For me if the laserdisc doesn't have deep scratches or scuffs the jackets appearance or lack of does not matter what it looks like so long as the laserdisc is scuff & rot free.

I buy only in mint condition and complete. It must have all it came with such as obi, insert and clean jacket. I can tolerate some scratches on the disc as long as it plays but if the jacket has a tiny imperfection, it doesn't matter if its the rarest disc for cheaps I won't buy it. Same for my DVDs, BDs LPs etc...

It has to be complete for me, but I'm alright with cosmetic imperfections within a certain degree.

Yes for me the cover is very important. I always aim to get complete mint copies but the reality of collecting some of the rarer titles which are 35+ years old is that I may settle for less.

I hate ringwear the most and would generally never buy a title if the cover is visibly worn unless the disc is exceptionally rare, very valuable and guaranteed to be free of rot when statistically it should be a goner.

Sometimes two bad copies can also be used to make a perfect copy if they have different flaws and are the same release.

I would say mint jackets are much tougher to find than mint discs so I value well looked after specimens and will pay a premium for them.

Laserdisc fan made very good points. On top of what I said above, I agree with all he says. Those titles with the circle obi stickers glued on to the clear wrapper are difficult to come by. Triangle corner ones are also not always included.

I can live with minor corner stress and the print being not as shinny anymore but I hate creases and ring wear. Also hate rips and rental stickers. It is almost impossible to find any ld from Hk without rental stickers.

Depends on the title for me. If I'm more concerned with the content (movie not available on other optical formats) or if I'm collecting the title (where I want to get the title on as many formats as possible.)

If it's the former, then no I don't really care. If it's the latter, then yes, I would like to have as mint a cover as possible.

For my part, condition of the jacket is paramount ......

Yes, I prefer blemish and hairline free platters.(of course with no playback anomalies). But when it comes down to it, if I have to have the title, the jacket can have bites taken out of it. lol
Time has its way with all "created" items, and some things last longer then others mostly predicated by care and precaution of the previous owner.

What shame to have a well taken care of pristine jacket and LD shipped only to find horrible seam tears where the LD has "peeked" outside of the seam from jarring and dropping while in transit.
This is why I recommend all online buyers to request the shipper to take the platter out of the jacket and ship it NEXT to it. Some dealers have been concerned that the jacket protects the LD platter while in transit..... If one depends on the LD jacket to protect the platter during shipping then they need instruction on good shipping habits ........

So yes, jackets do matter, but one cannot be picky if the title in question is rare and the jacket is beat to h*** .....
I have some pretty rough looking specimens on my shelves and am proud to have them there ..........

Thank you myrtle1beach

I prefer better condition, but if there's a significant cost difference and it's not too bad, I'll pick up a slightly rougher one. Some of my discs were library copies being sold off, so I got the checkout stuff stuck to the front (which usually came off okay). But you can't complain about $2 each for films like Criterion versions of High Noon and Citizen Kane.

When buying LDs, if price is your reason then yes you shouldn't care about the condition as mint/complete copies will be significantly more expensive.

I don't have a big lust for owning a lot of LDs(or any format). Titles I care for are few and so far I already own most of them. This gives me the luxury to go for quality but quantity. Fortunately those very late titles with big tags don't interest me. So I am pretty safe to say price is no object for me for titles I want which I know won't be much more than $100 if that.

I look for "mint" copies. I avoid jackets that aren't clean.
I'm looking for a copy of stigmata but it has to be in great shape. Would refuse a blemisched one even for cheap.

I never liked damage on any format that is....

I live a clean collection.
Never understood how someone manages to destroy a new purchased item.
I like the pride of ownership (and care).

I do not care too much about the condition of a disc or jacket to be honest.

As long as the disc still plays fine and I enjoy its contents it is fine by me.

If the jacket is not 100% perfect I do not care.

And I also collect a lot of rare stuff from Asia. That means many titles I buy are ex-rental titles from Hong Kong or Korea and
they are always in less than perfect shape and the discs are often scratched. But as long as it plays I am happy.

What matters most is the quality of the product and having the proper audio/video setup at home to fully enjoy it.

I do not care much about Obis either. But I know that some people are more strict about this than me. I know one seller who has
most recently told me that the MUSE copy of Jurassic Park he had sold to an individual in France was sent back because the buyer
thought the sticker was a fake. Now, that's crazy.

Sticker obi is a bit over the top I think. If its a common title however, most want it with the sticker since why not buy the complete copy if its not expensive. But also its a nice sign that the owner did take care of it.

But wrap around obis are a big part of the original design. Most are very well made and should be kept intact.

When buying, I look for a disc without scratches and a jacket that is at least presentable. A bit of edge wear is fine. Occasionally a split is fine. Color fading and scuffs or scratches not around the edges are hard turn offs.

I'd like to second most of the comments above, especially those by firehorse_44 and confederate. I certainly try whenever possible to get a copy with the best jacket I can find. If I have a choice between a copy with a mint jacket and one with a crappy one, I will take the nicer one every time. I appreciate quality, and I'm not afraid to pay extra to get it. However, it's not often that one has a choice between two or more copies. This is particularly true when you collect the rarest of the rare, such as Hong Kong, Taiwan, China, etc. If I tried to be obsessive about the condition of the jackets, I wouldn't own half of the titles that I have in my collection. I'd rather have a copy with a rough jacket than no copy at all. My thinking is that you can always upgrade later, if another copy comes along. However, the reality is that one probably won't.

David