Vinyl Record Ring Wear

Never stack vinyl records as shown in this photo as it can lead to warped discs and ring wear on the album jackets.

Vinyl record ring wear.

Grading a vinyl record is inherently subjective but knowing what to look for will help you accurately determine what condition a record is in. Rw ring wear this denotes that the record was not properly stored and pressure from the vinyl record has worn a ring in the cover. Over time the grooves lose their dark glossy black look. Ps or p s picture sleeve this is where the paper sleeve of the record has a picture or image printed or painted on it.

With vinyl records how does ring wear occur. All white albums do not have ring wear. This is common on 45 rpm or 78 rpm singles. If you placed them on a shlef with little pressure or a nice hard record case not one of my records has ring wear unless it was sealed too tight.

One huge advantage of using a good quality outer sleeve is being able to store the lp which is in a good quality inner sleeve i e mfsl disc keeper etc outside of the lp jacket with both of. One factor that can affect vinyl records value is if the record in question is a promotional issue as opposed to a commercial or stock copy of the record. Promotional or promo copies of a record are often identified in some way and they often have a special label that indicates that the particular records was made for. The more a record is played the more the grooves are worn down.

Ring wear is caused by the impression of the lp on the inside of the jacket being telegraphed to the outer surface of the jacket due to friction. To visually grade a record inspect the sleeve and any inserts lyric sheets posters etc for ring wear discoloration sticker residue and seam splits. Record noise occasional clicks and pops are part of the sound of vinyl but with an lp played on an audiophile grade turntable those noises recede into the background. The needle picks up the variations in the pressed vinyl removing a little of it on each pass.

Never spritz water or wet play a vinyl record in an attempt to quiet the crackle and pops.