ordicio

Collecting guide

How to Collect Vinyl Records and Music Recordings

Vinyl and shellac records, CDs, cassettes, tapes and other sound recordings.

A record collector’s question is not only “which album?” but “which pressing?”. The same album exists in dozens of pressings from different countries, plants and years, and the first pressing of a famous record can be worth far more than a reissue. The matrix numbers in the runout groove are the key.

Getting Started

Collect an artist, a label, a genre or a period. Many collectors link their records to the corresponding release on Discogs, which lists pressings in detail.

What to Record

Condition and Grading

Collectors use the Goldmine grades, separately for the media and the sleeve: Mint (M), Near Mint (NM), Very Good Plus (VG+), Very Good (VG), Good (G) and Poor (P). Play-grade the record if you can: surface noise, skips and warps matter more than how it looks. Note writing, seam splits and ring wear on sleeves.

Care and Storage

Store records upright, never stacked, in anti-static inner sleeves and outer sleeves, away from heat and sunlight. Clean them with a proper record cleaner. Keep tapes away from magnetic fields and heat.

Mistakes to Avoid

Kinds of Music Recordings

The Data Sheet for Music Recordings

The 25 fields worth recording for music recordings, grouped as in the ordicio app.

Identification

Artist / performer Text
Artist, band, ensemble or performers as credited.
Title Text
The title or name the object is known by, as given by its maker, publisher or catalogue.
Label Text
Record label, e.g. Blue Note, Parlophone, Deutsche Grammophon.
Catalogue number Text
Label catalogue number as on the spine or label, e.g. BLP 1577, PCS 7027.
Release year Year
Year of this release or pressing.
Country of pressing Text
Country where the record was pressed (can differ from the release country).
Genre Choice, or your own
Main genre.
13 choices
  • Rock
  • Pop
  • Jazz
  • Blues
  • Soul / R&B / Funk
  • Hip hop
  • Electronic
  • Classical
  • Folk / Country
  • Reggae / Ska
  • Soundtrack
  • World
  • Spoken word
Discogs release Link
Discogs page of the exact release.

Condition

Graded separately for the media and the sleeve.

Media grade Choice
Condition of the record, disc or tape itself (Goldmine standard).
  • Mint (M)
  • Near Mint (NM or M-)
  • Very Good Plus (VG+)
  • Very Good (VG)
  • Good Plus (G+)
  • Good (G)
  • Fair (F)
  • Poor (P)
Sleeve grade Choice
Condition of the cover, sleeve or case (Goldmine standard).
  • Mint (M)
  • Near Mint (NM or M-)
  • Very Good Plus (VG+)
  • Very Good (VG)
  • Good Plus (G+)
  • Good (G)
  • Fair (F)
  • Poor (P)
  • Generic / no sleeve
Sealed Choice
Whether the item is still in its factory seal.
  • Factory sealed
  • Opened
  • Resealed
Condition notes Text
Faults, wear and damage in detail.

Copy specifics

Signed by Text
Who signed the item, with authentication if any.
Quantity Whole number, at least 1
Number of identical pieces held, when they are recorded together.

Acquisition

How and when the object came into the collection.

Acquisition date Date
Date the object came into the collection.
Acquisition method Choice, or your own
How the object came into the collection.
  • Purchase
  • Auction
  • Gift
  • Inheritance
  • Exchange / trade
  • Self-collected / found
  • Commission
Acquired from Text
Seller, auction house (with sale and lot number), donor or place where it was found.
Purchase price Amount
Price paid including fees and premiums.
Provenance Text
Earlier owners and the object's history, oldest first, with sources (labels, invoices, sale catalogues).

Value

Estimated and insured value.

Estimated value Amount
Current market value as estimated.
Valuation date Date
Date of the current value estimate.
Valuation basis Choice
What the estimated value is based on.
  • Own estimate
  • Recent sales / auction results
  • Dealer offer
  • Catalogue value
  • Professional appraisal
  • Insurance valuation
Insured value Amount
Sum the object is insured for.

Collection record

Your own inventory data.

Inventory number Text
Your own number or label for the object, e.g. C-0042, as written on its label or album page.
Storage location Text
Where the object is kept, e.g. room, cabinet, drawer, album and page, box.

Standards and References

The data sheets follow the standards collectors, dealers and museums use:

Updated October 24, 2026