When assessing condition of a Longaberger Basket, it is never straight forward.  It is pretty common to see a basket listed as a higher condition with information on a blemish; ie ‘excellent with some minor fading’.  Some collectors are going to be strict about fading and never consider a basket that is faded as ‘excellent’.  But the point that is being made is that the fading is really minor and all else is excellent.  Never a perfect science, but communication is always the key.  Here are our definitions of condition:

MINT typically means ‘never used, never displayed’.  Fading is a pretty common issue with baskets that have color accents, so even if it’s never been used and has only been sitting on a shelf, if it shows any signs of fading or scuffs on the bottom of the basket from sitting, it would not be considered MINT.

EXCELLENT typically means it may have been used or displayed but shows no real signs of wear or tear that would affect it’s beauty or function.

GOOD typically means that it has been used and shows normal wear/tear.  It is still functional and any wear that it does show should not affect it’s beauty in a big way.  For example, slight fading can still be considered good but if it has altered the color from being recognizable than it would not be acceptable.  Cracked splints may still be considered ‘good’ if the function is not affected, but broken or chipped splints would probably not be accepted.

FAIR typically means that the wear or tear affects its beauty or function.  The wear may be repairable but in many cases, but repairs may be costly or undesired.