Vinyl collectors are true connoisseurs of live music. After all, the search for rare vinyl records requires a lot of effort, financial investment and patience. Your home collection can have both expensive and affordable ones, for example, limited edition vinyl records bought in our online store. But over the years, all of them, no doubt, will be valued dearly. Some vinyl lovers even make crafts from self adhesive vinyl roll.
Owning such vinyl can be compared to owning expensive paintings by the greatest masters of art or collecting rare limited edition cars. There are not many such truly special specimens around the world, which in turn further increases their investment attractiveness. But how, how does a vinyl record acquire the status of a collectible, rare vinyl? For what? This will be discussed today.
How to identify a collector’s edition
Every lover of vinyl records can buy them according to his wishes of the genre, artist, and price. Not all expensive editions are collectible, so we recommend paying attention to such details:
- whether the circulation of the publication is limited. The rarest editions are those that come out in circulations of only a few hundred copies. One of them is the album “British Steel” by Judas Priest, which was released in the amount of 500 copies.
- the popularity of the performer. For example, collectible vinyl records of bands.
- the year the album was released. Rare editions issued in the 50s-70s and 90s of the XX century are especially valued;
- publisher’s label. Highly valued vintage collectible vinyl from Vertigo, Blue Note, Verve and others;
- rare details – for example, an artist’s autograph.
A collector’s vinyl album may differ from the standard one with a special cover option or an unusual sleeve design, like “Sad Wings Of Destiny” and “Rocka Rolla”.
Collectors and expensive records
You don’t have to be a musician or an audiophile to collect records – you just need to love music and the warm live sound of vinyl. Among the famous collectors of vinyl records, there are people of various professions – writer Haruki Murakami, actors Jack Nicholson and Elijah Wood, athletes Muhammad Ali and Diego Maradona, inventor and entrepreneur Steve Jobs, and former US presidents Bill Clinton and Barack Obama. Nothing human is alien even to royalty – Prince Charles has repeatedly admitted his love for vinyl.
Although many collectible vinyl editions are released in color, the most expensive record of the legendary Beatles is simply called the White Album.
What you need to know as an aspiring vinyl collector
Some useful information for beginners taking their first steps in the world of collectible vinyl editions.
among collector’s editions there can be records of both “regular” size and speed (diameter – 12 inches, playback speed – 33 and 1/3 revolutions per minute), and records of smaller diameter (7 or 10 inches) or increased speed (45 revolutions per minute). minute);
music labels often release “Box Sets” of popular artists – several albums by a group or artist, collected in a separate box or case. As a rule, such publications are in high demand among collectors;
the most valued editions of the Limited Edition category. This phrase in the title of the release means that the disc was released in a small limited edition and, as a rule, will not be reissued in the future.
How to find collectible vinyl records?
In the past, collecting a collection of rare editions was not an easy task. But in the age of digital technology, it is convenient to purchase expensive vinyl records at auctions, in private collections, or on Internet sites.
Vintage in vinyl – what is it?
Everything old and rare is called vintage. But in fact, this does not always turn out to be a genuine statement. You should not pay attention to modern editions yet. They will eventually complete the collection, but as favorite music for leisure or a romantic date. It is recommended to consider vintage editions in the online store of vinyl records, which have their own history and can tell the owner about it.
Often, when buying a vinyl record, it’s worth looking at a large selection of pre-1980 types of vinyl. These editions are fully vintage and can be up to complete the collection with certain notes of antiquity. These versions include studio recordings of singers and musical groups that were popular in later years, and at that time were just starting their activities, recording their first albums.
It is these editions that become rare and valuable for the collection. You can also include not only records but also covers as vintage. They also evoke associations with antiquity and add certain graphic features to the collection. Therefore, before you buy vinyl, you should choose whether it will be vintage or modern.
How to understand the authenticity of a vintage edition
Often, old vintage vinyl records are taken as a basis and reissued in modern studios. Also, not only the sound and album of the vintage edition is copied, it can become an analog of rare versions of the cover. That is why, in order not to buy a fake, but to purchase a real vintage for your collection, then you should buy such products in specialized stores that guarantee the quality of such a record. If a vintage vinyl was bought on the market, then there is no guarantee that it is a genuine item of quality and value.
