how to date vinyl records?

rls1973

hi
got some really old vinyl records to sell on ebay.
how do you know how old they are, whether they're the original pressing, a later copy or what?
and how do you know if they are some kind of 'special issue ' or special edition?

are there any websites out there where i can teach myself this stuff?!

greeneye

Is there anything written on them artiste / record label / sets of numbers letters?
Rather than searching for record collecting websites just do a google on whatever info is written on each individual record and see what you get.
Use google advance search to narrow your returns.

Avoriaz

“how to date vinyl records?”

Just smile nicely and ask them out for a drink or a meal.

That works for me.

steveeeee

Agree with greeneye - you're best off looking at all the info (esp catalogue number) and Googling for each one. It also can be worth searching for "[artist] discography" or "[label] discography" for full listings of artist or label releases. Might take a while, though, especially if you've got a big stack of them.

One of my favourite sites for stuff like this is http://www.discogs.com/. It's all user-generated content, so there are gaps all over the place, but major artists/labels are generally well-represented.

starlit_2

https://www.eil.com sell collectable vinyl, and usually have good descriptons of each item so you could work out which issue was interesting. Their prices are on the high side though.
Your local library may well have a copy of The Record Collector Guide To Rare Records which is most record collectors' primary resource. Again, take the prices with a pinch of salt.
Obviously you can do a completed listings search on eBay, but if you want to go further back than a week or two, have a look at http://www.popsike.com
They archive information about auctions, so you can see how much things have gone for over a longer period. The downside is that they only seem to put exciting prices on there, so if something sells for £100 one week and £5 the next, they'll only put the £100 one on their site.
Like others have said, google will no doubt turn up some results too.

Good luck!

aurora_borealis_2

I have a Genesis album - Foxtrot.
It has a pressing error - the same music on both sides. Is this worth anything? I can't find any examples.

pennylane99

aurora_borealis wrote: »

I have a Genesis album - Foxtrot.
It has a pressing error - the same music on both sides. Is this worth anything? I can't find any examples.

one on here for $200

Foxtrot RARE MIS-PRESS PLAYS SIDE 1 ON BOTH SIDES

http://www.users.qwest.net/~morsborn/genesis.html

aurora_borealis_2

pennylane99 wrote: »

one on here for $200

Foxtrot RARE MIS-PRESS PLAYS SIDE 1 ON BOTH SIDES

http://www.users.qwest.net/~morsborn/genesis.html

:T :T :T

That will do nicely

Avoriaz

aurora_borealis wrote: »

I have a Genesis album - Foxtrot.
It has a pressing error - the same music on both sides. Is this worth anything? I can't find any examples.

I’d pay more for a Genesis album if they left the music off completely.

halojones

There is a good Record Price Guide book out there, its updated every year and is great. You can usually find most of the info you need on the cover or the record its self.

Years ago in amost loads of other records I had loads of promo records, which were blank labels in white sleeves. Great I thought and I still have them somewhere, but I sold enough of the others to cover them and more.

snax

rls1973 wrote: »

hi
got some really old vinyl records to sell on ebay.
how do you know how old they are, whether they're the original pressing, a later copy or what?
and how do you know if they are some kind of 'special issue ' or special edition?

are there any websites out there where i can teach myself this stuff?!

Bit of a slog to get the right info if you are new to it - have been at it for 10 years and still make mistakes
Google is your friend ... eil.com annoyingly seems more interested in far east versions and alot of their descriptions are very short and basic .... discogs is also scant on detail and as already said user generated so may not be entirely accurate all the time .... GEMM and Musicmarketplace are worth searching - The Rare Record Price Guide is OK if you are a beginner - I bought mine in 1999 and stopped using it after a year - the internet has a lot more info if you know where to look.
You could also try fan based forums - again google will help
yahoo groups and newsgroups as a whole are also worth searching ......but by far and away the best resource is .....ebay.
Some of the listings are fantastic - packed full of information and little insider snippets which if you search for long enough will begin to stick - made a few quid over the years buy remembering something I saw on ebay
Assume that you DO NOT have a first/original edition and when you find you do .... bonus :T [real originals are quite rare and some re-releases are almost indestinguishable from the originals].
Lastly ... Condition, Condition, Condition ....absolutely paramount is honesty in grading vinyl [and covers] ... Mint means Mint ... completely unblemished with no wear OR even signs of wear.
You will get top money for Mint original records but as they are rarer than hens teeth - as has been said - some of the prices in the 'net are hopeful at best.
If there is anything specific you are looking for info on send me a PM and I'll see what I can find.
Hope it helps.