Do you know that those old vinyl records stacked on each other in your shed can sell for a fortune? Yes, you heard me right!
In March 2018, the NYC Times reported that the US government sold Wu-Tang’s ‘Once-Upon-a-Time’ vinyl record for a staggering $2 MILLION!
Such high prices aren’t rare for old vinyl records because of their old make and signs. That’s why our grandparents insisted on storing them, even when we got old CDs and Cassettes! So before you scrap and use old records for DIY art, let’s check how much they’re worth!
Key Takeaways
- Antique features like grooves, tracks, liner notes, and styles will help you value your old vinyl record.
- You can track your vinyl record’s age by checking the copyright marks, barcodes, matrix numbers, and dates on the label.
- Pick exclusive birthday, first pressing, anniversary, or tour collection records for a limited-edition make.
- Bored of the plain, black-colored records? Get printed, colored, or shaped vinyl records for better returns.
Key Features of Valuable Old Vinyl Records
Antique freaks love old vinyl records for their printed labels and signs. But that doesn’t necessarily make them ‘VALUABLE.’
To ensure that your vinyl record is old and collectible, look for the following features:
- Polyvinyl chloride designs with grooves and waveform designs
- Two playable sides with multiple tracks
- 7,10 or 12-inch records, each with different speeds and revolutions
- Warm, rich, and analog sound
- Elaborate artwork, photographs, and liner notes on the surface
History of Old Vinyl Records
Old vinyl records date back to the 1930s. However, history says that Emile Berliner made similar Shellac discs in the 1800s. They were thin and had a low 78rpm (records per minute) speed.
Then, RCA Victor produced the first commercial record in 1935. However, it had smaller 45-rpm tracks and 22 minutes of playing speed, and it was more suited to singles.
For the next few years, makers worked on improving the playing time, and in 1950, they took it to 44 minutes. Now, they could fit into more genres like Pop, Rock ‘n’ Roll, and Jazz. They also used printed labels, covers, and pop-culture stickers on them.
However, by the 1980s, Sony introduced the high-quality ‘Compact Disk,’ which won the market with its better audio, video, and playing time. That’s how the vinyl record era ended, making them collectible today.
6 Types of Vintage Vinyl Records (With Values)
Let’s check out the six main types of old vinyl records as per their function and playtime below:
| Old Vinyl Record Types | Top Identifying Features | Year | Estimated Value |
| 78 RPM (10 -12”) | Grooved vinyl records with 3 – 5 minutes of playing time per side | 1930 – 1950 | $50 – 1200 |
| 33 ⅓ RPM (12”) | Simple black label or picture discs with 22 minutes of playing time per side | 1948 | $100 – 1300, but rare ones can value up to $7000 |
| 45 RPM (7”) | Small, single-track discs with encoded, low-frequency sound waves and tracks | 1949 | $10 – 950 |
| Box Set Records | Curated, 12-inch LP records, each with liner notes, posters, photographs, and wooden or leather-bound cases | 1960s | $120 – 1300 |
| EP Records (7”) | Simple, narrow, and grooved records with low-frequency sound tracks and 2 – 4 song capacity | 1950 | $20 – 500 |
| Maxi-Single Records | Grooved, 3 – 5 song records with encoded frequencies & picture labels | 1970 | $10 – 200 |
6 Factors to Identify & Find Old Vinyl Records’ Value
If you want to find out your vinyl record’s value, many factors like age, style, and record genre will help you! So, let’s check them out below:
1. Manufacturing Age & Marks
Want to know if your record’s old and worth the ‘antique hype’? Just check if it has any of the aged signs below:
- © or ‘p’ (phonograph mark) on the album covers or package
- Bar codes, Label codes, or Deposito Legal codes on the stickers
- Catalog number, Label matrix number, or Rights societies information on the outer rim
- Runout matrix number, Pressing plant code or Studio numbers at the back
- Singer initials, Dates, Logos, or Messages on the labels
Found the marks? Great! Now go on, and confirm the era-specific features from the list below:
| Old Vinyl Record Years | Age | How to Identify? | Featured Artists | Average Cost |
| 1930s | 84 – 93 years | Small, 78rpm discs with a natural Shellac or resin finish, single track records, and wide grooves | Bing Crosby, Jimmie Rodgers, etc. | $100 – 2000 |
| 1950 – 1960 | 63 – 73 years | Simple 45 rpm or 33 ½ RPM records with early Rock ‘n’ Roll, Rhythm, Country & Jazz tracks | Elvis Presley, Beatles, Miles Davis, etc. | $20 – 1000 |
| 1970s | 44 – 53 years | Grooved LP discs with 2-3 Rock, Funk, Soul & Disco tracks | Led Zeppelin, David Bowie & Pink Floyd | $20 – 900 |
| 1980s | 34 – 43 years | Large, 33 ½ rpm records with synthetic labels, photographs, and gatefold sleeves | New wave, Punk, Hip Hop & Rock | $10 – 600 |
Old vinyl records with a 9 -12” size and single-side grooves are old and more valuable.
