Help with valuing vinyl records.

Discussion in 'Marketplace Discussions' started by Gingi, Jan 24, 2020.

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  1. Gingi

    Gingi New Member Thread Starter

    Location:
    Carrollton ga
    My husband recently bought a storage building full of vinyl albums. I have elton john73090, universal city records. I think i probably have every elton john album there is. How do i know which ones are really valuable. Every websight says something diffrent.
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Jan 25, 2020
  2. Old Fred

    Old Fred Forum Resident

  3. Christian Hill

    Christian Hill It's all in the mind

    Location:
    Boston
    Check the eBay "sold" listings only. That's more realistic idea of what things are going for.
     
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  4. samthesham

    samthesham Forum Resident

    Location:
    Moorhead MN
    Actually none of Elton John's records are that rare but NM orig U.S. 1st run pressings run about $30 a piece & the double Goodbye Yellow Brick Road can fetch $40-$45...

    If you have U.K. pressings add a additional $20-30 for the record
     
    Last edited: Jan 25, 2020
  5. Strat-Mangler

    Strat-Mangler Personal Survival Daily Record-Breaker

    Location:
    Toronto
    Only 1st-year UK pressings from DJM made from translucent vinyl in Near Mint condition are valuable.

    Otherwise, they're all disposable. Millions upon millions of each of his albums were made and distributed so they aren't rare or tough to find.
     
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  6. vinylontubes

    vinylontubes Forum Resident

    Location:
    Katy, TX
    Start with learning how to grade a records. Condition is the most important thing for determining value. Grades are Mint, Near Mint, Very Good +, Very Good, Good, and Poor. For each step down, the value is approximately halved. Barring you have some extremely rare, this hold up pretty well. '90s pressings in general due to rarity hold their value far better than any other period of time. Most sell of at least $50 in VG+ condition. Most records found in a storage facility are going to be graded as Good. Most collectors are reluctant to buy anything that isn't VG+. The more collectible records sell for ab0ut $15-$20 at VG+. Let's assume it's $20. The same record graded VG is $10 and G is $5. See how much condition matters. Mind you these are collectible records. Most records aren't collectible, they usually sell for under $5 at VG+. But if I was sorting through a storage facility of records, I would start by segregating the records by grade. Also note these are generally selling prices in a retail item. This means a store front or other kinds of marketing investments. If you are selling as wholesale, the price will further be cut in half. The reseller has to cover overheads and still make a profit. You're probably looking for advice about a $1000 record that might be hiding within all those records. I'll state that it probably isn't there. A really expensive record is $200. There are some exceptions, but most people just aren't going to $100 for a records. You can go to record shops that have what I like to call trophy records. They either put them in display cases or have them on a wall out of reach. These more than often don't exceed $100. And they usually sit there for years. People are looking for bargains.

    I would start with the cover condition. Generally, if an album cover is well kept, the records is probably in as good condition. Once you get your grading down look for records you think might be worth something. Particularly anything that still gets radio play. If there are genres of music to which you are unfamiliar, you should set those aside. This is not going to be an easy task. If you can get some help with a knowledgeable friend to look over what you have, this is the best thing to do. Offer some records their time.
    Record Grading 101: Understanding The Goldmine Grading Guide
     
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  7. showtaper

    showtaper Concert Hoarding Bastard

    Because of your posted location I'm assuming that the storage shed was in Georgia. Was this a climate controlled shed and how long were the records in storage? There's the possibility that the records have damage from exposure to temperature extremes.
     
  8. markshan

    markshan Forum Resident

    Location:
    Pittsburgh, PA
    Storage building full of vinyl records.

    My guess is that you focused on EJ because he is the one you heard of. Chances are fair that among that size of a collection that it may be some of the ones you've never heard of that have the most value. Sort of to piggyback off @Strat-Mangler thoughts.
     
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