Autographed: an autograph can greatly increase the price of a given record, especially if it’s nonpersonal (meaning no “dear person, this is for…”).Essentially, it’s anything that sets the album apart from simply being from a popular artist and scarce. There are many factors that fall beneath this category. Mainly, it is the uniqueness of a given album that truly drives value why they were produced, the time and place, etc. Sometimes a record is sold in abundance, is well-kept throughout the years, and does not experience a notable appreciation. That’s not the truth, seeing as an old record from an artist that did not retain popularity, nor had it in the first place will not be a collector’s item.Īdditionally, the inverse of what we spoke on regarding scarcity occurs here. A common misconception is that the older the record, the more it’s going to cost. Why? Because unlike wine, time passed does not equate value creation. Age of RecordĪnother interesting dynamic to a vintage record’s pricing is age. Meaning finding one in decent condition, which hasn’t been played to oblivion, renders the record to be “scarce.” This drives up the value. While these records were widely available, it’s only in the recent few decades that people started treating their vinyl with care. Yet, record albums that sold in the ‘70s and ’80s, which is a time where millions could be distributed, can still be considered scarce.

This album, due to its extreme scarcity-and The Boss’s later popularity-now goes for upwards of $5k. Take Spirit In the Night by Bruce Springsteen, for example, which is a 7” single released by Columbia records in 1973. To a degree, that’s true with vintage records.

It is only common sense that, for a collector’s item, the less there are the more they’re worth. Scarcity is a dynamic subject when discussing vintage records since there are various factors that contribute to its definition. This is due to their widespread popularity and has been what many consider “trendsetters.” If these records were rare, unique, or scarce during the time of their release, the price appreciates immensely. Inversely, an artist that was not popular but became so later will have records that appreciated immensely.Įlvis Presley, Pink Floyd, the Beatles, Bob Dylan, and other iconic musicians and bands have highly priced records even after they stopped recording. Why? Because no matter how rare a record might be, if the artists aren’t popular, why would anyone want to buy it? Likewise, sometimes a popular artist sold records for a high value, only for it to depreciate over time. The artist plays perhaps the biggest role in a vintage record’s pricing. Also, the production of vinyl evolved over the years, which further added to the multiple variables that can influence pricing.īelow are the factors that most collectors and enthusiasts adhere to when pricing a vintage record. They are a collector’s item, meaning that value can be subjective, with multiple factors contributing to their price-point. It should not surprise you to learn that there is no one single formula for a vintage record’s value. What to be aware of when buying/or selling.In this vintage record price guide, you can expect to learn:

In which case, what do vintage records usually cost? And it also means that, as more vinyl fans surface, they want to get their hands on these vintage relics before they experience bitcoin-like inflation. This vinyl comeback means that all those record collections packed in dusty basements are quickly appreciating. Collectors, audiophiles, enthusiasts, and the large swath of us that want to know what all the fuss is about are buying record players and vinyl records. Film is making a comeback and, right in front of it, vinyl records are surging in popularity. The world is currently experiencing a shift away from digital.

33 rpm vinyl record values