2. Genres
It’s true that the earliest 1930s records had simple devotional or festive songs. But then, by the 1950s, makers introduced more genres like Hip-Hop, Jazz, Country, and Classical. So, let’s check the resale value of such themed Vinyl records.
| Vintage Vinyl Records Genre | Featured Record Labels | Estimated Price |
| Acoustic, Beat Music & Punk | Columbia, Apple Records, Warner Bros | $20 – 600 |
| Drama, Jazz, Ballroom & Opera | RCA Victor, London, Blue Note Records, etc. | $100 – 7000 |
| Children’s Music, Hymns & Marches | Disney, Peter Pan Records, Columbia | $10 – 500 |
| Comedy & Holiday | Decca, Warner Bros & Verve | $10 – 300 |
| Folk, Religious & Devotional | Reprise, RCA Victor & Columbia | $50 – 1500 |
| Oldies, Pop, Rap & Hip-hop | Capitol Records, EMI, Epic & Warner Bros | $100 – 1000 |
3. Record Edition
Do you know some 1970s disks have original Elvis Presley and Alice Cooper recordings? No wonder such ‘First Pressing’ vinyl records cost more, even up to $1200. But that’s not all! There are so many other themed series – like Anniversary, Tours, and Anthology!
And here’s a value guide to appraising each of them:
| Old Vinyl Records Edition | Top Artists | Average Value |
| Birthday or Anniversary Edition | Beatles, Prince, Lucinda Williams | $20 – 600 |
| First Pressing or First Edition | Elvis Presley, Rush, Seal & Prince | $10 – 1000 |
| Promos & Anthology | Pink Floyd, Seal, Rush & Beatles | $50 – 1200 |
| Tour Edition | Rolling Stones, Autograph & Slave | $50 – 600 |
| Limited & Special Edition | CSeal, Beatles & Pink Floyd | $20 – 500 |
4. Country & Language
Old Vinyl records with original American Folk music are more precious than those with Global or Heavy-metal tracks. Also, collectors pay more if they have regional language labels and packages.
So use Google Translator, check your record’s style and language, and compare the values below:
| Old Vinyl Record Language | Average Cost |
| Hindi & Bengali | $10 – 200 |
| European – French, German, English, Spanish & Swedish | $20 – 600 |
| Asian – Chinese or Japanese | $10 – 500 |
| Russian | $5 – 300 |
| Turkish | $5 – 200 |
| Vietnamese | $5 – 100 |
5. Colors
You all might know the typical black and gray records. But vintage vinyl records had so many other colors – gold, red, green, and pink, each with different costs and labels. So, let’s check those details:
| Old Vinyl Record Colors | Average Cost |
| Black & Gray | $40 – 1000 |
| Beige & Brown | $10 – 900 |
| Blue, Green & Purple | $10 – 500 |
| Transparent & White | $5 – 400 |
| Red, Orange & Yellow | $10 – 500 |
| Metallic Gold & Silver | $100 – 1500 |
6. Surface Finishes
You might be surprised to know that makers didn’t use the same vinyl record for all their albums. Like, they used the 1930s colored disks for homes and the 1950s flexi discs for promotional albums. So each had different features that changed the value. Let’s see how!
| Vintage Vinyl Record’s Finish | How to Identify? | Estimated Cost |
| Colored Vinyl | Pressed, colored vinyl records, ranging from transparent to textured finishes | $100 – 1500 |
| Picture Discs | Look for discs with printed singer photographs or illustrations | $60 – 900 |
| Shape Discs | Oval or Elliptical vinyl records with narrower edges | $20 – 700 |
| 200 Gram Pressings | Heavy, 120 – 140 gram discs with thicker sections and grooves | $15 – 500 |
| Flexi Discs | Thin, Flexible, and easy-to-bend records with compact grooves | $10 – 300 |
9 Most Valuable Old Vinyl Records Worth Money
Did you know one of the original Beatles album records with Ringo Starr’s drum track was valued at $790,000? Sounds crazy, right?
Well, the rarer and more popular the record, the more it costs! So don’t miss out on any original autographs and labels that might hike your vinyl record’s value.
Here are some rare vinyl records and their soaring prices:
| Rare Vinyl Records | Last Resale Price |
| Wu-Tang Clan: Once Upon a Time in Shaolin | $2 million (2015) |
| John Lennon And Yoko Ono: Double Fantasy | $900,000 |
| The Beatles: The Beatles (White Album) (1968) | $790,000 |
| Elvis Presley: My Happiness (1953) | $300,000 |
| Yesterday And Today By The Beatles (1966) | $125,000 |
| Do I Love You (Frank Wilson) (1965) | $123,000 |
| Caustic Window (Test Pressing) | $36,300 |
| Alcohol & Jake Blues (1930) | $37,100 |
| Velvet Underground And Nico Demo Acetate | $25,200 |
Apart from these, ‘The Dark Side of the Moon (Pink Floyd, 1973),’ ‘Thriller (Michael Jackson, 1982),’ ‘Bodyguard (Arista, 1992),’ ‘Abbey Road (Beatles, 1969),’ and ‘Back in Black (AC/DC, 1980) are some of the top-selling vinyl records of all times.
Do Old Vinyl Records Last Forever?
If maintained properly, old vinyl records last about 100 – 200 years before breaking.
Is It Okay to Touch Old Vinyl Records?
You can touch old vinyl records on the outer edges or the labels. Avoid touching them on dead wax or tracks, as they might catch dust.
Can Paper Packaging Damage Old Vinyl Records?
Yes, paper packaging can damage old vinyl records and cause minor scratching or scuffing on the surface. It might also trap paper dust in the grooves, causing noise and disturbance. So, better store your vinyl records in clean, plastic sleeves.
If music is food for the soul, then different music antiques like Vinyl records, Reuge boxes, vintage pianos, and antique mandolins are the vessels. After all, they hold so many original records from revered musicians worldwide. So, use this guide to spot and value your old vinyl record’s features and ensure you don’t sell it for anything less!
