Proper Storage and Handling of Vinyl Records

The handling and storage of vinyl records can make the difference between having years of enjoyment to having material for a crafter to make a bowl. ( Yes, some are finding a second life as a bowl among other things!) Most of this is elementary information for the older vinyl junkies, but for the newcomer to wonderful world of vinyl, their maybe somethings you over look when storing or handling your records.
Handling
Handling a record involves the many of the  same principles of handling CDs.

1. SLIDE the vinyl out of the sleeve taking care to not fingerprint the surface up.  Sure you will get a few prints on it, but they can be wiped off.  Hold by the edges and or label area as much as possiable.
2. PLACE it vinyl onto the turntable.  Do not slap it on, drop it on, nor should you play 'fribee' with it and hope it lands on spindle.
3. CLEAN the playing surface.  Gently wipe off or better yet, use a soft bristled brush or small vaccuum to clear dust from grooves. Be sure to clean stylus with a stylus brush.
4 GENTLY place the needle onto the vinyl.  Dropping the needle can cause a dent that may cause a skip.  Gently lift the arm up as well at the end of the record play.

STORAGE
1. NEVER Store your vinyl flat.  Always store upright.
2. NEVER store one out of a sleeve. Replacment sleeves are available.  I have been purchasing from Square Deal and have been very satified with the quailty and their service.
If the innersleeve is torn, or if it is one you are going to want to have, ie has lyrics, Bios, or awesome artwork, you may want to use a different sleeve to store your vinyl in.
(As a side note, I am amazed at the dealers that actually sell and ship records minus an innersleeve.)
3. When placing the record (in an innersleeve) back into the cover or jacket, place it in with the opening up.  NOT with opening along the opening of the jacket.  This will prevent the vinyl accidently sliding out. And will also protect it from dust.

4. The outer jacket can be just as important as the vinyl itself.  They at Square Deal also carry outer sleeves to protect them from dust, etc.  As a dealer, I include one with every purchase.
5. When storing, keep them away from direct sunlight, extreme heat, cold and dampness.

For storage, there are record crates and storage cases on the market that are stylish as well as functional. And be sure not to 'overstuff' the shelf, crate or case.

Everyone has known at least one person who just does not handle or store their records properly.  That person may not realize just how fragile the records are.  It is up to you, as a collector to pass on your knowledge.
Example of a No-No:

How to Clean Vinyl Records

You finally found some great deals on vinyl or you just bought that one LP you have wanted for so long. You get it home and alas, it is dirty. Just how should you clean it? Well there are as many ways and 'Formulas' as there are collectors. Here are the ones I feel are the best for the average collector.


First you need the following items:

• 2 soft bristle brushes - one wet, one dry
• Soft cleaning pad.
• Several soft cloths (lint Free)
• Cleaning Solution
• Distilled Water
• and lay out a clean cotton towel for work area

1. Brush off any loose debris, dust, etc. If you have a small vaccuum with soft brush attachment , this works great.
Check closely for any specks that are stuck on, and try getting them off.

2. If record is really dirty, you can soak it in cleaning solution for a little while, taking care not to wet label.
with wet brush or soft cleaning pad, gently scrub the vinyl.
Rinse with clean distilled water.

3. Let dry. You can Dry them By:

• Using a soft cotton cloth
• Putting in a clean dish rack and dry vertically
• Remove liquid with a vacuum cleaning machine.

Repeat if needed.

Now the cleaning solution can be made at home:

• 3 parts distilled water (de-ionized is best)
• 1 part Isopropyl alcohol, 70% commonly available but 91% lab grade preferred.
• A few drops Dish soap, Dawn, Ivory or Joy.

If The record is not all that dirty, but you still want to clean it, just use two spray bottles, one for soulution and one with distilled water and spritz the records instead of soaking them, still following the above steps.

Other very important tips:

• ALWAYS follow the grooves. Clean in a circular motion, following the grooves of record, never across the grooves
• Never use lighter fluid, baby oil, windex, or tap water to clean records
• Wiping the light dust off on your shirt, pant leg, couch, etc, is a NO-NO.
• After a deep clean, give your babies a new inner sleeve. SquareDealOnline.com is an excellent source.
• Clean your stylus often, changing it out as needed or reommended by the manufactorer.
• Handle and store your vinyl properly.
• ONLY use clean distilled water, and a very small amount of soap to clean the older, 78 rpm and Shellac records. NEVER Use Alcohol.

