Leaving Sealed Shrink Wrap on LP Records

[Joe]

I could open them but some of them have increased significantly and I like the collecting factor.

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You have answered your own question.

 

[Ent]

Its like plastic kits, they have more value unbuilt. Lego sets too are more valuable if still sealed in the box. Look at the price of 301/401 if they are still boxed up and unused. I remember a guy selling a Quad 2 set up on ebay still in the sealed boxes...he actually had them x rayed to show what was inside. I have multiple copies of some LPs, one to play and one to retain as an artefact.
I think (referring to the OP) that over time cardboard expends as it takes on moisture, hence the bending.

Exactly what I started doing.

 

[Barrymagrec]

If you bought them shrink wrapped and have never opened them how do you know that the record inside is what it says on the cover? HMV went through a phase of shrink wrapping many years ago and I bought a disc that was not what it said on the sleeve when I opened it.

HMV were plenty sniffy about it when I took it back, until they opened the rest of their copies and found more than half of them contained the same wrong disc.

 

[paulfromcamden]

If you bought them shrink wrapped and have never opened them how do you know that the record inside is what it says on the cover? HMV went through a phase of shrink wrapping many years ago and I bought a disc that was not what it said on the sleeve when I opened it.

HMV were plenty sniffy about it when I took it back, until they opened the rest of their copies and found more than half of them contained the same wrong disc.

I bought a sealed Impulse double LP from the 1970s last year. One of the discs was wrong...

See also the pressing problems many people report with new titles.

 

[Kev67]

Slightly off tangent, but this reminds me of that old Durutti Column LP that Factory released back in the late 70's. The sleeve was made of sand paper and Factory being Factory thought this was a big wheeze, the idea being that it destroyed the LP's either side of it. That was the only LP in my collection that was housed inside one of those really thick plastic LP sleeves that were a thing back then.
I could count on one hand hand the amount of times my Dad asked me about any of my records as he hated all my punk, new wave and reggae albums, but he really liked the Durutti Column.

The Sandpaper Cover of The Return of the Durutti Column

Louis Pattison explains the backstory behind the infamous Factory Records sandpaper sleeve, and how one man tried to recreate it.

daily.redbullmusicacademy.com

 

[Tumeni Notes]

Mobile Fidelity and some other specialists have (had?) the right idea, with a non-shrinking loose plastic wrap.

 

[tonyx]

I have some records still in shrink. These are records I do not want to play. There was a time when I would not have understood how this could happen because I like to play records. But there is some rationality. There are three reasons:

1. I own a few records that I do not like which I bought as a speculation that the value would rise over time. Such an increase in price is not taxable because of the CGT chattels rules. But this is tbh a big gamble, and I do it because it fits my hobby and sell records quite often anyway. There is no chance of them being played because I don't like the music.
2. The second reason is linked but is not deliberate speculation. Yesterday a new record arrived which is a brand new release from a band I have been into for some years. I pre ordered coloured vinyl limited edition fully expecting to play it. But in the months that followed my order the band released songs which I was deeply unimpressed with. Now the whole thing is on Spotify and the cat is out of the bag, I do not like this record. So it stays in shrink until sold which could be soon. I may make a profit. I may not. Losses by the way are not allowable even for CGT.
3. The third case is where I have bought weaker albums from bands I am in to simply to fill the collection.

I suspect that those who never keep anything in shrink do not have big enough collections and/or are not into the current music scene. But keeping items in shrink is rational.


Tony

 

[Isobarik]

I've got a few vinyl and CD albums still in there original unopened packaging, mainly presents from my family and friends. Duplicated!

 

[hockman]

I can't understand keeping records sealed - I buy music to listen to, not to collect.

Once opened, sometimes I keep the shrink wrap on because it protects the cover. If it's too tight, I stretch the plastic out manually.