Vinyl collecting guides

How to grade a record, tell a first pressing from a reissue, read the runout groove, and find out what your records are worth.

• Vinyl Record Grading: What M, NM, VG+ and VG Mean on the Goldmine Scale

  Vinyl record grading explained: what M, NM, VG+, VG, G and P mean on the Goldmine scale, why disc and sleeve are graded apart, and how grade affects value.

• How to Tell if a Record Is a First Pressing

  How to tell if a record is a first pressing: check the label, catalog number, runout matrix codes, sleeve and barcode, with real examples from classic LPs.

• Matrix Numbers, Runout Codes and Dead Wax: How to Read Them

  What the dead wax on a record is and how to read its runout codes: matrix number, cut number, mother and stamper codes, plant marks and engineer initials.

• What Vinyl Records Are Worth Money? How to Tell If Your Old Records Are Valuable

  Which vinyl records are worth money? See how pressing, condition, rarity and variants set value, which old records rarely sell, and how to check yours.

• The Most Valuable Vinyl Records Ever Sold

  See the most valuable vinyl records ever sold, from Ringo Starr's $790,000 White Album to Elvis's first acetate, and learn which rarities you could find.

• Where to Sell Vinyl Records, and How to Price, Grade and Ship Them

  Compare where to sell vinyl records, from local stores and record fairs to eBay, Facebook and auctions, and learn how to price, grade and ship them.

• How to Identify a Vinyl Record: Label, Catalog Number, Barcode and Runout Codes

  How to identify a vinyl record and its exact pressing from the center label, catalog number, barcode and runout codes, even when the record has no cover.

• Beatles White Album Numbered Copies: Low Numbers, Serial Numbers and First Pressings

  How the Beatles White Album numbered copies work: who owned the low numbers, what the serial number means, famous sales and how to spot a first pressing.

• The Beatles Butcher Cover: Yesterday and Today First, Second and Third State Explained

  The Beatles butcher cover on Yesterday and Today explained: first, second and third state, mono vs stereo, how to check a trunk cover and famous sales.

• Test Pressings, Promo Copies and White Labels: How to Recognize Them and What They Are Worth

  What test pressings, promo copies and white label promos are, how to recognize them from stamps and labels, what makes them valuable and how to spot fakes.