How to Appraise A Beatles Record Collection

The Beatles are icons and have fans among many different generations. Thus, they have an active community of people buying products tied to them, both new and used. Material from the '60s holds the biggest cache, of course. To know what's valuable and what's not out of an existing collection just takes a little background.

Difficulty:

Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need

• Beatles records
• Price guide

1. Separate the records into categories: 45s/EPs, picture sleeves, Vee-Jay/Swan/Tollie Records, Capitol Records, Apple, promotional and "other." Solo Beatles recordings, imports and memorabilia are beyond the scope of this article. Depending on the size of the collection, further categories/record companies may be required. Some records, especially releases on Capitol, were in print for a long time and exist with many different label types on the record, for example.

2. Separate out most reissues. Of course, reissued material will not be as valuable as original recordings from the 1960s, especially if the old records are in "very good plus" to "near-mint" (pristine) condition. Exceptions to the reissue rule are the audiophile limited-edition reissues from Mobile Fidelity. Many reissues from Mobile Fidelity have maintained their value, not just Beatles records.

3. Examine condition. In the '60s, fans played their Beatles records to the point of wearing them out. Scruffy Beatles records aren't that difficult to find on the secondary market. The records commanding high prices (hundreds and thousands of dollars) are either prized for their rarity or their condition, and near-mint condition (looking and sounding brand-new) for 1960s Beatles records are rarities indeed.

4. Consult resources, such as the detailed "Goldmine" price guides, which are the source for pricing in this article. What may seem like a minor detail in an individual recording may mean a big price difference in what a record garners on the secondary market. Beatles collecting is among the most specialized in the hobby, in part because of the number of collectors but also the many variations. For example, the Apple Records "Something"/"Come Together" 45 can garner either $10, $20 or $100, depending on the small print. If it says "Mfd. by Apple" on the label, it's a $10 near-mint record. If it has "All Rights Reserved," it's a $20 record and if it has a small Capitol logo on the bottom of the B-side label, it's $100, as of 2007. Check price guides for variations such as these so you're an educated seller and get fair market value for your records. Again, near-mint for Beatles is unlikely. Lower condition, of course, lowers the value by quite a bit in most cases (sometimes by half), though not as drastically for real rarities. But know that the price guides' values are not a rule. An individual record's value, in the end, is what someone else is willing to pay for it.

5. Identify the biggies. Sought-after Beatles material includes authentic "Introducing The Beatles" records and other LPs and 45s on Tollie/Swan/Vee-Jay, "Yesterday and Today" records sporting the infamous, recalled "Butcher Cover" with the band members wearing butchers' smocks with chunks of raw meat and baby doll parts as props. Keep an eye out for "My Bonnie," their first single, on Decca, where they appear as the backing band for Tony Sheridan, billed as "The Beat Brothers." Copies of this 45 can bring $1,000 on the low end, depending on condition and what the label looks like. On MGM the single is less pricey. Beatles Fan Club records also grab a pile of pretty pennies at auction, ranging in value from $40 to $300 in near-mint condition. Beatles records on MGM, some United Artists and Atco are also worth researching before selling. But remember, condition is everything, especially for common records.

6. Sell. Real rarities can be consigned to respected, specialized auction houses and dealers or sold through ads in record-hobby publications if you're looking for an educated, niche clientele. Less rare records can be put up for auction yourself or sold to a dealer who will resell them. The price a dealer will pay will be wholesale and not retail, but the dealer is taking on the inventory and the job of finding the customers. In general, the more time you put into selling, the more rare the item and the closer in the "food chain" you are to whom you're selling, the more you will keep in your pocket. Common material, or records that are not at least in "very good" condition can be sold at flea markets, garage sales or given to members of younger generations to turn them on to the music, a solid value indeed.

Resources

• Krause Books: Goldmine Standard Catalog