Do you have a copy of Thriller lying around that you can’t quite size up or estimate? Do you often wonder what is the Michael Jackson Thriller album value? Are you no longer feeling so precious about your own copy and simply want to know the Thriller record value so that you can purchase something for your family?
Then you have come to the right place, for today we will be exploring the question of just how much is the Michael Jackson Thriller record worth in all its varying gradations, from first pressing right up to the present day, not to mention everything in between.
Table of Contents
- Well, What Is the Michael Jackson Thriller Album Value?
- Wait, how popular?!
- Final Tones
- FAQs Michael Jackson Thriller Album Value
Well, What Is the Michael Jackson Thriller Album Value?
First of all, you are going to want to find out just how old your copy of Michael Jackson‘s Thriller is. An original pressing, needless to say, will go for a whole bunch more than a pressing that came out only the other year, even despite it being a best-selling album.
In fact, Michael Jackson’s Thriller album is easily one of the most popular and largest-selling albums of all time, having redefined all of the various modes of categorizing best-selling records, selling however many million copies worldwide.
It and many of the individual songs on the album were a mega-hit in their own way, fully igniting the fire beneath Michael Jackson’s solo career.
The album, even despite being so old now, still features some of Jackson’s greatest hits, some of which still hold a burning torch up against some of the greatest pop music coming out in the world today, including the title track, a rip-roaring song by the king of pop that redefined the music video format, showing all those watching precisely what could be done within its bounds.
So, if your copy is an original or an early pressing, then your Michael Jackson Thriller vinyl value is going to go for considerably more than a new pressing for sure, and sometimes more than other Michael Jackson vinyls.
Wait, how popular?!
Indeed, this is easily one of the biggest-selling albums of all time, shifting copies of this music sold on a sales scale that is quite difficult to properly comprehend.
As a result of the collaboration with the Beatles’ Paul McCartney, for example – copies of this album are definitely going to fetch less because there are so many copies of it than there are for, say, something less popular.
Thus, even if your copy of Thriller is an original pressing that is more or less untouched (a statistical improbability) unless it is signed by the man himself before he lost his life, you are not likely to get very much for it really. He is arguably the most ubiquitous rock and pop artist of all time, after all.
Final Tones
So, there you have it!
Hopefully, your wants and curiosities have been satiated and you are not feeling more confident about the precise Michael Jackson Thriller album value, especially of your own copy of the album.
Despite selling one million copies in a heartbeat, this album seems still to strike a personal chord with so many people that come upon it and is still something to behold in the popular music sphere, a cultural behemoth that, like the Beatles, redefined what music could do and the way that it could reach a mass audience.
FAQs Michael Jackson Thriller Album Value
What is an unopened Thriller album worth?
This will depend largely on the pressing in question. If it is a more recent reissue pressing of the album, for example, then it is not likely to be worth very much, even despite it being unopened and in mint condition. If, however, it is an earlier pressing (preferably an original), then it could go for a few hundred dollars. It is a statistical improbability for a copy of Thriller to be unopened, especially if it is an original pressing, but even still the sheer quantity of them produced at the time and onwards will always have a bearing on the overall value.
What is the misprint on the Thriller album?
On the back of the original pressing of Thriller, there is a typo of the brand Interpak, something which is rectified on later pressings. Of more importance, however, is the fact that this original pressing also does not list Jackson as co-producer, something that belies the fact that this was Jackson’s first release where he had the right to do so, working alongside frequent collaborator and record producer Quincy Jones. This was obviously something he had fought, wanting to make an album with all killer and no filler, and so it was only right that he was given his dues.
How much is an original Michael Jackson Thriller vinyl record worth?
If it is indeed an earlier pressing (preferably an original), then it could go for a few hundred dollars. It is a statistical improbability for a copy of Thriller to be unopened, especially if it is an original pressing, but even still the sheer quantity of them produced at the time and onwards will always have a bearing on the overall value. This means that no matter the quality of the original pressing in question, if it is not personally signed by the man himself then it is unlikely to fetch more than a few hundred dollars.
