rare records

[amber89]

Hi

I have alot of old gramophone records, i was wondering if anyone new what were rare or wanted records.
and also prices or valuers.

Thanks

[gramophoneshane]

Ebay is the best valuer out there

[Nat]

I second the above. Any opinion a collector might give could be effected by his/her interest in the records. Put them on eBay at a low starting price, and see where it goes.

[TinfoilPhono]

There are hundreds of thousands of old records still around. Trying to list the "rare" ones would be an immense exercise in futility. There are no simple formulas.

The one truism is that most records are dirt-common and worth very little. But some are indeed rare and desirable. However there's no one who can give you a list of such records. There are infinite complexities such as to who issued it, what label they used, when it was released, the condition, and a hundred other factors.

As others have said: eBay is an easy way to let the market set the value. Just bear in mind that old does not equal rare nor valuable. I can buy old records all day long at 50c apiece, and overpay for most of them....

[52089]

I once knew a part-time record dealer who told me, not entirely jokingly, "If you have it, it's common; if I have it, it's rare".

There's a seller on ebay now who starts every single listing with "VERY RARE", except a couple that start "VERY VERY RARE"!

My experience is that most people have 1 or 2 gems in their pile of grandma's old 78s, but the amount of labor and research needed to find those 1 or 2 gems may not be worth it (financially).

[kirtley2012]

i usually go on the terms of if i have not seen another or just seen very few others either on the internet or in person then it is rare, if you see it turn up on a number of occasions then it is common: i have a cylinder of "courtship and marriage" by yolande noble and charles cardow and i have never seen another! i just seems like a everyday common record but not even the cylinder archive has it!

[schallplatte]

As has been stated, old acoustic (and early electric) disc records are still very common. Many of these records were issued in huge numbers, and despite their age they have little inherent value. Only a very small subset of these records will be "rare" and/or have more interest to record collectors. There are many variables to determine value, including label, artist, date of issue, condition, scarcity, etc.

Ebay is a good place to let the marketplace determine the value of your records if you start them at a reasonable low price. Let the bidders determine it's true market value. I'm amazed at numerous listings on Ebay where records are offered at grossly inflated prices, perhaps in the belief that since it's old it must be very valuable. Condition is critically important to value. Many older records have been heavily played with excessive groove wear or have environmental damage from inappropriate storage over many years; this decreases value dramatically unless the record is extremely scarce and very significant to collectors.

If you're interested in selling a larger record collection as a group, you could also consider selling them to an established record auctioneer such as Kurt Nauck.

http://www.78rpm.com

[John Svensson]

"There's a seller on ebay now who starts every single listing with "VERY RARE", except a couple that start "VERY VERY RARE"!....

I think I know who you are speaking of, on the good side...he does start them all at a reasonable-sane price, and since he lives about 8 miles away from me, I don't pay any shipping! John

[amber89]

I am in NEw Zealand I don't think i can list on ebay.

[FloridaClay]

I am in NEw Zealand I don't think i can list on ebay.

Sure you can. I bought something on eBay from a New Zeland seller just a couple of weeks ago.

Clay