Vinyl records, also known as phonograph records, have been in regular use since the 1920s. Although largely considered a thing of the past, vinyl records continue to be manufactured and distributed. In fact, 2008 saw a bump in vinyl record albums distribution, with nearly 2.9 million units shipped. Despite the recent trend toward vinyl records among indie artists and alternative labels, though, digital formats have remained the standard methods of music distribution since the 1980s.
Collecting Vinyl Records
Today, collecting, selling and trading rare vinyl records has become a popular hobby among music enthusiasts. In addition to the entertainment value of listening to old vinyl records (many die-hard vinyl fans still prefer the sound to that of a CD or MP3), some rare vinyl records are also worth quite a bit of money.
Determining your vinyl records value requires some leg work, but the effort could definitely be worth it. There are thousands of rare vinyl records that are worth over $100 each, and some extremely rare vinyl records routinely sell for upwards of $10,000. Keep in mind that because best-selling vinyl record albums were produced in very large quantities, they are not among the most valuable vinyl records on the market. Instead, harder to find records—those that were produced in small quantities—are likely to fetch higher prices.
Your vinyl records value will be higher if they are in good condition and “complete.” That is, they’ll be worth more if you still have the manufacturers’ paper or cardboard sleeves. In some cases, the sleeves may be worth more than the vinyl record albums themselves!
Just as scarcity helps to determine vinyl records value, a record’s current popularity and relevance to musical history are also big factors. Early vinyl records by artists who later became big stars—like the Beatles or the Rolling Stones—are among the hardest vinyl record albums to find and the most valuable.