrel to the modern striped ink window rather than plain ink window). The nib is in excellent condition and writes smoothly. 

Grade G: Worn Condition
The pen has been heavily used and shows some repair sign such as crack filling or missing hardware (capbands ring etc) significant signs of wear and age. There may be noticeable scratches, dents, or discoloration throughout the pen's body. The finish might be dull or worn off in some areas. The nib may have wear but already adjusted to write properly.

Grade H: Battle-Scarred Condition
The pen already seen some horrible day that beyond repair, useful for spare parts or franken pen material.