Yes there are record cleaning machines sold by Nitty Gritty, VPI or Keith Monks that give your vinyl a far better cleaning, but they are pricey.
And yes, there are many premade solutions and kits available online. As for these types of kits, I would recommend the Knosti Disco Antistat kit.

The one Record cleaning kits and premixed solution I use and recommend to all of my customers, and that is manufactered and sold by ASLANstore. Check them out, and be sure to tell them you saw it here.

Music is a treasure we can pass on to every generaton, and vinyl gives a sound that is like no other medium. Take care and protect your collection and it will give decades of enjoyment.

How do YOU take care of your investments?  What other ways have you found works for you?

Renagade
At Renagade's, all vinyl is cleaned before selling to you

Abbreviations Used when selling Vinyl Records, or what you mean, LOL???

When you are shopping online for vinyl, you may see alot of abbreviations used in the descriptions. Some are for the grading of the record and you may already know them, but others can be confusing to a new collector. Sure, some are easy enough for the beginner to decipher ie RW = Ring wear or Box = boxed set, but even the veterans can get alittle confused with some. Does the seller mean Label on Label by LOL or are they laughing out loud? (LOL)


Why do they use them? Well it is quicker to list, and on some sites such as Amazon, you are limited to number of spaces used. I personally use only the grading 'codes' and use the other abbreviations sparingly, since everyone who is shopping for vinyl is not necessarily an 'addict'. For those of you who are, this might be a little 'refresher' course. But if you are a casual or new collector, you might find it interesting and helpful in you pursuit of that classic vinyl record you are hunting.

As I stated and a dealer, I use them sparingly, I usually jut type out 'Cut Corner' or "Picture Disc". How about you? As a customer, do you feel the abbreviations look more 'pro' or just adds to the confusion?

Here is a list of just some of the abbreviations used:
BOX - Boxed set. Many came with 'extras' so be sure to research them well.

"Cut-Outs" - the methods used to indicate deleted titles and clearance closeouts by marking the covers. Still used today on CDs.

C/O - Cut-out

CC - Cut Corner

SM - Saw mark or Notched

BB - A small hole that looks like a bb hole

P/O - Punch hole

CB - center Blank same as Dead Wax (see "DW")

CVR/REC or SLV/REC - You will notice when scanning through the For sale ads that appear in magazines and web sites, that many show two grades. Unless stated, this will refer to the cover/sleeve grade first, vinyl second.

D/LP or DBL - Double LP.

DEMO - Demonstration disc (see Promo)

DJ - DJ issue (see Promo)

DW - Dead Wax. The blank section in center near spindle hole. Sometimes they have stamping or engraving of masters. Some even contain messages or pictures.

 EP - Extended Play. Usually a 7" 45 record with 2 or 3 tracks per side mostly from the fifties and sixties. The seventies and early eighties have the 12" inch EPs with 2, 3 or 4 tracks per side. Compact 7" EP's also exist running at 33rpm.

EW - Edge warp.

G/F or GF - Gatefold (Usually with LPs and double EPs)

JB - Juke box issue. Though rare, some labels issued different mixes / cuts of songs for juke box use.

LP/Long Play - Normally denotes a 12" album.

LOL- Label on label

Maxi - a 12" single with more than 2 songs similar to a EP

MIS or MP - Mis press- A mis press is a disc where one side has been pressed from the wrong master disc.

Mono - monotone

M/S - Mono/Stereo - mono on one side and stereo on the other.

NC- No cover.

Promo / Promotional - Can also be designated as DJ, Disc jockey, Audition, Not for sale, Preview copy, Demo, Demonstration copy. Promotional releases or "promos" are copies issued by a label to help promote the new release of a single or album. Promos are usually given to distributors, retailers, radio stations, to aid in the sales of the new release. Some promos are issued to promote an artist or the label in general. These copies are given away and are not intended to be resold. (Although it is NOT illegal to resell them)

Many were issued in limited quantities, which make them more desirable to most collectors.

