I have a lot of old 78 RPM records, what are they worth?

ANSWER: We are not active in the record collecting hobby, and thus do not keep up with pricing or rarity. There were many hundreds of millions of 78 RPM records produced during the early 20th Century. For early (pre-1930) records, about 95% of what turns up in the wholesale market sells somewhere between 50 cents and $10.00 each, depending on condition. Records made after 1930 typically have a selling value of $1.00 or less. In fact, in most cases, they are bought and sold at auctions and yard sales by the box, often at very low prices. We typically buy them for about $10.00 per crate at swap-meets. This does not imply that rare ones do not exist; just like finding Indian Head Pennies; there are lots of them out there, but it is the very rare find that brings any money.

One may find 78's priced in the "$10.00 to $20.00" range at record shows and some swap meets. In most cases, the sellers purchased crates (or truckloads) of them from someone for less than $1.00 each, threw out the broken/worn/damaged ones, sorted them, cleaned them up, graded them, and then marketed them at a retail level. The sellers obviously have to make some money out of the deal, but don't expect to get $10.00 each for the 78's that you have laying in the basement!

Records which MAY have some serious value would include very early (pre-1905) records, picture discs, records in brand-new (un-played) condition, or an occasional rare release. There are a number of good websites which cover the value and rarity of 78 RPM records. For more information, please see our section on RECORDS.