By SB (206.214.1.4) on Sunday, June 29, 2003 - 12:03 pm:

When going thru my mother's stash of records - I've notcied many old records that may be worth some money. This includes albums and 45's. For instance - since the invention of cds, would any of them be considered rare and collectibles? Are any of them worth a ton of money yet, and if not - does anyone think they will be one day?

My mother and I am proud of our old record collection - and I've always thought that one day - they might be worth some money. My mother also has some old coins that she's been holding on to - but I am curious about the original albums and 45's.

I wonder how much some of these records would go for on Ebay? Does anyone know?

What is the oldest and rarest album or 45 - that you think you have in your possession?

By Eli (151.197.181.206) on Sunday, June 29, 2003 - 12:17 pm:

SB,
What are some of the titles and artists and what condition are they in??

By stephanie (64.63.221.173) on Sunday, June 29, 2003 - 02:28 pm:

I own the original Meet the Supremes with them sitting on the stool but its been out in CD form so maybe its not worth much now. I own Heartaches Away my Boy on 45 by Christine Cooper a nothern soul classic....other than that I cant think of anything I own that are worth tons of money I do have some Nat King Cole 78s and some 45's by the Mad Lads,,,
Stephanie

By SB (205.186.128.196) on Sunday, June 29, 2003 - 02:59 pm:

Let me preface this by saying that all of the below albums are in good or excellent shape. We have two boxes of albums in the backyard in a shed, to include the 45s. I don�t feel like digging thru for them now, but I will have to do so one day. My mother says, that there are some old and newer ones out there.

I didn�t name the title or year � but these are of the older variety.


Mahalia Jackson
Moms Mabley
Brooke Benton
Percy Sledge
Cannonball Adderly
Booker T. & The MGs
Ramsey Lewis
Nancy Wilson
Red Foxx
Ben E. King
Carmen McRae
Jimmy Smith
Dave Brubeck
Grover Washington Jr.
Count Basie
Johnny Mathis
Brother Jack McDuff
Lester Young
Bill Doggett
Bill Withers
Lou Rawls
Ray Charles
Wild Bill Davis
Sonny Rollins
Edwin Starr
Clarence Carter
Wilson Pickett
Brooke Benton
Percy Sledge
Joe Williams
Les McCann

One can tell my father loved his jazz.

On a �Heavy Sounds", album � Janis Joplin � Santana � Monso Santamaria � Al Cooper � NRBY � Taj Mahal � Pacific Gas & Electric � Byrds � Chicago � Blood Sweat & Tears � Johnny Winter � Mike Bloomfield - Laura Nyro � and many more.

On a �Black Gold�, album � Aretha Franklin � Donny Hathaway � Wilson Picket � Carla Thomas � Jackie Moore � The Drifters � Persuaders � Sam & Dave � King Curtis � Clarence Carter � Percy Sledge � Joe Tex � Otis Redding � Brooke Benton � Gladys Knight & The Pips - and many more.

In retrospect � some of these don�t seem that old � but some might be rare. Again - the 33 and the 45 are collectible items, for the most part, right? Some might be willing to purchase or trade for them.

And we also have the late sixties variety upstairs - to include - Otis Redding - Sam & Dave - Joe Tex - Stevie Wonder - Johnny Taylor - and many more.

By Eli (141.151.3.90) on Sunday, June 29, 2003 - 11:41 pm:

SB,
In my opinion , it does not seem to me that you have anything that is "rare", per se.
You are probably talking about records in the $25-$40 range, depending on their condition.

As far as Motown goes, the Meet the Supremes "stool" album can fetch anywhere between $600-$1000 depending on the buyer and the condition.
The Martha and the vandellas Come and get these memories album, mint can fetch $300-$400, same with the first Mary Wells and Eddie Holland albums.
Blues singer Amos Milburn had a Motown album that is very rare that goes for about $6oo mint.

Also, the real money is in extremely rare 45's in mint condition, and none of the commercial stuff.

Happy hunting!!!!

By TonyRussi (68.18.39.39) on Monday, June 30, 2003 - 09:41 am:

SB, check out Discoveries & Goldmine Magazines as these are record collector mags.