Prior to the eighties, most promos were issued with special labels and in special sleeves or covers. These many went to DJs for them to play and give air time to. Most were white, generic labels with black print... hence the term "white label promo". These issues are usually pressed in higher grade vinyl, in a limited run and before retail copies are pressed. White label promos are the most popular with collectors. Some labels used their regular label but added PROMOTIONAL or DJ COPY. These are also highly sought after by collectors.
Promos that had picture covers usually have the 'promo' information embossed or have sticker.

PD / PICD - Picture disc.

PS or PC or pic/slv - Picture sleeve, usually in conjunction with 45s.

RI / RE - Reissue. If at some point in time, a label decides to issue a title again, Sometimes a title may be reissued on a different label, either due to a change of ownership or distributor, conflict with artist, producer, etc.

RW - Ring wear- wear on covers that vinyl makes.

S or ST - stereo

SCR - A scratch on the record.

SCU - A scuff on the record. Scuffs are usually cosmetic and usually don't effect play.

SHP or Shaped - Shaped Picture Disc.

SLT / WRP - A small warp that usually doesn't effect play or sound but is noticeable when the record is spinning.

SLV / Sleeve - Usually used in conjunction with PIC, as in Picture sleeve.

SOC - Sticker on cover.

SOBC - Sticker on back cover.

SOL - Sticker on label.

SPLT/SM or SM/SPLIT - Split seam or seam split. Is sometimes used with a percentage % to indicate how much of a seam split.

SS - Still sealed. factory sealed records.
Stamped Promo - These were copies of a record that were issued with the regular stock label but had "promo" or such designation stamped on the label after the fact (see Promo).
T.P. - Test pressing

VS- Vinyl sleeve. Usually clear vinyl used to store and display a pic disc.

WLP or W/L - White label promo. The most common designation for a promo record.

WOC - Writing on cover

WOBC - Writing on back cover

WOL - Writing on label

2P, 3P etc. - Second pressing, third pressing and so on.

Now the next time you see a listing for a WLP with WOL  or a SS Maxi you will know what the heck they mean!

Later!
Renagade
Renagade is a dealer of Vinyl records.  you can visit her on Bonanzle and Amazon  for the best selections.
This was originally published by Renagade at the Birmingham Music Examiner

Collecting Music and selling vinyl records

Writing for the Examiner has been alot of fun, but a real challenge also. But it has also connected me with some really wonderful and talented people in the music world, some of who I can actually call friend now.

The other night I was a guest on the podcast, The Selling Circus, and there were many questions about not only my writing for the Examiner, but vinyl records as well. I thought I would give you all a brief history of how my selling vinyl came to be.

My Hubby and I (PS by the way, he is the Original Renagade), decided to expend our CD collection to include some of the older rock we love. We discovered it was difficult if not impossible to find copies of many of them. We got to thinking that our grandchildren may never get to hear some of the great music we loved, not to mention the songs we remember fondly our parents listening to. So we set out to copy some of the old vinyl we had and get them onto CDs for the kids.

We discovered we really enjoyed hearing all those old records again, and started buying more....and more...and more. Next thing we knew we couldn't move in the house for the records! Since I was already selling online, we decided to try selling some....and the rest is history.

The music library of songs for the Grand babies is over 800 full albums and over 15,000 singles and we still have hundreds left to play. Not all the music has come off of Vinyl. We have done cassettes,CDs, 8 tracks, and some downloads. We have everything for classical to classic rock, new age to blues, metal and yes, even some rap. We use all the music not just for the kids and our own pleasure, but it allows us to have a vast library of tunes for our DJ/Karaoke service 2Wolves Music & Audio.

Music is a way parents can connect with their children. Each of my two girls have their own "song" that we claimed as "theirs", as do their girls. Like they way couples will claim a song as "their song".

Music has always played an important role in my life, but now through my selling, DJing, and Examiner, Music is "My Passion, My Life, and My Business"

Later.........Renagade

For more about this, check out "Music Collecting...Not just owning a few CDs"

For more about my visit to the Selling Circus, visit Rants, Raves, Renagade

If you would like to write for the Examiner in your field of expertise, contact me.

Goldmine Standard of Grading Records

Nothing gives better quality music than a GOOD Vinyl Record! Records are really the first media available that gave the everyone the ability to purchase a collection of music to keep and enjoy forever. In todays world records are a highly sought after collectables and GOOD quality ones are hard to come by. Every record collector knows the Goldmine standard of grading records, but for those just starting out here it is.

