The vinyl resurgence: why ‘tangible music’ is growing in popularity & the most valuable LPs to sell

Anderson and Garland auctioneers specialise in musical instruments auctions and selling vinyl records at auction. Hear from vinyl enthusiast & auctioneer Adam Barr on the resurgence of vinyl and find out which records are most valuable at auction:  

There are many factors enhancing the popularity of vinyl in 2019, although LPs have always been adored by the masses. One of the largest drivers is the recent deaths of some of pop’s biggest stars; David Bowie became the bestselling vinyl artist in 2016 after his death.

Vinyl sales reached a 25-year high in 2016, with spending higher on vinyl than on digital downloads. The trend is also fuelled by younger generation’s desire to own ‘tangible music’ after discovering it via streaming on digital channels - where nobody can ‘own’ music. And, of course, the sound quality is more favourable!  

Vintage vinyl, like most antiques, is more valuable the rarer it is, but condition is extremely important as well – a rare mint condition vinyl is an incredible find!

The most valuable vinyl to sell at auction

Punk records are some of the most valuable and sought after - and quite often the more obscure the better! Blues, rock, folk and reggae also are very popular at the moment.

Beatles always do well – there are a number of rare labels that crop up in the market ever so often. Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, of which there were only around 100 copies of the album cover where the four faces of the Beatles were replaced with the faces of the four Capitol Records executives are, is one of the rarest albums out there, are worth around £70,000 each.

The holy grail for me personally are the old delta blues 78rpm shellac records, by people like Charlie Patton, Robert Johnson, Son House, Muddy Waters and the like. These can fetch vast sums of money: Tommy Johnson’s ‘Alcohol and Jake Blues’ sold online for over $37,000!

Certain 45rpm singles did very well in our last Musical Instruments Auction. This was true especially for American imports, or ones with ‘Advanced Promotion Copy’ or something similar, which were delivered to radio stations and music shops but eventually made it out into the public domain and seem to carry a premium.

Other popular bands are Queen (following the cinematic masterpiece), Nirvana, Led Zeppelin, The Rolling Stones, Fleetwood Mac, Jimi Hendrix and Pink Floyd. And what doesn’t sell? Easy listening: James Last, Mantovani, Perry Como, and the likes!

Results from selling vinyl in our Musical Instruments Auction

Three lots of approximately 300 Northern Soul and funk singles (American imports) sold for £480, £450 and £350.

 A lot of 40 rock and blues records sold for £350, which included Gary Moore; Plainsong; Queen; Eddie and the Hotrods; and Free.

 A lot of 30 metal and heavy rock records including Iron Maiden; Magnum; Europe; Whitesnake; Vixen; and Saxon sold for £250 at auction.

 Popular musical instruments that fetched impressive numbers at auction included guitars, violins, cellos, mandolins and a set of Northumbrian pipes.

 This stunning Gibson Les Paul Heritage series Standard 80 Guitar sold for £1,500 in our recent auction.

We’re currently consigning for our next Musical Instruments Auction on 24^th September 2019, with a deadline for entries set at 30^th August. If you’d like an auction estimate of your vinyl or musical instruments, submit details in our online valuation form or ring 0191 430 3000 for a valuation appointment at our Newcastle salesrooms.