Elvis Presley
is an icon, to be sure. But when compared to The Beatles in terms of post-career marketing, much of the King's licensed output has been kitsch: plates, figurines, candy tins and the like, marketed to the fans who loved him back then. The Beatles have managed to grow their audience with each generation of fans, keeping the value of their collectibles on the secondary market due to a continuing influx of new fans and collectors. Elvis buyers may be less active or fewer in number, but there are some Elvis Presley records that will retain their value, due to their rarity.
Instructions
1. Sort the records into categories, such as 78 rpm; LPs, according to decade of his career; promos; imports; 45s and picture sleeves; and Sun records. The latter records were released by a small independent label in Memphis, Tennessee, in the mid-50s and are difficult to find in near-mint condition. Vinyl 45s even in "very good" condition will grab good money. Sun 78s sell for less than 45s but are still held in high esteem because they were his first releases.
2. Sort out reissues and material released after his death. The record "Moody Blue," on blue vinyl, is often mistaken for a rarity because of its color. Actually, the black-vinyl version of this record is the valuable variety. The original plan was to have the blue records be a special item, but Presley died during its pressing, and RCA decided to continue pressing blue copies in honor of his passing. A near-mint (like new) blue "Moody Blue" will capture only a max of $10 on the used-record market, but a black one could fetch as much as $200, as of 2007. An experimental copy (a color other than blue or black and not a counterfeit) could command $2,000. This record is also an exception to the rule of reissues being worth less than the originals. A reissue of this album, with the number AQL1-2428 instead of AFL1-2428 could bring in $25.
3. Examine the records' condition. In general, for records to be valuable, they need to be in pristine (near-mint) condition and look as if they just came home from the record store. This is why records from the '60s and earlier can have such eye-popping prices. Back then, people played their records all the time, so finding them pristine doesn't happen very often. Some records that are rare in themselves can fetch big money in less-than-perfect condition, but they're part of an elite set of rarities.
4. Look 'em up. Presley records that are in near-mint condition are worth looking up in price guides such as the "Goldmine Standard Catalog of American Records 1950-1975," which is where the values in this article come from, because there are some scattered variations in label markings, for example, that can make an ordinary record worth a lot more. Take the 45 for "T-R-O-U-B-L-E" backed with "Mr. Songman" from 1975 on RCA. A promo copy could be worth $30 in near-mint condition; a copy with an orange label, $5; a copy with a tan label, $10; and a copy with a gray label, $100, as of 2007. So you just never know until you look them up in a price guide or on a site of a reputable dealer who knows his stuff.
5. Identify what's sought-after. When it comes to Presley, the Sun records are going to be the prizes. They were his first and are thus sought after, just for that reason. Also there were fewer of them to begin with, because his star was still rising and it was a small, local record label in Memphis. Following in that vein, his first RCA records can be valuable as well in near-mint condition, because of people playing them enough to wear them out. Generally, if they say "collectible" or "limited edition" on them, they're likely "manufactured" collectibles, with no actual demand for them on the secondary market. There are a number of Presley records that will fetch hundreds of dollars in near-mint condition, but the ones that grab the thousands are the Suns, in general.
6. Sell. The rare, valuable, pristine, sought-after records will always garner good prices. Music consignment auction houses or ads in specialty publications can get sellers good prices because of their clientele looking to them as a source for material to buy. Dealers may also pony up for Presley records, but they will pay a seller a wholesale price to turn a profit with their customers. As with any collectible, the closer the seller and buyer are in the transaction, the more the seller can expect to keep, but that also means more work for the seller rather than just unloading the records quickly to a dealer. The adage "You'll get out of it what you put into it" is definitely true in selling collectibles.
