Vinyl Care

Ever since you were a kid, you’ve loved records. Now that you’re older, you’ve acquired a collection you can truly be proud of. From your favorite bands as a kid to classics like Zeppelin and the Beatles, your collection is chock full of vinyl you love.   But do you know the proper way to treat your albums so they’ll maintain their value over time? The Care and Feeding of Vinyl.com will instruct you... Read more >

Collecting Records

Record collecting can be a fun and rewarding hobby, requiring both knowledge and love of vinyl. People collect LPs for a variety of reasons—nostalgia, a passion for music, even a love of cover art. It can also be very rewarding.   Whatever your reason, collecting-records.com has information to make collecting records a little easier for you.   What You’ll Find on This Site… Do you know the... Read more >

Rare Records

The past ten years have witnessed a boom in the collection and sale of psychedelic, progressive, indie and oldies records. Why, in an age dominated by CDs and MP3s, are legions of audiophiles young and old swearing by their turntables?     Out of the gramophone issue words like import, EP, first-pressing, test-pressing, 45, 78, B-side, acetate. The little RCA dog laughed to hear such fun, but... Read more >

Value

Does someone want to buy it? And if so, how much is he willing to pay? Does someone want to sell it? And if so, at what price? If these two criteria are not met, the record has no market value. Once met, however, the record becomes a valuable commodity. You can then determine its “potential value,” or the amount of money your record may be worth.     Determining the Record’s Maximum... Read more >

Rare Vinyl Records

Hapless folks who switched over to buying CDs or tapes in the 80s have no idea how much some of their rare vinyl may be worth. The prices of limited production runs and out-of-print records have been rising steadily over the last twenty years.     Nowadays, first-pressings of just about anything, from the Grateful Dead to John Coltrane to Esquivel to Patti Smith, yield a profit in the market... Read more >

Playing

Part of keeping your record collection in great shape is handling and playing each record with care.   Handling Records Handle the vinyl by the edges or the label only—with clean hands, of course. Once you’re through playing a record, put it back in its sleeve and cover. This will eliminate dust accumulation on the record, as well as unwanted fingerprints or scratches.   Remember, the less you... Read more >

Where to Look

Whether you’re searching for one specific LP or several, you’ll find hundreds of places that sell used vinyl. From your neighborhood rummage sales to the Internet, to that record store down the street, used records abound. Depending on where you look, they can range in price from ten cents to thousands of dollars.     But how do you know if what you’re buying is worth the money? Where should... Read more >

Storage

Proper storage, handling, and cleaning could mean the difference between warped, ruined records and a collection of which you can be proud. Treat your records well, and they’ll last for a long, long time.   Storing Your Collection Store records vertically. If stored horizontally, they may warp. Keep them away from heat sources, especially sunlight. Store them in a dry, relatively cool place... Read more >