TCA Standards
For grading trains and accessories
| GRADE | DESCRIPTION |
|---|---|
| C-10 MINT | Brand New all original, unused and unblemished. |
| C-9 FACTORY NEW | Brand New all original, unused, may evidence factory rubs and the slightest evidence of handling, shipping and having been test run at the factory. |
| C-8 LIKE NEW | Complete all original, no rust, no missing parts, may show effects of being on display and/or age, may have been run. |
| C-7 EXCELLENT | All original minute scratches and paint nicks, no rust and no missing parts. No distortion of component parts. |
| C-6 VERY GOOD | Minor scratches and paint nicks, minor spots of surface rust, free of dents. May have minor parts replaced. |
| C-5 GOOD | Sign of play wear with scratches and minor paint loss. Small dents, minor surface rust. Evidence of heavy use. |
| C-4 FAIR | Scratched, moderate paint loss, dented missing parts, surface rust. Evidence of heavy use. |
| C-3 POOR | Requires major body repair. Heavily scratched, major rust and missing parts. Restoration candidate. |
| C-2 | Restoration required. |
| C-1 | Junk, parts value only. |
For grading paper (such as Catalogs, Instruction Sheets)
| GRADE | DESCRIPTION | PAPER | BOXES |
|---|---|---|---|
| P-10 | Individual pages/box flaps appearto have been never opened. All edges are crisp and the item is free of all flaws. Original folds are crisp with no signs of damage. No rusty staples, creases, tears, fading, and/or wear marks are present. The item is totally and absolutely "unflawed"! Note: Items that have printing that is offset, smeared, double images, odd cut pages, and/or etc. are considered errors and shall be noted as such. | Paper: Item may have been touched by human hands since leaving original factory. | Boxes: Original contents are contained within, and if applicable, sealed box. All applicable sealing tape, plastic wrap, and/or staples are present and undisturbed. |
| P-9 | Same as P-10 with the following exceptions or additions. Item may have store or dealer stamp appropriately applied. | Paper: Item has been touched by human hands since leaving original factory. Individual pages have been opened. Original paper folds are crisp with no signs of damage if folded by the factory; i.e. still unfolded. | Boxes: Box may have a hand-written or affixed price tag indicating the "original price" of the box's contents. |
| P-8 | Same as P-9 with the following exception or additions: Paper: Notations from an auction, dealer, club member on the cover or interior page may be present. Boxes: Original contents of box may be missing; i.e. box has been opened. The "This Side Up" part of the box has the original sealing tape carefully and neatly cut and/or staples may have been carefully removed to expose the contents. Box is complete with all inner liners and/or flaps. | Same as P-9 with the following exception or additions: Paper: Notations from an auction, dealer, club member on the cover or interior page may be present. Boxes: Original contents of box may be missing; i.e. box has been opened. The "This Side Up" part of the box has the original sealing tape carefully and neatly cut and/or staples may have been carefully removed to expose the contents. Box is complete with all inner liners and/or flaps. | Same as P-9 with the following exception or additions: Paper: Notations from an auction, dealer, club member on the cover or interior page may be present. Boxes: Original contents of box may be missing; i.e. box has been opened. The "This Side Up" part of the box has the original sealing tape carefully and neatly cut and/or staples may have been carefully removed to expose the contents. Box is complete with all inner liners and/or flaps. |
| P-7 | Same as P-8 with the following exceptions and/or additions. Item shows signs of moderate usage and is 100% intact. Original paper folds show minute signs of damage. Item may have rusty staples which have not affected the paper. | Paper: There may be some evidence of bending and folding or unfolding if original factory folded. All pages must be present. | Boxes: Box shows moderate signs of being opened and closed. |
| P-6 | Same as P-7 with the following exceptions or additions. Item shows signs of usage and is 100% intact. Edges are minutely damaged. Original paper folds show signs of damage. All printing material is legible, however, the item may have some wear marks such as weathering, slight fading, unoriginal pencil or ink marks, and/or a foreign substance on the item such as rust, grease, oil, and/or etc. which minutely extends onto the printed material or is confined to the unprinted areas of the item. | Paper: Page(s) may show additional (unoriginal) fold(s) or "dog-eared" page(s). Page(s) may have tears. Such tears greated than two inches may be closed with archival tape. | Boxes: All liners and/or flaps are present and intact, however, inner flaps may require some strengthening with the use of archival tape. The box can still safely store its original contents. |
| P-5 | Same as P-6 with the following exceptions and/or additions. Item shows high signs of usage. Edges may be damaged. Original folds are heavily damaged. All existing printed material is legible; however, the item is heavily worn with severe wear marks extending well onto the original printed material and may have extensive color fading. No water damage or signs of paper/cardboard deterioration is evident. | Paper: Page(s) may be missing or loose and shall be so noted. The item may still be useable as reference material. | Boxes: All exterior flaps are present; however, they may require some mending or reattaching with transparent tape. Box liners and/or inner flaps may be completely and/or partially missing; however, inner flaps may be reattached with transparent tape. Exercising caution, the box can still store its original contents. |
| P-4 | Same as as P-5 with the following exceptions and/or additions. Some or all of the existing printed material is illegible. | Paper: Item is so heavily damaged that it has little to no use as reference material. | Boxes: One or both of the exterior flaps are missing. Box will no longer safely store its original contents |
Grading standards are set, and refined, by the Train Collector's Association. Note the the above descriptions are meant to be a comprehensive overview, but updated documentation, as well as nuanced standards for Pre v Post War trains, can be found at the Members Only/Standards page of the TCA web site.
