• When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.

Anyone checked vintage vinyl album prices lately?

YY1

YY1

Well-Known Member
Local time
12:11 PM
Joined
Jun 26, 2010
Messages
26,427
Reaction score
22,613
Location
FL
I have some inherited original press releases in my collection that I used to keep track of values on up until the early 1990's.

Dark Side Of The Moon (with poster, post cards and stickers)

Sgt Peppers
Magical Mystery Tour (with book)
Abbey Road
White Album (on Apple)

Machine Head (with poster)

Paranoid.

...and several more.

All in G to VG condition and most not played since the early 80's (once or twice).

I'm seeing $2,000 on some of them.

That's F'n CRAZY.

Last time I think $100 was tops on a couple.
 
As with books, guns, and cameras, condition is everything. When a novice looks at a gun, it may appear as 95%+, but examined by an expert or the novice becomes more knowledgeable, the condition is much less.

I bought a collection of Rock and Jazz records weighing 450 pounds. A couple such as The Animals, are valuable because of the pressings being early, and English. $200+ each.

With just a few, I would seek out a record shop and see if they would clean them with their machine. My cleaner was over $500, used. Wouldn't pay to buy your own for just a few records, but if you want top dollar, they must be clean so you can see any and all flaws.
 
The VG+ to NM values I saw for the same titles were in the $3500 range.

I'm trying to rate them conservatively. Some of the $2K listings had missing or damaged ephemera.

I'm really not interested in selling, just trying to keep up on values.

I've got roughly 300 albums in my collection at present and about 20-30 45's.

I should probably look up one of those- it's a very early Whitesnake with Jon Lord.

Apparently the rage now in cleaning vinyl is a re-purposed ultrasonic vat with a home made rotation spindle.
 
The real value in old records comes from the fact that they are one hundred per cent analog: from instrument to mic to master tape to master disc to vinyl record. No digital in there anywhere.
They make modern LP’s, including many of the old classics. The problem is that most have now been transferred to digital masters, thus ruining the analog sound forever.
To be at the high end of the value scale it can’t be one of those records that you had to put a few pennies on the tone arm to keep the needle from skipping.
 
YY1 said:
I have some inherited original press releases in my collection
Click to expand...

I have over 7000 L.P's, I have never heard the term, "original press release". What is that??
I know of, and they do have "Original Master Recordings", is that what you're referring to?
If so, I have Al Stewarts "year of the cat" and a few others that I can't recalled off hand.
 
YY1 said:
I have some inherited original press releases in my collection that I used to keep track of values on up until the early 1990's.

Dark Side Of The Moon (with poster, post cards and stickers)

Sgt Peppers
Magical Mystery Tour (with book)
Abbey Road
White Album (on Apple)

Machine Head (with poster)

Paranoid.

...and several more.

All in G to VG condition and most not played since the early 80's (once or twice).

I'm seeing $2,000 on some of them.

That's F'n CRAZY.

Last time I think $100 was tops on a couple.
Click to expand...
I don't have many...but I do have a First Edition Travelling Wilburys album....only ever played once.
I heard they are fetching decent money now. :):)

Probably more now that three out of five members have passed.
 
Original press is not a re-release, re-issue or re-master.

Basically the first pressing of the album, in the year it was originally released.

A common situation is- a different label acquires the rights (due to whatever) and re-releases the album on their label.
 
7,000?!

That's a lot of cubic feet.
 
69a100 said:
I have over 7000 L.P's, I have never heard the term, "original press release". What is that??
I know of, and they do have "Original Master Recordings", is that what you're referring to?
If so, I have Al Stewarts "year of the cat" and a few others that I can't recalled off hand.
Click to expand...

7000.... holy cow! That's like 140 linear feet of albums. Where do you keep it?

I had about 400 at one time but have weaned it down to the Cream (and other bands, lol) at about 200. I could probably name 90% of them because I still play them on occasion.

