Selling Your Record Collection

So you are interested in selling your prized Record Collection?

The things that stop most people from selling their record collections are
1. I have collected all my life and can't bear to part with them
2. I don't believe I will get a fair price for my records

If Number one is your prime concern, then the time is probably not right for you to sell
If however it's number two, then it may be time to contact Got Any Records?

So How Do I Get The Best Price For My Collection?

Here are the main things that affect how much your collection is worth
1. CONDITION
2. QUANTITY
3. RARITY


Condition

Lets Start with the Sleeve. Right away if the sleeves are torn, scuffed, written on, stained, ringworn, or have crease lines on them, or the edges are shelf worn then this is going seriously affect the value of your collection. Collectors these day are becoming more and more concerned about the state of the cover as much as the vinyl, so if the general condition of the sleeve is near mint or close to it, then this is a great start for a nice valuation.

The Inner sleeve is next. Split seams, torn centre holes, stains, pen marks and foxing all will affect the quality of the package. Also if the record was originally issued with an insert (poster, Lyric Sheet, Flyer) then having it still there and in top condition will also help with the value

The Vinyl: This is the biggest issue affecting value and one where some sellers can be least objective. It is natural to think that your records are in top condition, however the reality often is that records are overgraded.
The Record Collector  has a guide to Grading and value in its monthly magazine and its worth checking out. (You will find it on a separate tab on the home page)
The Record Label: This should ideally be free from any marks or stains and certainly handwriting. Numerous people have over the years identified their records by writing their name on the labels. This will affect value!
Also an indication of how many plays the record has had, and how carefully it has been handled can be observed by looking at the centre hole or spindle hole. If there are numerous lines around the hole then this is an indication of many plays and careless handling. We have all done it. Placed a record on the turntable and tried to locate the turntable's spindle by rubbing the label across the turntable until the record is located onto the spindle. all this does is cause what are termed as spindle or spider lines around the hole. 
The vinyl can look in fantastic condition is daylight but only when placed under a strong LED or Halogen bulb can any defect really be noted. A Vinyl that displays scratch marks in daylight will always sound bad when played having crackles and pops and may even skip or stick. These records have no value only as collection fillers.

If a vinyl displays numerous surface lines when placed under a lamp, it is most likely to crackle a little when played sounding more prominent in the grooves between tracks.
If however there are just a few faint lines visible under the lamp then it is more probably that the record will play almost faultlessly. Better still a vinyl with absolutely no lines on it at all. This type of record would be worth more than any of the others but it is very rare to find records in this condition as they would have hardly been played to be in that state.

Quantity

Naturally the more records in the collection the more money the collection should be worth, however in some cases less is more. For example a small collection of original Beatles albums would certainly be worth more than a large collection of say Ray Coniff albums (no offense to Ray Conniff). Some types of music command higher prices for collectors than others, and some with rare exceptions have very low value.
In no particular order the more collectible records in general are Classic Rock, Progressive Rock, Psychedelic Rock, Some Classical volumes, Northern Soul, Punk, Some Rock and Roll, some Pop, Some Folk.
Those that have little collectible value in the main are. Country and Western, Most Classical volumes, Orchestral, and Easy Listening. There are exceptions to the rule in every case.

Rarity

This is one that catches a lot of sellers out. It is natural to believe that a record you have held in your possession for 30 years and is in mint condition is rare, but in the vast majority of cases this is not the case. One rule of thumb is that if the record was popular and sold in the thousands or millions then it is reasonable to assume that there are many copies out there reducing the overall value. This is not always true as in the case of original 60's Beatles albums which if in mint or near mint condition can command high values even though they sold in their millions.

Records that hardly sold any copies can now be worth a lot of money. Many Progressive Rock volumes of the early 70's fall into the category.
It is also true that certain record labels are collectible, and Vertigo Swirl, Pink Island, Early Harvest, Deram etc fall into the category.

The Final part of the rarity valuation concerns the actual pressing of the record. So lets use Black Sabbath's debut album as an example. Depending on when a collector started collecting records they could have any one of a number of issues of this vinyl. The record was originally pressed on the Vertigo swirl label and even with this there are early and later pressings. A true first press must have the PHILLIPS RECORD wording printed at the bottom of the white side of the label. second and later issues didn't have this. Next there is the size of the spiral logo which differs between presses, getting smaller with each repress. Then it was reissued years later on the Vertigo Spaceship label, also on the WWA label, and again on the NEMS label. The one that commands the most value is naturally the first issue. This ideal is true for most records and there have been many reissues through the years of most records.

So if you have made it all the way to the bottom of this information and you believe you have a collection that has value that you would like to sell or even to get valued, give us a call and make an appointment.
We come to you at a time and place that suits you

01243 870375 or 07966 519247 and ask for Garry  ( or email: Gotanyrecords@aol.com )

We are based in West Sussex, but would travel anywhere for the right collection