Old vinyl albums

[HaloMilliVanilli]

My wifes grandmother passed away.  As I am known to be a big music buff (and because they had no clue what else to do with them), the family has let me have a moving box full of old albums.  Does anyone have a clue how to find out if there is anything valuable in this collection?  I can imagine that trying to find an appraiser is likely the answer, but how to find someone who won't be looking out for their best interests?  I don't have immediate intention of keeping them.  I was thinking of selling them, but I don't want to give them away for next to nothing if there is something potentially valuable in there.

The collection is all over the place, from some old classical stuff, to some Woody Herman and Miles Davis, to some 1960's rock stuff.  The things that caught my eye were 3 or 4 Beatles albums (Revolver, White Album and Abbey Road).  White Album and Abbey Road have an apple at the center of the actual album, full apple on one side and half-cut on the other.  Anyone have any thoughts?

[Spirit]

No idea as far as a dollar value.  I've got a bunch of old vinyl from the 70's & 80's.  Some of it may have worth, but it's more sentimental to me.

 

This is one of those cases where I think Google is your friend. 

[HaloMilliVanilli]

I have no old vinyl myself, although I wish that I had kept everything that I had as a kid (Boston, Foreignor, Clapton, Journey, Queen, etc.).  Like you said, probably not worth squat but it would be cool to decorate a wall or a picture-frame with the awesome cover art.  There are some albums in this collection that I would likely hold onto if there is no monetary value to be had.  The Beatles stuff, a couple of The Band albums, a few Dylans, Blind Faith, Big Brother and the Holding Company (Janis Joplin), a Rolling Stones, Simon and Garfunkel, and a Mothers of Invention (Frank Zappa) and a few others.

[BaseballMom]

I just recently moved and have many old albums that belonged to my Mom...Simon & Garfunkel, Marty Robbins, Johnny Cash, Glen Yarborough, Buffy St Marie....etc..

 

I saved them all...could not toss a single one.  They all remind me of my Mom, who was an effing awesome woman.

[Vegas Halo Fan]

I have a fair amount of them left, including some from my college years (I was in two marching bands, and I was on three of those albums).

 

Here are a couple of sites to help you determine value:

 

Popsike.com - Lists results of auctions of various albums.

 

http://www.popsike.com/

 

Vinyl Records Price Guide - Tells you how to grade records in terms of condition, and approximate market values.

 

http://www.vinylrecords.ch/Vinyl/vinyl_prices.html

[Ray McKigney]

I know people that are serious collectors. My cousin is a collector. He has over 5,000 records. He's sold some that he has found at thrift stores and swap meets for a lot. I remember one that he sold on eBay for over a grand. I can ask him the best way to find out if you've got anything of value. He's one of those guys that can flip through a box of records in a a few minutes and immediately tell if there's anything valuable.

[HaloMilliVanilli]

I just recently moved and have many old albums that belonged to my Mom...Simon & Garfunkel, Marty Robbins, Johnny Cash, Glen Yarborough, Buffy St Marie....etc..

 

I saved them all...could not toss a single one.  They all remind me of my Mom, who was an effing awesome woman.

Ha!  There were two albums by Buffy Sainte-Marie in this collection.  I was thinking...who the f*ck is Buffy Sainte-Marie?  Some Joan Baez too.

[HaloMilliVanilli]

Great info. thus far.  Thanks for the links.

[Pbonetheman]

Try discogs as well they sell so many records. It will give you the exact pressing information of the record and how much people are selling them for.

[BaseballMom]

Ha!  There were two albums by Buffy Sainte-Marie in this collection.  I was thinking...who the f*ck is Buffy Sainte-Marie?  Some Joan Baez too.

 

lol...My Mom had a very eclectic taste in music.  She also had Disraeli Gears by Cream and Sargent Pepper's by the Beatles...

[Spencer]

The number/letter sequences on the spine of each album will give you the info you need to find the pressing date on discogs.com

I collect vinyl both to listen to and because some of what I have is worth a little bit of money.

Overall, the only albums you have that could be worth anything significant are probably the Beatles albums.

As for the rest of it, check eBay or Google for the more popular bands, using the pressing codes in your search.

