What is the best way to "mark/ identify" a vinyl record without devaluing them. i know not to write your name and address in biro across the label. When you hear about thefts and burglaries involving expensive rare vinyl its a worry.has anyone heard of or tried "smartwater" which is what the police use to mark property,would this be suitable? Does anyone know of anything ?

What is the best way to "mark/ identify" a vinyl record without devaluing them. i know not to write your name and address in biro across the label. When you hear about thefts and burglaries involving expensive rare vinyl its a worry.has anyone heard of or tried "smartwater" which is what the police use to mark property,would this be suitable? Does anyone know of anything ?

 

Smartwater contains a chemical code which is unique to you as a purchaser. It's reckoned to be "virtually invisible" to the naked eye - if that's vitually invisibe as in the VERY visible marker pens that the police tried to get us to use - then I wouldn't want it anywhere near my vinyl.

 

Cross-contamination would be an issue too, especially if you dj. There's a possibility that the chemical marker would be tranferred to the decks and anyone else handling your vinyl, to anyone using those "contaminated" decks and to any other vinyl played on them, etc, etc, etc.

 

I reckon your answer lies in good security rather than a marking system.

 

Good luck,

 

 - Kev

:hatsoff2:HI ALL ...Any marks that are put on records apart from the ones that are done by the manufacture, will devalue the record, this is why even the run of the mill, REGGAE 45 fetches good prices these days as you never see  them in ex condition,  

In the late 6T's there was a trend to make SOUL & REGGAE 45s look like US copies or JA dub blanks, many records had the centres knocked out also, up to the mid 7T's it was very common to scratch your name on to a rare NORTHERN SOUL 45, I'm am guilty of this crime,

As a rule I would say it is a pointless venture to disfigure a rare record today, If you are privileged to own the very top sounds and one gets stolen, it would be impossible for it to be played or shown to other collectors to sell it on, the same is true with large collections as the word would get back to you (IHOPE!) from other dealers,

The big problem is when a isolated case of 2 or 3 records go missing from sale boxes or DJ boxes weather they are marked or not, once the thief has passed it on you really stand no chance of getting it back as you can't prove the new owner has any knowledge of the theft and you have no platform to work of unless you reported the theft to the police at the time of the theft,

So it's down to you what you do, my advice is when taking records to events get someone to keep a eye on your box, this in the main has worked well for most dealers, the words "watch my box" is better then writing on a rare dusty  DAVE K  

i would also be scared of long-term effects of a marking on the vinyl or the label, even if it initially appeared inert. what if, over time, the invisible marking wore differently, for example?

Thanks. That will be a No then.