About 100 are in mint condition, but I did save some fair condition LP's I got from the local rock station when they went digital because they have station labeling and DJ graffiti on them that is fun to look at. I also saved some fair condition LPs from Steppenwolf with the foil covers and other interesting ones. My favorite one is Dave Mason "Alone Together" in perfect condition with the colored vinyl and all.

I have not been tracking value, but I have imagined myself taking 5-10 of them a week to a record store when I'm a decrepit old man and turning them in for beer money. Maybe I should change my vision to "champagne money" :D
 
Many of mine are at college right now.
Lol, I have a couple peach crates full of LPs from the early 70s into 80s.
I told my grandkids they could have any they wanted.
Top condition, always cared for them with the D3 cleaning brush ect.
Clear covers on all the jackets and allways stored upright.
My granddaughter told me , pops do you know what these are worth today ?
I said I did and they can sell them or keep them.
Hell I hadn't had them out of storage for 30 plus years.
 
YY1 said:
7,000?!

That's a lot of cubic feet.
Click to expand...

30 to 35 linear feet. Not a record, but it is a good amount. Had a friend who worked the local college radio station. He put himself, personally, on the record labels' mailing lists. He had a wall of records, 12 feet wide, 8 feet tall with records still coming in.

Haven't looked yet, but in the lot I bought, there was a group of Beatles a foot deep. I heard every Beatles song from their beginning and had never heard of many of these albums.

When I buy, I pull records out at random to see how they were cared for. These were all mint, so box by box, I bought all of the albums. I was so happy, I forgot to bid on the Bound Rolling Stone magazines that sold for $12. They sell for hundreds each... Dang! Non-buyer's remorse again.
 
All in G to VG condition and most not played since the early 80's (once or twice).

I'm seeing $2,000 on some of them.


The way to find value is by the stock number. It wouldn't be surprising if Dark Side of the Moon has a dozen different stock numbers with releases in differing countries, white labels, misprints, or any number of things that affect value.
 
The big thing with digital audio is the signal compression, it neuters the true sound and body of the music. When I mix live shows, I run an absolute minimal compression level - just enough to keep signal ranges under control for undisciplined vocalists, who go from a whisper to a scream inside of 2 syllables! I like to have as much dynamic range as I can...and it works. I consistently get compliments from people who "don't know music", saying my shows just "sound great". Even if they can't describe why...that tells me I'm doing my job right, and making my bands sound great!

I do love some original vinyl, although I have depressingly little of my own. I can typically remaster any music I have at home, to reproduce some body and tone for home use, so I never really got into purchasing. For those of you with YUGE collections...might I suggest calling insurance about it? There are a lot of folks carrying coverage on their collections these days - and with the dollar amounts, you can see why!
 
Dumb question where to find value of late 60's and early 70's albums? Have Duane Allmans anthology album given to me by a guy who work Atco/Atlantic records. It has for promotion to radio stations or somethings that wouldn't be on a retail album. Same thing on a Jethro Tull album.
 
I don't think "promo copy" affects value too much.

I've got a lot of those.

Was very common at the used record store I frequented.
 
YY1 said:
7,000?! That's a lot of cubic feet.
Click to expand...

Let's make it easy for everybody to understand and see. I have almost 16 book boxes of records. The 12X12X16" boxes.
I need to make some more new crates, I working on my 4th row depending how long I want the bottom row to be. 90% of them are in alphabetical order.
 
Mine were alphabetized from 1981 to around 2006.

One of these days I'll get them back in order.
 
The local college station went digital and tossed all of their vinyl. They ended up at a consignment auction. There were at least 100 foot tall piles. They sold for a couple bucks per stack for a while and then the rest to go for $2.

Sounds great except they were not taken care of at all. They had 2x4 tone arms on their turntables. College kids who were drinking and smoking, having parties in the booth. I never once saw one cleaned, same with a friend who worked in an FM station. Like comic books, I suppose, they weren't meant to be around after the song lost its popularity.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

YY1
Most expensive vinyl album sales from 2022
Replies
19
Views
682
YY1
YY1
Auto Transport Service
Back
Top