[nate]

Beatles albums are usually fairly valuable.  You can find record stores out there that will pay you $1 per album.  Make sure not to store them anywhere that gets too hot or expose them to direct sunlight or you risk warping them.

[HeavenlyHalos]

This reminds me of the Seinfeld episode where Kramer and Newman sell albums. I think it's titled the Old Man or something

 

[TobiasFunke]

I'm a collector. Mainly punk, hardcore, folk and blues.

Popsike will help you out though its not 100% accurate on what the market is for the individual record.

You'd have to be specific in almost every record for us to help you out. In regards to your Beatles records, just because their Beatles doesn't mean they are rare or worth anything. Does your White Album have an embossed serial number on the jacket?

[Tank]

Gold and Silver Pawn

Las Vegas, Nevada

Ask for Rick. He knows a guy that can tell you all about them.

[The Ghost of Bob Starr]

Glad to hear about everybody's pieces of vinyl.

[VariousCrap]

My dad is a big time collector.  When he was out of work for a bit, he sold some of his albums on Ebay and several of them went for over a thousand each, but that is not the norm.

 

Ebay is actually a great way of finding what those albums are worth.  See what people are trying to sell them for that way.  You will most likely find that the vast majority of the albums are not worth much though.

[TobiasFunke]

My dad is a big time collector.  When he was out of work for a bit, he sold some of his albums on Ebay and several of them went for over a thousand each, but that is not the norm.

 

Ebay is actually a great way of finding what those albums are worth.  See what people are trying to sell them for that way.  You will most likely find that the vast majority of the albums are not worth much though.

What kind of stuff did he have to sell for that much?

[Spencer]

Yeah seriously. WTF album(s) could possibly worth a grand, barring autographs or some kind of super special secret letter of provenance?

[TobiasFunke]

There's a couple of records I can think of of different genres that are worth a grand or close to it. But usually the most expensive ones I can think of usually float around $500.

 

Spencer, side note from this thread, I messaged you a while ago about your avatar and told you if you're into soccer you should join us in the soccer thread. We welcome everyone that's into the sport, especially ones that support odd ball non-popular teams or leagues like a Balkan league.

[Ray McKigney]

My cousin sold an album he found at a thrift store for about a grand on eBay. I can't remember the name of the band/record. It was a late-sixties psych group, I think. I'd never heard of the group. I'll ask him. I remember some guy from Sweden or Switzerland bought it. Apparently, my memory sucks.

[Spencer]

There's a couple of records I can think of of different genres that are worth a grand or close to it. But usually the most expensive ones I can think of usually float around $500.

Spencer, side note from this thread, I messaged you a while ago about your avatar and told you if you're into soccer you should join us in the soccer thread. We welcome everyone that's into the sport, especially ones that support odd ball non-popular teams or leagues like a Balkan league.

Thanks for the invite, but really I'm just a poser when it comes to soccer. I don't follow it nearly as much as when I was in college, worked part time, and had zero responsibilities.

I follow Hajduk only sparingly, and follow the Croatian national team when they play Serbia (subhuman slime), Bosnia, or other teams where the stands turn into the wild wild f*cking west.

Oh, and I have a weiner, in lieu of female reproductive organs.

[TobiasFunke]

My cousin sold an album he found at a thrift store for about a grand on eBay. I can't remember the name of the band/record. It was a late-sixties psych group, I think. I'd never heard of the group. I'll ask him. I remember some guy from Sweden or Switzerland bought it. Apparently, my memory sucks.

13th Floor Elevators? Blue Cheer? Velvet Underground?

[TobiasFunke]

Thanks for the invite, but really I'm just a poser when it comes to soccer. I don't follow it nearly as much as when I was in college, worked part time, and had zero responsibilities.

I follow Hajduk only sparingly, and follow the Croatian national team when they play Serbia (subhuman slime), Bosnia, or other teams where the stands turn into the wild wild f*cking west.

Oh, and I have a weiner, in lieu of female reproductive organs.

Welp, if you ever want to engage in soccer or rep your Croat national team, join us.

[mrwicked]

take it to a place like rasputin or amoeba (or whatever is similar down in socal).

those cats have seen and sold everything.