What Makes a Record Rare?

Hapless folks who switched over to buying CDs or tapes in the 80s have no idea how much some of their rare vinyl may be worth. The prices of limited production runs and out-of-print records have been rising steadily over the last twenty years.
 
 
Nowadays, first-pressings of just about anything, from the Grateful Dead to John Coltrane to Esquivel to Patti Smith, yield a profit in the market. Websearch any musician or group, and you'll probably find hard-core collectors already online, clamoring for obscure picture disc singles, hard-to-find boxed-sets, and rare red pressings.
 
Rare Vinyl Records Don't Grow on Trees
This site is of interest to collectors and also to people with records gathering dust in attics and garages. Is my old Perry Como 78 worth anything? Chances are, your rare vinyl records may be stored and forgotten, but someone may be willing to pay handsomely to take them off your hands.
 
Looking for Rare? Here are some examples of great finds:
 

Artist

Record

Medium

Dave Brubeck

Plays and Plays and . . .

Red vinyl

Siouxie and the Banshees

Interview

three 7-inch picture disks

David Bowie

Fashions

Set of ten 7-inch picture discs, in a white vinyl wallet.

 
By carefully cleaning and then listening to a vinyl records, one can discern their condition, and subsequent worth. Chances are, if a record's an original or limited release, and it doesn't snap, crackle and pop on the turntable, it's worth a tidy sum to somebody.
 
Got a copy of Pink Floyd's Arnold Layne in good condition?
 
How about Elvis Presley's Blue Suede Shoes? Somebody wants them!
 
The era in which a record was pressed will make a noticeable difference in its durability. Original 50s and early 60s record companies used quality materials to produce their LP's. A good pressing from then, or any era since, can be often be distinguished by its thickness, and the depth of the grooves.
 
Albums recorded in mono, which were gradually phased out after the introduction of stereophonic recording in the late 50s, are also usually worth a good deal, due to their rarity and uniquely warm sound quality. (For example: Charles Mingus Presents Charles Mingus)

Mono vs. Stereo

Monophonic describes a listening system in which all the audio signals are mixed together and routed through a single audio channel. One advantage to mono sound is that a listener can move anywhere in a room, and the sound will remain consistent.
 
Stereophonic recordings are generated with two distinct channels, to match left and right just as the listener would hear with his/her ears. Initially this was achieved with two microphones recording onto two separate tracks. Later, as tape technology improved, individual instruments or sections of music could be recorded separately, then combined in the final mixdown.

Compact Disc Technology

Compact Disc technology and CD-playing technology have been locked in from the beginning, but phono playback technology and records alike have continued to improve greatly, particularly in the last decade.