The goldmine Standard is as followed:

Mint (M)

Absolutely perfect in every way. Certainly never been played, possibly even still sealed. Should be used sparingly as a grade, If at all.

Near Mint (NM or M-)

A nearly perfect record. Many dealers won't give a grade higher than this implying (perhaps correctly)that no record is ever truly perfect. The record should show no obvious signs of wear. A 45 RPM or EP sleeve should have no more than the most minor defects, such as almost invisible ring wear or other signs of slight handling.An LP cover should have no creases, folds, seam splits or other noticeable similar defects. No cut-out holes, either.

And of course, the same should be true of any other inserts, such as posters, lyric sleeves and the like.

Basically, an LP in near mint condition looks as if you just got it home from a new record store and removed the shrink wrap. Near Mint is the highest price listed in all Goldmine price guides. Anything that exceeds this grade, in the opinion of both buyer and seller, is worth significantly more than the highest Goldmine book value.

Very Good Plus (VG+)

A Very Good Plus record will show some signs that it was played and otherwise handled by a previous owner who took good care of it.Record surfaces may show some signs of wear and may have slight scuffs or very light scratches that don't affect one's listening experiences. Slight warps that do not affect the sound are "OK". The label may have some ring wear or discoloration, but it should be barely noticeable. The center hole will not have been misshapen by repeated play.

Picture sleeves and LP inner sleeves will have some slight wear, lightly turned up corners, or a slight seam split. An LP cover may have slight signs of wear also and may be marred by a cut-out hole, indentation or corner indicating it was taken out of print and sold at a discount.In general, if not for a couple things wrong with it, this would be Near Mint. All but the most mint-crazy collectors will find a Very Good Plus record highly acceptable.

Very Good (VG)

Many of the defects found in a VG+ record will be more pronounced in a VG disc. Surface noise will be evident upon playing, especially in soft passages and during a song's intro and fade, but will not overpower the music otherwise. Groove wear will start to be noticeable, as with light scratches (deep enough to feel with a fingernail) that will affect the sound.

Labels may be marred by writing, or have tape or stickers (or their residue) attached. The same will be true of picture sleeves or LP covers. However, it will not have all of these problems at the same time, only two or three of them.

Goldmine price guides with more than one price will list Very Good as the lowest price. This, not the Near Mint price, should be your guide when determining how much a record is worth, as that is the price a dealer will normally pay you for a Near Mint record.

Good (G), Good Plus (G+)

Good does not mean Bad! A record in Good or Good Plus condition can be put onto a turntable and will play through without skipping. But it will have significant surface noise and scratches and visible groove wear (on a styrene record, the groove will be starting to turn white).A cover or sleeve will have seam splits, especially at the bottom or on the spine. Tape, writing, ring wear or other defects will start to overwhelm the object.It is a common item, you'll probably find another copy in better shape eventually. Pass it up. But, if it's something you have been seeking for years, and the price is right, get it...but keep looking to upgrade.

Poor (P), Fair (F)

The record is cracked, badly warped, and won't play through without skipping or repeating. The picture sleeve is water damaged, split on all three seams and heavily marred by wear and writing. The LP cover barely keeps the LP inside it. Inner sleeves are fully seam split, crinkled, and written upon.

You can read more on The Goldmine Grading and the way Renagade cleans, prepares and grades records for sale HERE

Later!.........Renagade

Record Collecting - Grading, Buying, Loving Vinyl

Record Collecting - Grading, Buying, Loving Vinyl by Susan Leak

Remember when everyone had a record player? And a stack of 45’s and LPs to play on it? Well those days are quickly coming back. Many are discovering or rediscovering the quality sound that only vinyl can give. Places like Musiciansfriend, and buy.com are selling turntables and brand new and good quality used vinyl is abundant. Many of you may even still have that stack of vinyl that gave you such pleasure, and have thought about adding some to your collection. But how can you spot the “good” ones and where can you find them? Read More

This is my Guest post on The VintageMeld. Cliff is an entertainment memorabilia expert, specializing in the Classic Movies. Visit his site www.vintagemeld.com