By SB (205.186.130.93) on Monday, June 30, 2003 - 10:31 am:

Thank you all for your input. I appreciate it.

Eli - I am off work today, and I just got in from the shed hunting records. I was able to pull one box out - and Lord and behold - it has over 100 - 45's in it, it appears. It may be more - but I'll have to count them.

When just grabbing a stack of them - guess what I pulled out? And, this is as God is my witness. The very first one I looked at was, "Ease My Troublin' Mind", by Sam Cooke. On the flip side of that one is - "It's Got The Whole World Shakin'." Also right together were two other Sam Cooke records. "Twisting The Night Away" & on the flip side "One More Time." Then - "Good Times" & on the other side is "Tennessee Waltz." Unbelievable!

I didn't go thru them all yet - but I looked at another one on the top of a stack and it was - "I've Been Lonely Too Long" & the flip side, "If You Knew", by The Young Rascals. I do declare!

Then I grabbed one and looked at it and it was - "Licking Stick � Parts 1&2", by JB. And under it was "Fingertips", by Stevie. And then the next one was, "What Does It Take", by Jr. Walker & With "Brainwasher Pt 1", is on the flip side. I got to excited after that and came here.

I can hardly believe it. Soon - I'm going to go thru all of them and make a list - or have my daughter do it. I didn't find the box w/the albums in it yet.

I wonder if any of these 45s are worth any money. Heck � I�m going to go thru them all today.

I�ll keep you informed.

By Eli (151.197.31.117) on Monday, June 30, 2003 - 10:53 am:

S.B.
Sorry to say that they are not 'big buck" items.
Now if you have "Tell me if you know" by the Teen Kings on the Bee label in mint condition it goes for $4500.00 or Cant help lovin that man of mine by the Hideaways on Ronni it fetches $7500.00.
The record Do I love you(deed I do) by Frank Wilson on Soul (Motown) fetched 15,000 British pounds.
It has got to be RARE and desireable and in MINT condition to bring in the bucksotherwise it is junk.

By douglasm (68.113.13.31) on Monday, June 30, 2003 - 11:18 am:

Yea, they may not be worth much, Bobby, but SB's having all the fun. There is something unexplainable about going through a stack of old 45's that you haven't looked at in years that brings back so many memories.
Now, where did I put that copy of "Song Of The Nairobi Trio"?

doug

By KevGo (64.115.26.80) on Monday, June 30, 2003 - 11:29 am:

SB:
The first Sam Cooke single you mentioned might be worth something since it wasn't one of his most memorable hits. Was that on the RCA Victor label or the Keen label?

Keep digging through the 45s to see what you have. If it's a title that may strike you as being odd or something you may only be vaguely familiar with, then you may have something rare (that's how I found mint copies of Black Ivory's "You & I" on the Today label and Chocolate Syrup's "Stop Your Crying" on the Ira label and the AVCO label - the AVCO copy had additional vocal overdubs and was 15 seconds longer).

If I had the space in my current apartment and the money, I would be happy to purchase the jazz LPs from you, especially the Jimmy Smith.

If the Redd Foxx LPs are on the Dootone label and are in very good to mint condition, you may be able to get $25 to $50 apiece in the collector's market (personally, I would keep them - the Dootone's were Redd at his funniest).

The Rascals' "Lonely Too Long" single was edited for 45 and was a rarity until Rhino Records reissued that version for the Very Best of the Rascals CD anthology.

Good luck!

Kevin Goins - KevGo

By douglasm (68.113.13.31) on Monday, June 30, 2003 - 12:08 pm:

Kev....
....your Rascals comment brings up an interesting question. Does the fact that a song has been reissued on CD reduce the collectors value for the original 45 or LP? For example, "Lonely Too Long" would still be a rarity in it's original form, wouldn't it?

By SB (205.186.130.93) on Monday, June 30, 2003 - 12:11 pm:

I've counted 315 - 45s. I knew there were ova 100 - but 315 - wow! Only about 5 are cracked or are missing a small chunk.

