Should I sell My Collection of Beatles Early UK Pressings?

Discussion in 'Marketplace Discussions' started by Dalziel53, Nov 12, 2021.

  1. Dalziel53

    Dalziel53 Senior Member Thread Starter

    I have early UK pressings of most of the UK Beatles LP's (except Yellow Submarine and Let It Be). They are all in very good shape (VG++). In some cases I have multiple copies. I'm in the process of assessing and potentially thinning out my vinyl collection. The main reason for the question is that I rarely play them so they are mostly just in the collectible category.

    I am in the process of cataloging each album with the pressing and stamper details and listening to each album to assess the sound quality versus the visual quality. Of course, when I've done this, the question may be moot.

    Some considerations:

    1. Do you think the value increase will continue to increase at the same pace as the previous decade?
    2. Have you done this in the past and regretted it?
    3. If they are all excellent sound and visual quality, and I do decide to sell, what avenue would you suggest for the sale?

    Thanks for your help.
     
    Last edited: Nov 12, 2021
  2. andy obrien

    andy obrien Forum Resident

    Location:
    watford
    Ive got a feeling that, once you've cleaned them, played them, graded them, whispered sweet nothings to them, etc - you will have developed a deep, eternal bond and wont be able to part with them! Ive ended up with 5 copies of "With The Beatles" in various states of disrepair - each one of them is like a part of the family. So i've voted "no"!
     
    Cronverc likes this.
  3. milankey

    milankey Forum Resident

    Location:
    Kent, Ohio, USA
    If you are under age 70 I would say keep them you might want them back. And you can always decide to sell them later. Once they're gone, they're gone.
     
    showtaper, quicksrt and zphage like this.
  4. Dalziel53

    Dalziel53 Senior Member Thread Starter

    I have a similar feeling. I also have multiple copies of most of them in good shape and some of them have a strong nostalgic connection. I did collect an almost full set about 20 years ago purely as collectibles, so it is those ones that are potentially on the block. Thansk for your feedback.
     
    andy obrien likes this.
  5. Sear

    Sear Dad rocker

    Location:
    Tarragona (Spain)
    I'd keep them.
     
  6. There will probably be a price bump and more interest after the Let It Be doc airs.


    But unless you have to sell them I wouldn’t. They are a finite commodity that will always command a decent price.
     
  7. Dalziel53

    Dalziel53 Senior Member Thread Starter

    I'm very close to 70. Proabably part of the rationale. Not leaving it to my son to figure out ............ :)
     
    Shawn and milankey like this.
  8. Hagstrom

    Hagstrom Please stop calling them vinyls.

    If you are even considering selling, then sell.
     
    quicksrt and Crimson King like this.
  9. Neonbeam

    Neonbeam All Art Was Once Contemporary

    Location:
    Planet Earth
    1. Since this is the Beatles I'd wait at least until Paul and Ringo are leaving us. I guess that should accelerate what already are healthy prices.

    2. To be honest with you every time I've sold a record I at least appreciated - because it fetched a premium or I had various different versions - I eventually came to regret it. Because I've read here that the "Go to" version of an album happens to be the version I parted with.

    3. Ebay. That's where the money is.

    Short answer: No. At least not yet.
     
    Dalziel53 likes this.
  10. eddiel

    eddiel Senior Member

    Location:
    Toronto, Canada
    They likely will increase in value. Some titles more than others would be my guess. Hard to say at what rate though anything in great condition you describe will fetch premiums.

    The only reason I regretted selling any record is because they've gone up in value since I sold them. But that's how it works. If I kept them and sold them now, 10 years from now I'd be thinking "If I held onto them I could've got even more!" So I don't really regret selling anything really. : ) One thing I will say is that before deciding on what to sell, it takes me a lot of time to get to that point. So when I do, I'm certain I want the lp gone.

    You can get a huge premium selling them online if they are great condition. I've seen auctions hit high levels for premium quality condition. But it is a gamble. If you don't attract enough interest, which is possible as a new(er) seller, you could wind up getting less. But you can mitigate by listing them as Buy It Now with open to offers, either on eBay or Discogs. I would recommend play grading them before listing on line. You will get a premium if you can allocate a play grade to each record.
     
  11. Dalziel53

    Dalziel53 Senior Member Thread Starter

    Thanks. I'm certainly going to play grade them and am in the process of doing so.

