There’s a familiar mantra among crate diggers when they pull a classic record from a bin to discover a well-worn jacket.

 “Well, you play the record, not the cover, right?”

Yes, vinyl condition is everything in the hobby, but truth be told, most collectors would prefer that the jacket be as pristine as the record itself, especially when it comes to ringwear.

Ringwear is the visible imprint of the vinyl disc shape on both the cover and the back of a record jacket that occurs over time. While it is most often caused by improper shelf storage, the repetitive nature of pulling a record out and then returning it to the jacket can also contribute to ringwear.