I didn't have the three you mentioned Eli. I'll have to do some research though - 'cause I got some oldies but goodies, and that is for sure. I found several more by Sam.

I have the Beatles to Fats Domino. I have - Penny Lane - Boogaloo Down Broadway - Testify (Used to love that song to death) - Engine Number 9 -Kind Of A Drag - Pay To The Piper - Ode To Billy Joe - Tell It To The Rain - The Watusi - The Horse - Champ - Flash (We partied off that one in Germany) - Baby Workout - Love Makes A Woman - Let's Go Get Stoned - Grazin In The Grass, and hundreds more that are special and unique.

Notable mention to - Nat King Cole & Dinah Washington.

One or two of them has to be worth some ducketts. Not that I'm trying to sell any though, but I am curious. I am just glad I found them all.

By KevGo (64.115.26.80) on Monday, June 30, 2003 - 12:15 pm:

Doug:
I should have clarified my statement regarding the Rascals. The edited version of "Lonely Too Long" was a rarity because it wasn't available until five years ago when Rhino reissued it on CD.

Does this mean that the value of the original album or 45 decreases? IMO not really because of the issue of remastering and some collectors (like myself to some degree) prefer the original vinyl because the master tape used for that was still fresh & new. Others may feel the same way, others may not. For example, the Rascals' "Lonely Too Long" sounds great on CD (thanks to remastering) and on 45 (thanks to the way it was mixed and mastered for the medium when it was originally released).

Hope this answers your question.

Kevin Goins - KevGo

By douglasm (68.113.13.31) on Monday, June 30, 2003 - 12:27 pm:

Kev....
....close. I was thinking more along the lines of a first edition. There are millions of copies of "Dune" out there, but few firsts (I have one), so would the 45 version of "Lonely" hold its value for that reason in the record (not song) collectors market?
SB....
....Buckinghams strike again. "Kind Of A Drag". Is that on Columbia or USA? The label means something here.....

By SB (205.186.130.93) on Monday, June 30, 2003 - 12:31 pm:

Hey KevGo. Thanks for the encouragement bro.

The Sam Cooke records were on the RCA Victor label. I even got "A Change Gone Come." & w/Shake on the flip. I have 8 - 45s by Sam. Two are the same - "Somebody Have Mercy." Don't know what was up w/that, but I'll take 'em. Told 'ya my parents were hip and down. LOL!

I had both David Ruffin hits. Thank God. And several Delfonics. Glory be!

douglasm - I even had several Jimmy Smith 45s. As a matter-of-fact - I've found sooooo many memorable 45s, that I can't possibly name them all here. I have numerous Tempts - and of course. Getting ready to play some of them - and especially - "What Love Has Joined Together."

And Marvin. And Smokey - and the Miracles. And the Supremes, and so on and so on.

I got the Tamla lable records. Tamla Motown. Motown & Gordy records. "Popeye & Limbo Rock", by Chubby Checker. 3 Archie Bell 45s. Gamble's "Love Is Just Like A Baseball Game." I used to love that one. "Oh What A Night" - CADET label. "The Chokin' Kind." I used to love that one.

By KevGo (64.115.26.80) on Monday, June 30, 2003 - 12:46 pm:

SB:
You have Jimmy Smith 45s!!! Are they on the Blue Note or Verve labels (doesn't matter - shoot, I'll buy them from you regardless!!! )

The 45 version of "A Change Is Gonna Come" only contains three verses & the bridge as opposed to four verses & the bridge. RCA Victor edited out the line that went something like - "I go to the movies/I go downtown/Someone always says to me/don't hang around." The verse was to indicate that Blacks should "stay in their places". The label apparently wasn't comfortable with the line and it was edited (unfortunately, Sam was dead when the single was released & had no say in the matter). Fortunately, the unedited version is available on three Sam Cooke CD reissues from ABKCO (thank you Allen Klein!).

Steve:
The Rascals 45 would still hold muster in the collector's community because Atlantic 45 pressings were excellent and well mastered.

