THE RECORD INSTITUTE
DEFINITION OF RARITY
"We do not dictate the Rarity. Time does."
EPHEMERA PHILOSOPHY
Vintage prints are miracles of survival, defying decay for over 50 years. Printed on acid-laden paper, bound with water-soluble glue, distributed to be read once and discarded. Every copy that exists today was never meant to exist this long. That is not value we assign. That is value time created.
PATINA OF AUTHENTICITY
We celebrate "The Beauty of Decay" — the aging process modern paper cannot replicate. The yellowed edges, the foxing, the faint scent of aged ink. These are not flaws. They are the fingerprints of time that reprints cannot replicate. Every mark on these pages is a testament to survival.
GRADING SYSTEM
OMEGA to C classes are defined by the struggle against entropy. We do not grade on aesthetics alone — we grade on the miracle of survival. We curate the survivors.
Museum Grade. One of a kind. Defying the laws of time.
Phantom Tier. Extremely rare, almost lost to history.
Grandmaster. Pristine condition from a rare vintage year.
Hero Class. Highly sought after by global collectors.
Elite. Excellent condition, perfect for display.
The Survivor. Shows signs of its journey but structurally sound.
Battle-Scarred. Heavy patina for those who love raw history.
THE RECORD INSTITUTE — EST. MMXXV