Vintage Clothing Condition Grading: Mint to Fair and What Each Costs

Last reviewed 2026-10-04 by the AntiqueCostume editorial team · Sources · How we research

Condition is the single biggest price lever for most vintage clothing: the same label and era can sell for several times more in mint condition than in fair. Dealers grade on a five or six step scale (mint, excellent, very good, good, fair, poor), and 2026 resale data puts very good at roughly 75 to 95 percent of an excellent example's price, good at 50 to 70 percent, and fair at only 25 to 40 percent. The big exceptions are denim, workwear, band tees and very rare antique pieces, where wear is accepted or rarity outweighs damage.

Quick answer

Mint / deadstock: unworn or nearly so, no flaws. Typically 1.3 to 1.8 times the price of an excellent example.
Excellent: no obvious flaws; the benchmark price.
Very good: minor wear only. About 75 to 95 percent of excellent.
Good: visible but minor flaws. About 50 to 70 percent.
Fair: obvious stains, wear or repairs. About 25 to 40 percent.
Poor: damaged beyond wear; mostly for display, costume or study. Value comes only from rarity.

The condition scale, grade by grade

There is no single official standard. The definitions below combine the five-grade scale published by the long-running dealer Vintage Vixen with the six-grade scale (adding "very good") used by most resale platforms and condition calculators. Where they differ, we note it.

Grade	What it means	Typical flaws allowed	Typical price vs excellent
Mint (deadstock, NWT)	Faultless, worn seldom or never, not altered	None. Deadstock may still have original tags	130 to 180%
Excellent	No obvious faults; possibly worn several times. Fibres may be weakened by age	Very slight fading; nothing a buyer would notice in normal wear	100 to 120% (the benchmark)
Very good	Light wear, still clearly presentable	Light pilling, faint wash fade, a tiny professionally fixed flaw	75 to 95%
Good	Clearly worn, with minor visible flaws	Minor stains, small abrasion or tears, fabric weak from age	50 to 70%
Fair	Obvious problems that are irreparable or imperfectly repaired	Apparent stains, fabric wear, visible mends	25 to 40%
Poor	Permanent stains or damage, not repairable as is	Holes, shattered silk, heavy staining	Display, costume or pattern value only

The price column uses Cluzy's 2026 condition multipliers, which it applies across brands and categories from sold data on eBay, Poshmark, Depop and Mercari. Treat them as a starting point, not a rule: real discounts depend on where the flaw is and what the item is.

Two more data points that agree

Wholesale grading: the European bale trade sorts stock into Grade A (no visible defect), Grade B (visible flaw, still wearable) and Grade C (holes, bleach, burns; not resold as clothing). One established Dutch wholesaler advises listing Grade B pieces 30 to 40 percent below comparable Grade A.
Fur: a 2026 fur pricing guide from FindA.Sale estimates good condition keeps 80 to 90 percent of full value, fair 50 to 75 percent, and poor 20 to 50 percent.

What condition does to real prices

Percentages are easier to believe with real sales behind them:

Item	Better condition	Worse condition	Source
1980s to 1990s Made in USA Levi's 501	$299 to $899 deadstock with flasher tags	$40 to $150 worn	California Vintage Buyers, eBay sold, mid-2026
1960s big E Levi's 501	$540 to $1,600 wearable	about $60 thrashed, small waist	California Vintage Buyers, eBay sold, mid-2026
1950s dress, same shop	$300 pristine with good label	$98 simple, excellent; $49 pretty but flawed	Vintage Fashion Guild
Vintage Coach leather bag	supple, uncracked leather	dry, sticky or cracked leather "can halve a value"	Vintage Bag Value
Vintage graphic tees (Rolling Stones and similar)	deadstock nearly 4x the median	median sale about $31	Flipper Vintage, 2026 report

Sold prices on eBay: vintage dress excellent condition

Flipper Vintage's 2026 analysis of sold listings across eBay, Depop, Grailed, Poshmark, Mercari, Vinted, Vestiaire and StockX found that, across the pieces it tracks, a deadstock example sold for a median 1.3 times an average-worn one, with cheap high-volume graphic pieces showing the widest spread (3.5 to 4 times). Its headline describes condition as "worth about 2.2x", so the report is not internally consistent; the safe reading is that condition moves price a lot, and most on everyday vintage. Before pricing, look up sold comps for your item in comparable condition: check sold prices for vintage dress excellent condition on eBay.

Where the flaw is matters more than how big it is

Buyers forgive flaws they cannot see when the garment is worn. The Dutch wholesaler above grades a faint oxidation mark inside a collar as Grade A, and the same mark on the outside of the collar as Grade B. Apply the same logic when you grade:

Front, collar, cuffs and print areas cost the most, because they are what a buyer sees when the garment is worn.
Underarm staining is the flaw dealers single out most often: California Vintage Buyers lists it among the things that genuinely hurt a vintage tee, and the denisebrain vintage blog cites "excellent vintage condition" dresses with obvious underarm stains as a classic over-grade.
Inside seams, hems and linings cost less, unless the lining is shredded or the hem has been cut.
Smell (smoke, mildew, mothballs) is a flaw. Disclose it.
Alterations are graded separately: taken-in seams, shortened hems and replaced zips reduce collector value even when the work is neat. Our repair or leave it guide covers when mending helps.

When condition matters less

Rarity is a separate axis. Vintage Vixen states it plainly: it does not give a rare item a better condition grade because good examples are hard to find; condition and rarity are separate, and value comes from both together. In practice:

Denim and workwear. Fades, whiskers, paint and period repairs are part of what buyers pay for. A fair-condition 1930s Sweet-Orr chore jacket sold for $840 and a distressed, fair hidden-rivet Levi's 501XX for $1,735 in 2026. Washing, modern repairs and cut-out labels are what hurt. See vintage denim values and vintage workwear values.
Band and graphic tees. Fading, cracked prints and thin cotton are often a plus; holes, stains, stretched collars and cut sleeves are not. See band tee values.
Pre-1900 and museum-grade pieces. Very old garments survive damaged. An Antiques Roadshow appraiser valued a pair of late-1830s handmade dresses with visible moth holes at $1,800 to $2,500 at auction in 2014. Damage still lowers value, but the item remains collectible.
1920s beaded silk. Dealers note that excellent-condition beaded dresses from the mid-1920s are among the rarest survivals of the century, so a damaged but repairable one is often still worth restoring.

Phrases that hide condition problems

The Vintage Fashion Guild writer behind denisebrain vintage has written about how "excellent vintage condition" or "great vintage condition" is often used to mean "good considering it is old", and how something that would normally be called fair gets upgraded this way. When buying, ignore the adjective and look for the flaw list, close-up photos and measurements. When selling, use the plain scale above and list every flaw with its location. Accurate grading prevents returns and builds the seller reputation that lets you charge more. See photograph and list vintage.

Not sure what you have? Appraise a photo

A five-minute grading routine

Check in daylight, inside and out. Hold light fabrics up to a window to spot thin areas, pinholes and shattering.
Underarms, collar, cuffs and hem first; then seams, closures and lining.
Smell it.
Test closures: zips, hooks, snaps, buttons. Note replacements (dating clues are in date by zippers and buttons and fasteners).
Note alterations and whether labels are present.
Assign the lowest grade that any single flaw justifies, then list every flaw.

Do not wash, dry clean or spot-treat a valuable piece just to bump a grade; dealers warn that harsh stain treatment usually does more damage than the stain. Read clean vintage clothing and stain and odor removal first.

All percentages and prices are estimates as of 2026 from the sources below. Sources use different scales and samples, so expect real discounts to vary by category.