Kevin Goins - KevGo

By SB (205.186.130.93) on Monday, June 30, 2003 - 12:54 pm:

douglasm - "Kind Of A Drag", is on the U.S.A Records label. "You Make Me Feel So Good", is the flip.

I have one Bill Cosby 45 w/"Ben & Yes, Yes, Yes", on it. Who'd a thunk. I have two Disney Land 45s.

How about - "The Barracuda", Akvin Cash & The Crawlers. "I'm So Very Glad & Just Out Of My Reach", Sam Dees. Who is that? "Ya Ya & Give Me You - by Lee Dorsey. Who is that? "The Loco Motion" - Little Eva. "Got To Hold On To This Feeling", Jr Walker. I used to love that song! "Born Free", The Hesitations. "Funky Broadway", Dyke & The Blazers. And Eddie Floyd's "Bring It On Home To Me", w/(Cooke) after the title and before Eddie's name, STAX.

Very interesting stuff indeed and to say the least.

By Eli (151.197.31.117) on Monday, June 30, 2003 - 02:27 pm:

SB,
Once again most of that stuff is considered "commercial" and not what most would consider collectible.
Maybe between $3-$5 tops in MINT.
Scratched and damaged records are worth nothing.

By SB (205.186.130.93) on Monday, June 30, 2003 - 02:55 pm:

Eli - what constitutes a collectible? Does it have to do with the artist, record label - how many was made, the year, etc?

From the ones, I already mentioned - their total doesn't = 75, so I still have 235 left.

I suppose - I need to do what TonyRussi suggested to find out if I have any. Thanks TonyRussi - btw.

By MEL&THEN SOME (217.14.178.70) on Monday, June 30, 2003 - 03:09 pm:

Bobby
your spot on man
mel

By Steve Litos (209.100.86.4) on Monday, June 30, 2003 - 04:02 pm:

SB - Records are a strange beast...as are any collectables.

Some really expensive items are by the most popular artists like Elvis' first record, The first pressing of the Beatles "My Bonnie", or the already mentioned Supremes album.

Some are the format...soul & R&B generally sold less LPs than 45s therefore the LPs are most rare today.


Some are the musical format...Beatle people pay quite a bit of money for a MONO copy of Sgt. Pepper or Magical Mystery Tour.

Some are die young/leave expensive records behind which seem to have leveled off after the stuff has been put out on CD - examples Badfinger or Baby Huey & the Babysitters.

Like Bobby said before, condition is VERY important.

BTW - You have some good tunes in your collection.
Eddie Floyd is one of my faves.

I think I may have a few 78s that are pretty rare
such as "My Babys Done Me Wrong" (Man I love that song!) by the Griffin Brothers Orchestra or some Fats Waller discs. I got it from my great aunt who kept everything in Mike McLean type condition. Too bad I liked the music too much
and played the near mint records into something no longer close to near mint.

By TonyRussi (68.18.39.39) on Monday, June 30, 2003 - 04:17 pm:

SB, those magazines, especially Discoveries will give you an idea on collectible records and you can see what other people are auctioning off certain 45's & LPs...there is a "Want List" section where people are looking for certain records.Brother Bobby Eli is correct that most of those 45's you were mentioning would only bring about $3.00 if in mint condition BUT you have to find someone willing to buy them.Example Mary Wells "My Guy" 45 in mint condition about $3.00(there were so many pressed) Mary Wells "Mister Tough"(not a hit, not many pressed)mint about $15-$20.

By ErikT.O. (64.228.108.116) on Monday, June 30, 2003 - 04:59 pm:

I could be wrong, but I thought first pressings of both 'The Champ' & 'Testify' were worth a few bucks (30-50$?)... also, I would have thought many lp's would in fact be worth a whole lot less upon reissue, the Counts' "Jan Jan", early Gene McDaniels lp's, the Cleveland Hot Chocolate lp, stuff like that... but early pressings of James Brown related lp's on People still seem to be expensive despite the fact none of these items are 'rare' on vinyl any more... I saw Maceo & All The King's Men lp on House Of Fox with an asking price of almost 400$ (Canadian) and that was reissued by Charly on wax in the 80's and reissued again on both vinyl & cd in the 90's... also, I think the notion that a less-than-mint lp is worthless. I agree 'mint' prices are often greedily imagined by some record dealers, but with some rare lp's, one might not see another copy again, so it really depends on how much one wants the lp in question. Finally, I can think of 2 Jimmy Smith lp's that are/ were expensive- "75", which has been recently reissued, was originally sold at his concerts at the time. By expensive, I mean 40-50$ (seen it twice in that range over here), that to me constitutes an expensive lp!

