[Alvin]

Originally Posted by MikeNoun

The prices shown in price guides are for MINT condition examples. Similar to sports card price guides, the prices shown in guides are misleading.

They inflate prices, because that's good for the hobby (just like how they do in the collector car world). When a rare record album is on display for $200, everyone thinks their beat up copy they have at home is worth that too. Most $200 record albums (and sports cards) are worth about $10. Condition is everything. With record albums, to get "price guide prices", they have to be virtually unplayed and pristine, with perfect jackets and sleeves, no flaws. Record collectors (and sports card collectors) are very picky.

A sealed copy of a rare record is something else. They can bring double the prices shown in a price guide.

I have a large collection too, lots of original Beatles and Beatles solo material. But I also have a lot of 1950's to 1980's stuff, ranging from rock to jazz.

Just a note on the Jack White "Lazzaretto" album. It's REALLY cool, very innovative what they did. A few of those gimmicks had been done before, like two sets of grooves on the same side that play different songs, but the hologram that pops up is awesome.

On the downside, the album is horrible. It's the same old Jack White, same old "cram 30 words into one line" technique, followed by a screaming guitar solo, and a chord change you can see coming from 12 bars away. But it still beats the heck out of Taylor Swift or Katy Perry.

Good points and I'd agree on the JW album...I actually had a new sealed copy in hand at the 1/2 price store (they sell new vinyl and books too) and I didn't pull the trigger for this "novelty" vinyl IIRC it was pricey $$$ over $30...but I DID point it out to the young cashier who snatched it up to take it home