Records not stored vertically for decades

You're making this way more complicated than need be.  Simply turn them over and let them sit for another few decades.

"You're making this way more complicated than need be.  Simply turn them over and let them sit for another few decades."

Sanest advice I've read in this forum in years.

Stacking causes ring wear on the jacket. The record(s) should probably be okay.

other than the records being pretty pissed at you and wanting to breathe a bit, probably no issues

I stored my records vertically for two decades, and I think that the only issue was some of the cover art was faded. Personally, I would be a little bit more concerned about heat and humidity than vertical versus horizontal but what do I know?

A quality analog rig is a very expensive proposition and I would think about it carefully before going down that road.