A record collection built from things you play is more durable than one built from things you were told to buy.
Where the first money should go
Common pressings of albums you actually want to hear, in VG or VG+. They are inexpensive, they teach you what surface noise sounds like at each grade, and you end up listening rather than filing.
A decent stylus is worth more than the next five records — a worn one damages everything it touches.
The expensive beginner mistake
Buying sealed records as an investment. You cannot grade a surface you have not seen, the seal tells you nothing about the pressing inside, and the whole point of a record is the sound.
The second is paying original-pressing prices for a reissue because nobody looked at the run-out. What records are worth.
How to learn without paying for it
- Play everything. Hearing a VG and a VG+ back to back teaches the ladder permanently.
- Learn to read a label and a run-out. It costs nothing and it is most of pressing identification.
- Read the published grades, written disc/sleeve. How records are graded.
- Ask sellers whether they played it — and buy from the ones who did.
Pick a focus
A label, a genre, a decade, Indian pressings of something. A focused shelf is a collection; an unfocused one is storage.
Store it correctly from day one
Upright, never stacked, away from heat. A warped record is permanent and heat is what does it. Storing records.
Questions people ask
Are reissues worth collecting?
Often, and some sound better. Just know which you are buying.
Should I clean records?
A proper clean helps and should be said when selling.
How do I start identifying pressings?
Label, run-out, catalogue number — and ask. Record sellers enjoy the question.
More: buying records, questions to ask.