How much is a signed Thriller album worth?
Though a signature on the copy of Thriller in question will undoubtedly affect the overall value of the record, the price it fetches can vary wildly. Some copies have been known to go for a mere thousand dollars, while others have fetched more, in the vein of a few thousand dollars or more. Here, as everywhere else, the quality of the record and its condition plays a huge part, not to mention exactly what pressing it is. If it is an original pressing with little wear that is also signed then you are indeed laughing.
I have an MJ Thriller album I bought in the 80s when I 1st play it I noticed all the songs on Side A are the same for side B so sides A & B are the same, not sure how often this happened, but I kept it as a keepsake and purchase another album to have to play. If anyone knows how often this happen let me know I have not ever seen another one on ebay but you would think there would be others thanks
Hey there Perry, hope this finds you well.
Good on you for keeping such a thing and not returning. The common stance would surely have been to return it to the store to get a new copy, right? You realized that this record might be worth something or would otherwise be an interesting relic to have. Given the intense strain that record plants are subjected to nowadays, it should be no wonder that defects like this turn up from time to time. Sure, these are different times in which record plants are fewer and the recent surge of interest through the vinyl boom has caught them off guard. Still, we are talking about one of the biggest-selling records of all time. Thus, though it is nice that you kept such a memento of this time and place, it would not surprise me if there were plenty more just like that were simply returned by their owners in exchange for a new one. Sadly, not all are as sentimentally minded as you, Perry.
Hope this has helped and hope you find someone else who has the same record eventually.
Robert.
I have a 1982 Michael Jackson Thriller album with a gold plates stamp, stating it belongs to CBS records Australia and is not for sale. family member worked for CBS before her passing in 1989.
Hey Ken, hope this finds you well!
That does indeed sound like a pretty rare thing, lucky you! As we already discusses, the rarity of an album is based on at least two factors: the scarcity of the release on the market vs. the notoriety or fame of the artist. For example, you might have an album that no one else has, but this won’t do you any good selling it because no one knows who the artist is. With an artist as popular as Michael Jackson – the so-called King of Pop – it is difficult for there to be any scarcity of products whatsoever. Even the first issues of Thriller are not worth all that much, except perhaps when completely unopened. Even still, such records would be worth less than a comparative release. Thus, even if your record is what you say it is, a CBS Australia exclusive not meant for public sale, it is unlikely to be worth all that much in the grand scheme of things. Be my guest, though, and find out for yourself.
Thanks for stopping by and hope this has helped,
Robert.
I have a Thriller album still sealed. Has never been opened. Is that a factor in the worth?
Good day Terry,
Hope you are doing well. As we discussed in the article, the value of a Michael Jackson is not going to be nearly as much as a comparatively rarer record from the same era, no matter how well kept it is. That being said, a sealed copy of Thriller is going to fetch far more than, say, an unsealed and roughshod copy.
Hope this has been of help and good luck with your sale!
Robert.
I have a 1982 Michael Jackson Thriller picture disc in great condition my mom bought for me when I was a kid.
Hey there Laura,
Hope you’re having a good day. Great to hear about your picture disc! Record collecting is exciting, the ability to hold such old things in a world where things themselves don’t really last very long and, in fact, tend to have a pretty short lifespan before being shown a thoroughfare to the trash can.
This must hold some real sentimental value for you as well, especially seeing as you still own it after all these years! Make sure you treasure it and don’t let it out of your sight!
Thanks for stopping by,
Robert.
I found one recently at our thrift store and it has mismatched sides. Side A is Thriller, but the side B is Culture Club. What is up with that?
Hey Kate.
The history of phonographic record technology is pockmarked and filled with anomalies. This is, after all, a product of human randomness and not extraterrestrial intelligence, so it should come as no surprise that such things come to bear on your listening experience. This might very well be the result of some promotional offer by, for example, a magazine of the time. Whatever the case, it’s unlikely that this disc will be worth all that much considering how widespread these two artists were at the time.
Thanks for stopping by,
Robert.