| Condition Is
Everything Keeping your collectibles in
prime condition is the key to retaining the value of your most prized music collectibles.
Although everyone wants their collection to be in mint condition, it is virtually
impossible to keep it that way unless you take great care, and pride in your collection.
The following is designed to help you protect your collection, from CDs to records, all
the way to the odds and ends.
Protecting Collectibles
We find that the best way to protect CDs, records,
magazines, postcards, and displays is to put them in protective plastic bags. The most
popular are the Japanese resalable bags, which are crystal clear and durable all at the
same time. There are different sizes for different needs. They are also great for
protecting against finger prints, dust, smoke (from you smokers out there), and from
obnoxious smells which paper products can absorb. Unfortunately you will not find them in
any record store. We find that the best place to buy them is at record shows, or at swap
meets.
Cleaning Records
Before bagging up our collectibles we like to clean them
first. There are many cleaning fluids out there, but many people also like to use lighter
fluid. When cleaning records with lighter fluid, place the record with the label face down
on a clean towel. Next, apply a squirt of lighter fluid on the playing surface and wipe
the surface in a slow, and smooth circular motion, along the grooves of the record. Don't
worry about getting the entire surface dry because the fluid will evaporate. Lighter fluid
is also useful for taking off stickers and other adhesive material. We find that the best
thing to do is to practice on a record that you do not care about before moving onto your
more valuable records.
Cleaning CDs
There are many devices selling in stores that are designed to
clean CDs. The question we found asking ourselves is "wet or dry?". There are
many opinions out there but we found that the dry wipes are only useful for taking off
small particulate matter such as dust. Unfortunately you can do the same thing by blowing
on the surface. Another problem that we found is that dry wipes tend to scratch the
surface. The directions say to wipe from the center of the CD outward, and never in a
circular motion. However, we still found that this does not always work. If you do not
brush gently, there is a tendency for the surface of the dry wipe to scratch the playing
surface of the CD. We have not yet tried the wet method, but have heard more success
stories. Using some sort of solvent is useful for removing smudges left by oily hands.
However, with any solvent it is important not to set the non-playing surface, because many
solvents contain alcohol which can strip the paint from the CD.
Storing Records
A big problem with storing records is finding a way to
prevent ring wear and bent corners. The best way to do this is to take the record out of
the sleeve, and place a piece of cardboard between the record and the sleeve before
placing them in a plastic bag, to prevent ring wear and bent corners. It is also important
however to place the record in a paper or poly-lined sleeve. Also do not pack records too
tightly or else the weight of the other records resting on records that are in the back of
the box will cause the sleeve to be damaged. It is also good to keep different formats
stored in separate boxes.
Storing CDs
Storing CDs is not as critical as storing records because
most are housed in plastic cases. For those CDs that come in card sleeves, it is best to
place a piece of cardboard between the sleeve and the CD before placing them in a plastic
bag. However, like records, it is important not to pack them tightly because this causes
ring wear on the inserts. Imprints as a result of the tabs or from the ring holding the CD
itself, cause damage to the inserts. This is the primary reason why inserts can never be
graded as mint, because this form of damage is almost inevitable unless the CD is stored
by itself. We also like to store our CDs in a DJ coffin. A typical DJ coffin can hold up
to 125 CDs, but we soon found out that collecting can be very addictive
and this was not
enough room for our expanding collection.
Storing Magazines
Storing magazines is like storing comic books. Always store
your prized magazines in plastic bags with a cardboard backing. The cardboard will help to
prevent bending of the corners, and creases.
Storing Other Items
In your collecting adventures you will undoubtedly find that
oddly shaped item that does not seem to fit anywhere. The best thing to do is to find an
appropriately sized box and wrap your item in bubble wrap and line the box with styrofoam
peanuts. For items such as stickers, postcards, and other paper goods, we use priority
mail envelopes made of thin cardboard. It's simple, and it's free.
Always store your items in a cool dry place.
Aside from one's own interest in an item, the most important
aspect of collecting is the condition of the item. Although one would like to only collect
items that are in mint condition it is virtually impossible. For an item to be mint it
must be perfect in every way. It must basically be untouched and sealed. It is important
to know that although an item is sealed it does not always mean that the item is mint. If
it is a CD in a digipack or card sleeve for instance, the corners may be bent and
therefore the packaging can still only be described as VG+. Unfortunately there are also
those who would like to deceive others by resealing items. With shrink wrap machines it is
easy to reseal items or seal items that were never sealed to begin with. For instance,
those buying imports from Europe. Many times imports from Europe are not sealed until they
reach the United States. Some stores will seal the CDs themselves or just place them in a
bag with that has the store logo (Tower Records sometimes does this). Therefore in cases
like these, it is important to use buyer beware. Know with whom you are dealing with and
understand that it is virtually important to find an item that is truly mint. |
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Going For Platinum
There are many record awards issued by different countries, but the most well known
and most collectible is the record award given by the Recording Industry Associating of
America (RIAA).Terms
to Keep In Mind
Ever wondered what it meant when an online store or a person listed an item for
sale as a CD5 UK promo CD-R-acetate with no inserts?
Part I: What You
Do Not Know May Hurt You
Grading music collectibles is very subjective. There are a wide variety of
scales that people follow in order to grade their goods.
Buyer Beware
Some simple tips to prevent from getting burned on a bad online deal.
Condition Is Everything
Keeping your collectibles in prime condition is the key to retaining the value of
your most prized music collectibles. |
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