Shellac breaks. A cylinder rolls off the shelf and is then a pile of shards with a song you no longer play. In the overview Security for collectors this is the fragile relative of the record.

What gets ruined without a thief

Shock, heat, a row packed too tight that chips the edge off, damp on the paper sleeve. You store upright, with a little play, cool, and you do not stack cylinders so that the bottom one carries the load. Play only on a machine built for it, not on a guess.

When someone comes

Boxes are heavy and fragile. An offender is more likely to knock them over than to sort them. Your protection is a locked, quiet cabinet and a list that names every rare disc. The everyday carton does not stand in the hall, where a bag drags it off.

The folder

Title, number, condition, whether the sleeve is there, receipt for the rare ones. Photo of the label. A cracked disc stays in the list as cracked, so that you do not later enter it as new damage.