Vintage Media Grading (VMG) -- Vinyl records. Is this a step too far?!*

And some are struggling so every dollar counts. We will have to agree to disagree mate. You want new popular vinyl sales to collapse and I think any good think for the business. YMMV

 

I honestly do not care if some stores close. Plenty of stores probably deserve to close anyway. Same thing happens in every hobby when a bubble pops.

 

I for one do not support this! It has nothing to do with music and is mostly about the commodification aspect. Who the hell is gonna buy these things. Why would you want a high grade disk anyways if you’re not even gonna play it. I think it’s absolutely disgusting and only attracts and appeals to my least favorite types involved in this hobby.

 

It’s their choice but they’re still an imbecile ! I don’t even understand why’d you pay top dollar for a super mint slabbed record if you can’t even open it to play it. People who are into this aren’t record collectors they’re cover collectors period!

 

Very, very true.

 

They have to have that many "low" grades because I imagine a lot of their potential customers are sending in VG/VG- copies of Led Zeppelin II and whatnot. If they all came back graded "2", people might question the value of the service. If they come back with a variety of low grades based on meaningless distinctions (this one has a 1" seam split; this one has a 1.5" seam split), it creates the illusion of precision in the grading process.

 

Simply put: Goldmine grading standards are the standard grading system for USA and Canadian record collectors! As follows:

Poor
Fair
Good
Very Good
Near Mint
Mint

+ and - are often used enough to be nuances between the grades. Very Good Plus is the bare minimum standard for most listeners and collectors with decent ears and equipment.

 

Reminds me of some Japanese Camera dealers. Quite a few grade like Top Mint, God Level optics. Or Mint ++++++!. What is wrong with integrity?.

In Cameras it is: Shutterbug Ads grading is to cameras what Goldmine is to records.

Poor
Fair
Good
Excellent
Mint

Same + or - in between grading nuances.

 

Not for me..

 

Insert Fargo wood chipper clip here

 

Was the scratch due to an item in Bert’s paper clip collection?

 

I'm not supposed this has happened - at least it shows what some people are really collecting vinyl for. Some of us, like me, are musicians and used these items to learn about songs, singing and the aesthetic value of artwork.
Those with an anal-retentive bent may find themselves somewhat hot and bothered by this 'vintage vinyl grading' idea.
You hear of rich people buying artwork and storing it somewhere - maybe they get someone to paint a copy first, so they can display it without fear of theft ?
There's nothing like putting a vinyl record on for me, without worrying about being too careful for investment reasons.
I noted that some of the collectors I saw at record fairs years ago did not seem to be in it for the same reasons - I wasn't over the moon about that, because I realised that it put certain things out of my reach. I decided to go down a few levels and just enjoy it the way it suited me at my price scale.
It has saved me a lot of time and money and I think the enjoyment level also increased as a result.

 

I have noticed that auction sites that sell albums are now heavily pushing these 'encased' albums. Means you cannot view what you are buying and are trusting the grading of an individual you don't know.
Has anyone seen examples of this new nonsense in an actual record shop?
Going to happen soon..

 

It’s idiotic! If we don’t buy them they won’t make and sell them. The only reason you’ll see them is if morons decide this is a good idea and buy them-news flash! It’s not- PLAY YOUR RECORDS people

 

Yep! Well said.
This might indeed be the most moronic side effect of the so called vinyl revival.
Must be someone on here who wants to defend the practice?

 

I was watching the Heritage auction awhile back. I think they were the first serious auction house to list some. Couldn't believe how much The Beatles Second album, US press, sealed, went for. But even lower end titles were hitting above $100 eg Pat Benatar Precious Time (sealed). I think this will take off if collectors buy in to. They aren't bought for listening though, it'll just be an investment or an ownership thing.

The theory behind encased albums, or anything really, is that it's a guarantee that you are getting the grade listed (of course you need to trust the grading company and in the poster, magazine, sports card, etc world they are already established) so when you get it and open it, if you want to, you definitely get what you paid for. But no one is going to pay over the odds for a record and then remove it from it's case as the value goes bye bye until you get it graded again. So, as I mentioned above, these are really just collector pieces treated as assets. Nothing to do with actually listening to the music...unfortunately.

You never know though, could fall flat and not really take off.

 

Hate to be the one to tell you this but you aren't really the type people they are targeting with this. I doubt anyone on here is.

Us not buying them is already figured into their plans

 

I’d like to buy one - cheap.
Smash the case open and see if I agree with the grading.
Well, you know, just because…..,

 

Maybe it will cause the prices for un-encased records to drop. You'll be able to pick up original pressings of A Night at the Opera and Dark Side of the Moon for short money because the collectors won't touch anything that's exposed to the elements.

 

Or, if the ones in the wild are in good enough condition that they can be "officially" graded with a high grade, you'll see people buying them specifically for the purpose of getting them graded, and encased, in order to sell to collectors. Sealed vintage copies are ripe for this IMO.

 

There is of course a market for rare sleeve variants and such (i.e. the Butcher Cover, Led Zeppelin Turquoise lettering, foreign Picture sleeves, etc) but I have to wonder if they except encased sleeves only.

The issue with records is that physically it is hard to keep them in proper shape, especially sealed. A plastic disc in a square sleeve tightly bound by plastic is gonna develop wear eventually, so slabbing it wouldn't really preserve the record inside there.

 

I don't understand the point of doing this with a sealed record. I mean, am I missing something? It's sealed! There's literally no way the assessor can determine the condition of the vinyl! Its condition is literally the exact same same "sealed, presumed mint" that it was before it was slabbed.

Doesn't mean people won't buy it, but hoo boy...

 

Yeah pretty much presumed mint. Basically they grade the cover and grade the shrink e.g. if the shrink has a rip, lower grade, etc

None of these will ever be opened and played so doesn't really matter what the actual vinyl looks like. Everyone just agrees that it's mint.

 

When I open the link to their website as given in the first post, I see this ridiculous looking record "player".



So obviously it's best to spin one's records on a machine like this and there will be no wear at all ...
Are they serious or simply stupid?

 

I just saw a slabbed cassette on Reddit:

Reddit Thread