Advice & Tips: Record Values

By Derek Howie

"How much is this worth?" is one of the most often asked questions you see on the record collecting pages; however, it can be the easiest or hardest one to answer! All too often, a simple lack of knowing how to identify which pressing is in hand is the only thing keeping the poster from being priced roughly. The fluid nature of pricing second-hand items like records is a minefield of factors that fall into the seller's remit to decide each, but it is only their option! One of the best and often-seen retorts to the Q is, "A record is only what someone is willing to pay for it."

As said, unless you are bartering in-store, the seller's option and skill at grading will decide a solid figure. It's generally accepted within the hobby that the scale used in the Goldmine Grading Guide is fit for such purpose; familiarising yourself with it is just one of many musts, even if you're only mildly serious about buying second-hand records. While Goldmine is only a grading scale, the prices on the Discogs app utilise the same structure. It's quick and easy to cross-reference prices, but it is only a guide! Another helpful tool is the Popsike page; it catalogues all vinyl sold on eBay and backdates far further than the site's own app. 

Contrary to what Joe Public seems to believe, not all records are valuable; there is a difference between value and valuable. As we at The Vinyl Hole are in the game of bringing you new, upcoming alternative acts, it is this field I have been monitoring and going use as an example of how a record gets its value.

"Deeper Than Holy" is the debut 12" single from the Manchester band Pastel. There was a certain amount of hype around the limited release of these £16 neon pink or neon orange splatter-patterned, 4-track discs, with all 600 copies (300 of each colour) selling out very quickly. In turn, that created even more hype, which saw the resale market predictably explode to the heady heights of £150, with multiple bidders eager to get their hands on a copy. 

As the hype and FOMO dissipate, these initial early soaring prices were only destined to drop; as to the savvier, some might say lucky collectors only pay around £50 within a few months. As with all prices, the fluctuations usually settle over time and as supply and demand balance out.

Let's now look at an item where the hype and FOMO have definitely died down. It had been 3-years since Aphex Twin's last UK event with their customary gig-only release. These exclusive 12" EPs still command much more than the original £20 price tag! For those reading this and thinking "Aphex Who?", be assured by looking at the Discogs' last sale dates on those screengrabs that there is plenty of desire for Aphex Twin and another item under different Richard D. James' aliases and like most of his other releases, there's almost no chance of these ever being repressed which is another factor that has a bearing on value.

In the 1990s, Aphex Twin was one of the new, upcoming acts I bought records of for the sheer enjoyment of discovery. Nobody predicted that these strange and avant-garde-sounding records would be worth anything like they are selling for today, some 30 years on. It was during this period that labels and stores massively pushed the CD, and this is a fine example of vinyl of 1990-2000 commanding a heavier price due to lack of pressings. That is, however, a sweeping statement that is only a half-truth, as I know there's a load of items in my collection from those 2-decades that are only worth pennies.

For those newcomers to the vinyl collecting hobby, buy what you like to listen to. Learning how to value an item is as important and part of the nuances of collecting, but enjoying the music should always be more important than all other factors combined. We often speak about a "vinyl journey" or a "collecting path." Still, those are from persons who have treaded them; we've worn down our needles, and we've heard and seen most that there is to hear and see; it is now your time to discover and travel without moving while avoiding the pitfalls of enthusiasm. The value of a record is a mere by-product, a part of the whole, and never forget that the whole is always more significant than the sum of its parts.