Why are some versions of records more valuable than others?

Factors like condition can affect the price of a record, but in this post we’ll discuss another important factor that can affect a record’s value: the version of the record. A different version of a record might have been manufactured at a different time, in a different place, or on a different color of vinyl, and any of these factors can affect the record’s value. Many popular albums have been manufactured (or “pressed,” as we say in the record collecting world) in hundreds of different versions which can vary wildly in value, so it’s important to understand what versions record collectors are after. Let’s look at a few different types of versions and discuss why collectors seek them out.

First Editions

Record collectors aren’t the only ones who value first editions. Stamp and book collectors, for instance, also seek first editions for their historical significance and their proximity to the historical moment when the item first made its impact.

In the record collecting world, the first edition of a record manufactured in the artist’s country of origin is typically the most sought-after. That means for a British band like the Beatles, the original UK editions of their albums are more valuable than the original US versions, while for an American artist like Bob Dylan, collectors want the first US edition.

*Blue Note Records center labels from throughout the 1960s. The differences are subtle, but very important to collectors.*

The differences between first and subsequent editions can often be minor. Jazz collectors know that Blue Note Records changed their address several times throughout their early years, and the most valuable version of a record is the one with the earliest address. The first UK edition of David Bowie’s album The Man Who Sold the World has a typographical error misspelling the name of producer Tony Visconti. The first UK edition of Led Zeppelin’s first album features the band’s logo in blue type rather than the orange most of us know. These insignificant differences can mean a difference of thousands of dollars in value.

Audiophile Pressings

Companies like Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab, Quiex, and Analogue Productions create high-end versions of albums marketed to audiophiles (which means “lovers of sound”). Audiophile companies take care to source the sound recordings from the best master tapes and hire the most renowned sound engineers to manufacture their versions using the latest innovative technology. Their versions usually feature the record company’s branding (for instance, Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab’s versions feature their logo across the top edge of the record’s front cover) and are pressed in small (often numbered) editions and marketed to a small community of audiophiles.

Audiophile versions retail for several times the price of a typical album, and when a certain version becomes rare and sought after that can drive up the price even more.

It’s important to note, though, that condition is even more important than usual for these audiophile pressings. If an audiophile collector is buying an album for hundreds of dollars to play on a stereo that cost many thousands of dollars, they won’t tolerate even the most insignificant scuff or scratch.

Mono Pressings

Before 1957, all records had monophonic sound, meaning there was only one audio signal. However, throughout the 60s stereo recordings became more popular. While monophonic (or “mono”) recordings only had one audio signal, stereo recordings had two: one for each of your ears. Having two audio signals allowed audio engineers to create a more sophisticated sense of space in their recordings and this technology gradually replaced monophonic recording. Even today, most of the recorded sound we hear is in stereo.

While stereo recordings should sound better in theory, in practice early stereo recordings can be primitive or gimmicky, showing off the technology’s capabilities rather than enhancing the musical experience. Further, in the early 60s many artists were skeptical of the new stereo technology, believing it was a passing fad. The Beatles and their producer George Martin labored over their mono mixes for weeks, while they devoted only a few hours to creating the stereo mixes. The difference between stereo and mono mixes of mid-60s albums can be stark.

In the early and mid-60s, record companies often manufactured stereo and mono versions of popular albums. Usually the words “stereo” or “mono” will appear on the front cover or center labels, or failing that some labels distinguished stereo versus mono by catalog number (Verve Records with a “V-” catalog number are mono, while “V6- numbers are stereo; Capitol catalog numbers that begin with a “T” are mono, while “ST” means stereo). Generally, collectors prefer mono versions. There are exceptions, however, usually because the stereo pressing is rarer rather than because it sounds better.

By the late 60s, stereo pressings had more or less taken over the market, making mono pressings from the last few years of the technology’s widespread use rare. For instance, the Doors’ first album from 1967 has a rare mono version that is much more valuable than its stereo counterpart.

Historically Significant Versions

Sometimes a version of a record is in demand not because it’s a first edition, but for some other historical quirk. Some copies of Led Zeppelin II, for instance, featured a “hot mix” of the album whose loud bass frequencies caused the record to skip on inexpensive turntables. Atlantic Records recalled this version of the album and a collectors item was born.

*The Beatles’ infamous “butcher cover.”*

The most famous of these versions is the infamous Beatles “Butcher Cover.” Early editions of the album Yesterday and Today featured cover artwork with the group dressed as butchers and surrounded by baby dolls. The record company had second thoughts, but not before some copies leaked into stores. Other copies had the revised artwork pasted over the butcher cover, and even these versions are valuable today. That the “Butcher Cover” is such an important part of record collector lore drives up the value of this version even further.

Colored vinyl variants

This is mostly a 21st-century phenomenon, but sometimes record companies manufacture limited edition versions of records for different markets, often in limited editions and on different colors of vinyl. For instance, today it’s not uncommon for a band to release a red vinyl version of their album that is only available through their fan club, a white vinyl version that is only available from certain retailers, etc. Die-hard fans of these artists will try to collect all of the different versions of an album, even though the music on them is the same. When one version of an album is pressed in a small edition, it can drive up the value.

While you might find examples of these limited edition variants selling for a lot of money online, the comparatively small market for these editions makes us skeptical they will hold their value.

White Label Promos

Record labels made white label versions for radio stations and magazines to generate advance publicity before an album’s release. These copies featured white labels to discourage writers and DJs from selling these gratis promotional copies to used record stores (they’re often stamped with messages like “PROMOTIONAL COPY NOT FOR SALE”). While there usually isn’t much difference between a white label copy and a commercially released copy, the fact that white label copies are rarer can drive up their value. Additionally, some white label copies contain an alternate mix of a track or some other difference that can make them more significant to collectors.

Record Club Versions

Most of the versions we’ve discussed drive up a record’s value. However, record club versions—versions of popular albums pressed for record clubs like Columbia House or BMG—are often less valuable than the versions that appeared in retail stores. When record clubs manufactured their own licensed versions of popular albums, their quality control was poorer than at the record companies’ own plants. These versions also rarely contain the inserts, posters, and other bells and whistles that came with the standard retail version. Thus, collectors frown upon these versions.

A Final Note

While we’ve highlighted many types of versions that can drive up a record’s value, often different versions of a record aren’t very important. Discogs lists different versions of albums manufactured at different regional facilities, with no discernible difference in quality and little difference in value. Similarly, you won’t see much difference in value for a Beatles record pressed in the mid-70s with a red Capitol label versus a copy pressed in the late 70s with a plum-colored Capitol label. However, understanding these different versions can help you figure out when you might have come across something special.