By R&B (138.238.41.30) on Wednesday, July 02, 2003 - 04:42 pm:

HEY SB,HANG IN THERE WITH YOUR COLLECTION,SOMETIMES IT SEEMS THAT YOU MAY HAVE A RARE RECORD,BUT IT MAY NOT BE THAT RARE AT THIS TIME,I HAVE A COPY OF THE BEATLES[LET IT BE]LP ON THE ORIGINAL LABLE,BUT I WAS TOLD THAT IT'S ONLY WORTH 30-40 DOLLARS,IMAGINE MY DISAPPOINTMENT,HECK I HAD ALREADY SIGNED MY KID UP FOR COLLEGE[I HOPE THEY HAVE'NT TRIED TO CASH THAT CHECK YET]!SO KEEP ON COLLECTING MY FRIEND! PS...JUST KIDDING ABOUT THE CHECK!

By Wonder B (81.48.238.122) on Wednesday, July 02, 2003 - 08:08 pm:

Eric, reissues are far from lowering the prices of rare originals, generally it is the opposite...
Why? Because more people become aware of those songs (before they couldn't hear them anywhere since they were rare -remember! LOL) therefore they usually buy the reissues and then start looking for the originals... vinyl sound being far more dynamic than any CD reissue (especially 45's), people will always be looking for those originals...

Wonder B

By RD (63.188.32.205) on Wednesday, July 02, 2003 - 08:17 pm:

SB records are worth whatever somebody will pay you for them. Your Sam Dees records for example might be worth a lot to Mr. Dees if he doesn't happen to have copies.

By Uptight (24.55.6.144) on Thursday, July 03, 2003 - 06:33 am:

SB it seems many of your records have more sentimental value than monetary value. If was a popular title (like a top ten hit), it's usually too common to be considered rare. However you might come across one that will surprise everybody here.

By Nish (66.119.33.170) on Thursday, July 03, 2003 - 10:37 am:

I wonder if my Mary Wells' Live Onstage LP is worth a lot. I bought it for a lot, but since I never plan on selling my collection, I never worried about how much these would command on the market. If anyone knows about MW Live Onstage's value, please educate me!

By ErikT.O. (64.228.108.59) on Thursday, July 03, 2003 - 04:54 pm:

Hi WonderB, I suppose you're right. Still, you'd think once an lp went from hard-to-find to reissue, some people who really wanted the lp will be happy with the reissue and be, say, less determined, to spend large on an lp. I feel that way, I almost dropped 60-70 bucks on 2 KayGees lp's until I read here they're available on cd, so I'll wait until I find that... Speaking of reissues, I am contemplating trading an lp for Dennis Coffey's lp with 'Scorpio' & a Chuck Brown lp on Sussex 'cause I never see these lp's anywhere else nor have I seen reissues on cd or lp- am I correct in assuming these 2 Sussex releases from '72 have not in fact been reissued? Just wandering...

By Wonder B (81.49.193.185) on Friday, July 04, 2003 - 08:17 am:

As far as I know C.Brown's Sussex LP's have never been issued on CD nor on vinyl reissues...
Great stuff though...
In fact I even gave a sealed (!!) copy of We The People to Chuck the last time he came to Paris because he told me he didn't even have his own albums... (which happens a lot of the time with the artists) He was happy as can be!

Wonder B

By M.McLeanTech (66.218.41.193) on Sunday, July 20, 2003 - 09:08 pm:

I have a huge selection. What is the going rate?

