in Mint Condition

Meaning

• something used that looks new
• an item that is all but perfect

Example Sentences

1. She was cautious about buying the vintage t-shirt sight unseen, but the seller assured her it was in mint condition.
2. Even though the antique doll was a hundred years old, it was still in mint condition.
3. He was cautious about buying the used car, even though the dealer told him it was in mint condition.
4. The stamp collector was excited when he found a rate addition to his collection in mint condition.
5. She was selling her childhood toys because they were still in mint condition.
6. She didn't mind buying used clothes, so long as they were in mint condition.
7. His coin collection lacked one piece until he found it at a flea market in mint condition.
8. Her teddy bear collection was in mint condition, yet she refused to sell it.
9. His mother kept all of his football trophies in mint condition.
10. Some early signs still in mint condition are worth a lot of money.
11. He enjoyed looking at historical documents still in mint condition.

Origin

Although mint is a plant, it's also a verb used to describe something created out of metal. The earliest known usage was in the 1540s. It's derived from the Latin word monetarius. The idiom started in coin factories, describing each piece as being in mint condition. Many times, this term is used by salespeople who sell items second-hand. It's standard on websites like eBay.

The first known usage of this idiom was in 1895; in a Scottish newspaper, The Evening Telegraph. It's a common phrase among stamp and coin collectors. Although, by the 1920s, people started using the idiom in other ways. Iris Murdoch used the term in her 1956 book. The Flight From the Enchanter; "the books were chaotic but in mint condition."