Although it seems that no two record price guides ever seem to agree on an exact price that a scarce, highly collectible record is worth, we must remember that these are the best guesses at the time of book's release and are only estimates. Many factors will go into what a record may sell for, including the authenticity of the vinyl, the demand, the year of release and the condition and what someone may be willing to pay for a specific collectible. I have compiled a short list (at random) of some of the highly prized recordings and the estimated values that they may command on the market.
But, take into consideration the scarcity of these records. There is a reason that these vinyl records are so highly coveted, there just aren’t a lot of them available. Additionally, the market fluctuates, so the prices I list here may change at any time. But, suffice to say, it is imperative that you get a glimpse into the world of highly priced collectible vinyl records and that you certainly must know how to identify these highly sought after treasures.
Furthermore, this is certainly not an all inclusive listing of all the most valuable rare vinyl, but a glimpse into how valuable some records are. With this said, let’s explore some of the more highly priced records out there today (for reference and to get these values listed, I used the “Rockin’ Records” price guide that was published by Jerry Osborne in 2008)
What I tried to do is give you a look at an eclectic group of artists on 33, 45 and 78 rpm as well as detail some collectible record labels.
Beatles- “Introducing The Beatles” Vee Jay 1062 (1964) stereo version-black label with brackets logo-has “Love Me Do” and “P.S. I Love You” the back cover lists the contents
Bob Dylan- “The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan” Columbia CS-8786 (1963) stereo version-with the songs “Let me Die In MY Footsteps,” “Talkin’ John Birch Society Blues,” “Gamblin’ Willie’s Dead Man’s Hand” and “Rocks And gravel (which may also be shown as “Solid Gravel”) The only way to tell if you have this is to verify the songs on the LP by playing it, rather than accepting the information that is printed on the label. In fact, some copies of the rare pressing have reissue labels
Bob Dylan- “The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan” Columbia CS-1986 (1963) monoaural-with the songs “Let me Die In MY Footsteps,” “Talkin’ John Birch Society Blues,” “Gamblin’ Willie’s Dead Man’s Hand” and “Rocks And gravel (which may also be shown as “Solid Gravel”) The only way to tell if you have this is to verify the songs on the LP by playing it, rather than accepting the information that is printed on the label. In fact, some copies of the rare pressing have reissue labels, identification numbers of the pressing are XLP-58717-1A, XLP-58718-1A
Jefferson Airplane- “Jefferson Airplane Takes Off” RCA 3584 (1966) black label album has twelve tracks-original mono edition of the debut LP had 3 songs that should have never gotten by the censors including “Runnin’ ‘Round This World,” “Got To Her” and “Let Me In” new versions of the last two listed were substituted for the originals, on “Let Me In” the revised lyrics “As you stay here by me” were added in the place of the original “As you lay under me” while “’Runnin ‘Round This World” (which referred to both sex and drugs) was cut all together not to be heard again until 1971’s “Early Flight” compilation
Rolling Stones- 33 rpm “Big Hits” London NP-1 (1966) monoaural full title printed on one line on the cover with the artist credited on the second line $3,000-4,000
Supremes- 33 rpm “Meet The Supremes” Motown 606 (1963) Front cover pictures each member sitting on a stool. Label has red star, indicating Detroit, in upper right. $1,000-1,200
Jimi Hendrix- 33 rpm "Axis: Bold As Love" Reprise R-6281 1968 Monoaural with orange and brown label $2,000-2,500
By Robert Benson
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