Cut-Out Records Explained: Drill Holes, Saw Cuts and Clipped Corners

Flip through enough used records and you will find jackets with a neat hole punched through a corner, a notch cut into the spine, or a corner clipped off. These are cut-out marks, and they say something about where the copy has been. Here is what they mean, how collectors treat them and how to describe them when you buy or sell.

What a cut-out record is

When a record stopped selling, or a label deleted it from its catalogue, unsold copies often ended up being sold off cheaply through budget bins and discount outlets. To stop those discounted copies from being returned to the label as if they were full-price stock, the jackets were marked, physically, so anyone could see the copy was a remainder. These marked copies are called cut-outs.

The practice was common in the US for decades, which is why American used-record bins are full of cut-out marks, though you can find marked copies from other countries too. Methods varied by label, distributor and era.

The main types of cut-out mark

Some records have more than one mark, especially if they went through several rounds of overstock clearance.

How cut-outs affect grading

A cut-out is permanent physical damage to the jacket, so for grading purposes it is treated as a jacket defect. How much it lowers the jacket grade varies by seller and collector, but it should never go unmentioned. A jacket with a cut-out mark is not Near Mint in the strict sense, even if everything else about it is perfect.

Check the disc too

If a record was in its jacket when the mark was made, the disc may be affected:

• A drill hole may go through the disc label, which is a label defect.
• A saw cut on the spine can nick the edge of the disc.
• A punch or drill can occasionally go through the playing surface, which affects the disc grade and may make some tracks unplayable.
• Inner sleeves and inserts can carry the same hole.

Grade disc, label and jacket separately, and describe each piece of damage.

What cut-outs can and cannot tell you

A cut-out mark tells you that this copy was remaindered at some point, which can hint at commercial history: a record that did not sell through, was deleted or was overpressed. It does not tell you:

• Which pressing the record is. A cut-out can be a first pressing or a later one.
• Whether the record has been played. Some cut-outs are still sealed.
• Whether the record is rare today. Some titles that sold poorly when new became sought-after later.

Identify the pressing the usual way: labels, catalog number, runouts and jacket details compared against a discography database or reference.

How collectors feel about cut-outs

Opinions differ, and the market reflects that.

To see how much a cut-out matters for a specific record, compare completed sales of the same pressing with and without marks, at similar disc and jacket condition. Some sellers put “cut out” or “drill hole” in their titles, which makes this easier.

Cut-outs vs other jacket marks

Several other marks can be confused with cut-outs:

• Promo stamps and stickers mark records sent to radio and press. They are a different category, covered in our post on promo white labels and stamps.
• Store price stickers and stamps show where a record was sold.
• Owner names and numbers written on jackets.
• Library or radio station stamps and catalogue numbers.
• Accidental damage such as a nail hole or tear.

The shape and position of the mark usually make the difference clear. A neat round hole near a corner, a straight slot in the spine or a cleanly clipped corner points to a cut-out.

Describing cut-outs when you sell

1. Name the type of mark and where it is: “drill hole, top right corner”, “saw cut on spine”.
2. Note any effect on the disc, label, inner sleeve or inserts.
3. Photograph the mark clearly, front and back.
4. Reflect it in the jacket grade rather than only mentioning it in the text.
5. Add it to the listing title if it is significant. It helps buyers searching for exactly this, and avoids disputes.

Protecting cut-out jackets

A drill hole or saw cut can be a weak point where a tear or seam split starts. Clear outer sleeves help protect the jacket from further damage, and storing records upright without too much pressure on the edges helps keep notches from widening.