There is a collector's market for stereo LPs from the mid to late 50s, if they are in good condition. As with the second-hand book market, the value of such an LP is as much dependent on the edition as it is on the recording itself. A first edition of Great Expectations is worth a lot more than a Penguin Paperback copy of the same book. Similarly, a re-issue of a great recording does not necessarily have a great deal of financial value. Remember, the more revered the recording, the more copies are likely to have sold in the first place. If a recording was issued in mono and stereo simultaneously, the mono editions do not have any value any longer; history and collectors have both decided in favour of stereo. Having said that, fake stereo re-masterings of recordings that were originally mono only are also frowned upon. Essentially, if a recording was stereo, collectors want it in stereo. If it was mono, they want it in mono. With later LP recordings, the value tends to drop exponentially. A collection of standard repertoire recordings from the 60's, 70's and 80's is likely to have a very low value, unfortunately. Unusual or esoteric early and baroque LPs are more interesting, as are any Avant Garde or Electronic recordings. These tend to be harder to find. Remember that most people nowadays are selling their records, not buying them, so it is not a good idea to think of an LP collection as a potential source of income. Most recordings on LP can easily be purchased for very little money.

There is no collector's market as such for Classical CDs at the moment; CDs are rarely worth more than their current retail price. In other words, a CD that might have been full price when it was issued years ago will no longer be worth that amount if it is currently obtainable on a mid-price or budget label. The preponderence of budget re-issues, bargain CD labels and Internet discount sites have all contributed to reducing the overall value of CDs. This is very good for anyone buying CDs nowadays, but it does mean that CD collections do not necessarily hold their value. Contrary to the publicity surounding the launch of the CD format in the 80s, CDs can be damaged. Unlike LPs, however, it is not always possible to predict how a scratch will affect a disc. Many collectors of second hand CDs prefer to steer clear of damaged CDs altogether. If a disc is scratched, it will substantially reduce its resale value, even though the disc may well play perfectly.