    One of the considerations I have is that I think it's a lot of work to go through this process and I'm not sure that my son will do it properly when he inherits my estate. At a minimum I can get everything to a point where the heavy lifting leg work is done like play grade, visual, master, stampers, etc and properly cataloged on Discogs. At that point, if they are still in the collection, it will be easier for him to understand his options regarding assessing the value.
     
    eddiel likes this.
  12. quicksrt

    quicksrt Senior Member

    Location:
    Los Angeles
    No, record selling is best done by the person who knows what they have exactly. I would get them all graded, photographed including both labels, and ready to go. And then list them and sell them when the timing is right.

    I think classic rock on vinyl is peaking now. And Beatles will always go higher as the years go by but not at the rate we've seen the last two decades. I would only hold onto something really special. A gold text UK PPM, a butcher cover in top shape, or a White Album UK on white from 78 still sealed. Those kinds of goodies. Other nice items I would cash out and get it over with. As long as you get good prices you'll be happy.
     
    Shoes1916, Dale A B and Dalziel53 like this.
  13. If you don’t listen to them there’s no point in keeping them. Only thing is if you ever want to get them again it won’t be easy to replace them if they’re in VG++ condition (tons and tons of over-graded ones out there).
     
  14. Dalziel53

    Dalziel53 Senior Member Thread Starter

    Thanks everyone for your input so far. I have never sold any of my collection before so also looking for advice on which sites you use to get accurate pricing/valuation. I'm familiar with buying from eBay, Discogs and the Classifieds on the SH Forums. Are there better/reputable sources to get a good sense of the current pricing?
     
  15. eddiel

    eddiel Senior Member

    Location:
    Toronto, Canada
    Try Popsike. It uses eBay data but goes back much further then what you can find on eBays (sold items filter). Make sure you sort by "most recent" so you can see the most up to date pricing.
     
  16. Dalziel53

    Dalziel53 Senior Member Thread Starter

    Great. Thanks.
     
  17. quicksrt

    quicksrt Senior Member

    Location:
    Los Angeles
    When you go to list as Discogs, it shows you:

    1. What others are asking for the particular release (usually was over-priced items at the top, the average is often about right)
    2. What the item sold for in recent months, usually a good sign of correct price, but if one went for $325.00 at the top, it might have been much nicer than yours is, so still not indicative of what you have on hand unless you have way under-played wax.
    3. How many others have this particular release. and how many of them are located in the USA. If you are the only one in the US, and your condition is better than the others being offered, you can ask for higher than average prices, sometimes much higher.

    But there are a lot of issues with selling vinyl.
    1. Do you know how to clean an LP without leaving it streaky and worse looking?
    2. Do you know how to grade a cover, and mention issues pro and con?
    3. Do you know how to pack an LP correctly?
    4. Have a source for poly sleeves and LP mailers?
    5. Have a good relationship with Paypal as a seller?
    6. Do you know when to insure a media rate package and when to let it be on its own?

    I would high-tail over to Discogs and set up a seller account now. Sell some standard $5 to $10 LPs to get some feedback going before you attempt to get top dollar on UK Beatles LPs. You want 10 to 20 Positive feedbacks before anything important is listed.
     
  18. Dalziel53

    Dalziel53 Senior Member Thread Starter

    Thank you very much. This is great advice. Thanks for taking the time to provide such a detailed response. As a previous buyer, all of these points make sense.
     
  19. thesisinbold

    thesisinbold Forum Resident

    Location:
    Camarillo, Ca, USA
    I will buy them all.
     
  20. Bigsweetc6

    Bigsweetc6 Forum Resident

    Location:
    East Los Angeles
    Did you decide to keep or sell? I’ve been looking for a UK Mono Sgt. Peppers…
     
  21. Dalziel53

    Dalziel53 Senior Member Thread Starter

    Still have them. Still deciding ....... :)
     
    rcsrich likes this.
  22. rcsrich

    rcsrich Forum Resident

    Location:
    Virginia
    Ummm... I'm no expert, but I think that's a "no." :D
     
    Dale A B and Dave like this.
  23. audiomixer

    audiomixer As Bald As The Beatles

    Do you plan on dying tomorrow? Then, no.
     
  24. eddiel

    eddiel Senior Member

    Location:
    Toronto, Canada
    It's a sellers market these days. If you have what you have, I'd carve out the duplicates (so you keep a copy for later on) and give Heritage Auctions a call. They'll probably wave their seller fees to take this on and they attract big bids.
     
  25. Whiplash mailers are worth the investment for high value situations:

     

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