Catalogue an inherited record collection

Do not grade and price every record on the first pass. Get the artist and the title in, then mark anything that looks scarce or anything you might play. A finished crate is progress. A perfectly described first record is how people stop.

Names you do not recognise still belong on the list. They are the ones most likely to surprise you later, and they are the ones memory will drop first.

You will not know what was paid, and you often will not know why a record was kept. A note such as 'from the spare room' is enough. The story can stay short.

Cataloguing is how you discover the shelf. Selling, giving away, or playing can wait until the names exist. A pile you have not named is easy to regret.

Value is a second pass, and only for the copies you care about. A guide price is not a reason to keep or discard a record on its own. Scarcest on the shelf is a clue for where to look carefully, not a verdict.

Add each record by search, barcode, or by hand. Use notes for where it came from, or for a sleeve that does not match the label. Collection value can wait until the list exists.

If the collection is large, the free shelf holds the first 100 records. Pro is £1.99 a month when you need to continue. The records already added stay on the account.