Exceptional quality it had soon deteriorating (9)
I believe the answer is:
sainthood
'exceptional quality' is the definition.
'it had soon deteriorating' is the wordplay.
'deteriorating' is an anagram indicator.
'it'+'had'+'soon'='ithadsoon'
'ithadsoon' anagrammed gives 'SAINTHOOD'.
I've seen this clue in The Times.
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