By Caleb (171.75.84.226) on Sunday, July 20, 2003 - 10:08 pm:

Hey Mike!Good to see ya here,hope all is well.Caleb

By Soulaholic (68.41.47.183) on Sunday, July 20, 2003 - 10:11 pm:

Hello SB:

The problem with collecting and selling records is finding someone who wants the record and is willing to pay for it verses what sites like GEMM and dealers like Manship say the record is worth. The difference can sometimes be quite large.

The comments about rare, unknown and mint conditions are right on though.

Where your records all in a box together with no sleeves on them, What is the condition of them and did this shed let water, dust or heat and sun at the records?

The other problem is that most old collections where based on what was popular, played alotby the owners and there was many copies made.

Where you find rare records are in collections of those who knew what to look for. dj's, record people and the likes.

I would clean them and enjoy them for what they; great records and a special link between you and your mother that you could always have till the end of your days.

What price can you put on that? Priceless


Now if you want to do a detailed list of the
Artist, song, lable, and condition it is in.
I can help you with pricing them.
I do own about 35,000 - 45's and I do buy and sell them on occassion. lol

Soulaholic

By KevGo (64.115.26.80) on Monday, July 21, 2003 - 02:34 pm:

Soulaholic:
Could you send me your email address to kevingoins@juno.com - you may have a record I need for a project.
Kevin Goins - KevGo

By ErikT.O. (64.228.108.25) on Monday, July 21, 2003 - 05:41 pm:

Hi folks, especially WonderB, I just wanna say that Chuck Brown lp's terrific!! I traded for it yesterday (along w/ Dennis Coffey's smoking Sussex lp & some other neato stuff)... what other Chuck Brown lp's were released in the 70's? All I had before were 'Bustin Loose' & 'Funk Express'... both are hot, "We The People" is hotter still, I'm curious about what came out in between...

By SoulJones (62.252.69.145) on Monday, July 21, 2003 - 05:53 pm:

I got a Dick Jensen lp how much is that worth? He's got a great shirt on the cover and bedroom eyes!

By SB (205.186.130.219) on Monday, July 21, 2003 - 06:15 pm:

Hey Soulaholic - my God - but you put my little 45 collection to shame. Say what!? There is no doubt in my mind that you must have many collectibles and raries. You could open your own store, for real.

I'll say!

By medusa9e2003 (66.73.11.61) on Tuesday, July 22, 2003 - 09:31 am:

What about The Supremes ANTHOLOGY(? SPELLING?) in Japanese? (or it may B Chinese)

By Soulaholic (208.57.215.10) on Tuesday, July 22, 2003 - 09:49 am:

Hello SB:

I could never part with them!! lol

I do sell or trade the double I come across.

This is really just a part of what I did have earlier in my dj days. When I moved from Pittsburgh to Chicago I sold over 125,000 12" disc's. I could not afford to ship all the weight. It was just to expensive. So I soild the part of the collection to people in Japan, South America and stores in the States.

I do have a few rare things but I really look for stuff from when I spun records in clubs.

Had that early part of the collection stolen when I was in Atlanta.

Soulaholic

By Tony Russi (68.210.2.160) on Tuesday, July 22, 2003 - 10:27 am:

Nish, your Mary Wells Live On Stage LP original 1963 release in Very Good-Mint condition(jacket & record) would fetch about $200.My brother had a record "auction" in Discoveries several years ago & he did get $200. each for Marvelous Marvelettes & Marvelettes Live On Stage.I just can't bring myself to sell my original LPS of Mary, Martha or Marvelettes even though I have them many times over on CD ect.I have the Crystals "He's A Rebel" LP with the Crystals autographs on the back pix..I was offered $600. for it many years ago but I couldn't part with it due to the autographs personally signed to me.Lord knows there have been many times I needed that $600.

By Scratcher (65.238.127.116) on Tuesday, July 22, 2003 - 10:30 am:

You can hear the entire Marvelettes Live On Stage album on the Soul Patrol site.

By M.McLeanTech (66.218.40.249) on Tuesday, July 22, 2003 - 10:20 pm:

So much for that thread. I repeat: I have a huge collection. Has anyone any interest in making offers? I have items here which I have read of folks paying hundreds of dollars for.

My collection is in mint condition.