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In October of 1972 Michael Jackson made a rat a star when he hit #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 with “Ben.” It was his third time in Billboard’s top spot. He was 13. The rat was a little younger. The album, released on Motown, featured two different covers. The version showing just Michael Jackson on the cover is worth up to $20.00. But a cover showing Michael and a rat can sell for $75.00 today.(Find the values for every record by Micheal Jackson in our “Record Appraisal Guide,” available in the left hand column.)

A song first recorded in 1939 in the Zulu language in South Africa as “Mbube” was number one for 4 weeks in the early 1960’s when a doo-wop group known as the Tokens makes “Mbube” a true classic that everyone knows as “The Lion Sleeps Tonight.” The 45, released on RCA, is worth up to $20.00 while a stereo copy of the album can sell for over $100.00 today. (Find the values for over a million records with our “Record Appraisal Guide,” available in the left hand column.)

Here’s a bit of Rock and Roll trivia. What month and year did the Beatles first appear on the Billboard charts? And what was the name of the record? Well, it happened in August of 1963 when “From Me to You” debuts at #116. The 45, released by Vee-Jay Records in the U.S, is now worth up to $700.00. It was also released that same year in Canada on Capitol Records and can now sell for $600.00.(Find the values for every record by the Beatles in our “Record Appraisal Guide,” available in the left hand column.)

“The Way You Look Tonight” was a Doo-Wop classic for the Jaguars in 1956. The song was originally done in 1936 by Fred Astaire in the movie “Swing Time.” It won an Academy Award for best original song. In 1961 the song was the first hit for the Lettermen and has been recorded by many over the years. But the big money belongs to the Jaguars. A black vinyl copy with “Moonlight and You” on the flip side, released on R-Dell Records, is worth up to $450.00. A red vinyl copy can sell for $1,200.00 today. (Find the values for every Doo-Wop record in our “Record Appraisal Guide,” available in the left hand column.)

In 1973 RCA released the Elvis album, “Raised on Rock.” The title is somewhat misleading in that the overall sound of the album was more soulful and funky.  Although it sold a million copies worldwide, it was one of the few Elvis albums that failed to chart in Britain. The value depends on the color of the label on the record. If the label is black the value is no more than $20.00. If the label is orange the value doubles. And If the label is tan, as seen here, then the value jumps up to $100.00 today. (Find the values for every record by Elvis in our “Record Appraisal Guide,” available in the left hand column.)

These are records you should know about.The obscure Soul records from the 1960’s and 1970’s continue to command big bucks. In 1968, Carla Records released “Dancing a Hole in the World” by Jimmy Delphs. An original copy is worth up to $2,500.00. In 1973, Andrew Brown recorded “Blue Monday” on the Brave record label. An original copy can get you $5,000.00 today.

“Records you should know about” are records that most people have never heard by recording artists most people have never heard of BUT can be worth a LOT of money. Mighty John’s “Records You Should Know About” appraisal guide lists thousands of them, each worth at least up to $500.00 or more. Most are worth up to $1,000.00 or more. The “Records You Should Know About” appraisal guide is on a flash drive in Microsoft Word. Click on “Records You Should Know About” in the yellow strip above for more free samples.

In 1958, Bobby Day had a hit that has become one of the great oldies of all time, known by young and old alike. That song is “Rockin Robin.” In 1965, the Dave Clark Five recorded “Over and Over,”a song which is on the flip side of Bobby Day’s “Rockin Robin.” Of all the hits the Dave Clark Five had, their version of “Over and Over” is their only #1 hit on the Billboard Hot 100. A regular black vinyl copy on Epic Records is worth up to $40.00 with its picture sleeve.  A red vinyl promo copy jumps the value up to $200.00. (The promo copies that were sent to radio stations can be worth a lot more than the copies sold in stores. Check “Mighty John’s Promo Records Guide” in the yellow strip above for more free samples.)

On December 2,1969, Cindy Birdsong of the Supremes was kidnapped by a maintenance man who lived in the building where she lived. With a knife at her throat, she jumped out of his car on the San Diego Freeway. The cops caught the kidnapper in Vegas four days later. You can imagine them saying, “Stop in the name of the law” while thinking of the Supremes’ giant hit, “Stop in the Name of Love.” Released on Motown in 1965, the 45 is now worth up to $100.00 with its picture sleeve.
(Find the values for every record by the Supremes in our “Record Appraisal Guide,” available in the left hand column.)

In September of 1990 Gunnar and Matthew Nelson, twin sons of Ricky Nelson, are #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 with “Love and Affection,” making them the 3^RD generations of Nelsons to have a #1 hit. Their grandfather, Ozzie,” was on top of the charts in 1932 with “And Then Some.” Their dad, Ricky, did it with “Travelin’ Man” in 1961. The grandsons and granddad, however, are not too collectible. Their #1 hits are worth no more than $10.00 but Ricky is another story. His #1 hit of “Travelin’ Man,” released on Imperial Records, can fetch $50.00 with its picture sleeve. Make it $4,000.00 for a copy on blue vinyl.

They say Chubby Checker got his stage name from Dick Clark’s wife who thought he looked like Fats Domino. Therefore, Fats was changed to Chubby and Domino to Checker. He was the king of the Twist, the Pony, the Hucklebuck, the Fish, the Fly and numerous other dance crazes of the 60s. However, it’s one of his lesser-known 45s that is worth the most money. A copy of “The Twist” on Parkway Records might fetch $30.00 today but his little-known single on Parkway from 1966 called “You Just Don’t Now” can sell for $800.00. Make it up to $1,500.00 for a promo copy as seen here.

(Find the values for all promo records that are worth more than the commercial versions released in stores with “Mighty John’s Promo Records Guide,” available in the yellow strip above.)