If you’ve ever flipped through a box of old records at a thrift store or inherited someone’s vinyl collection, you’ve probably wondered whether anything hiding inside could actually be valuable.

Sometimes, the answer is yes. Certain records have sold for thousands and occasionally much more, but usually something very specific separates a valuable copy from the one you might find in an ordinary record bin.

The pressing, label, cover, condition, and even tiny numbers etched into the vinyl can matter. So before assuming every old Beatles album is worth a fortune, here are some records and details worth knowing.

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The Beatles — Yesterday and Today “Butcher Cover”

This is one of the first records I’d want to investigate if I spotted an unusual copy in an old collection. Early versions featured the Beatles wearing butcher smocks surrounded by pieces of meat and doll parts, but the controversial artwork was quickly withdrawn and replaced.

Original uncovered “First State” copies are particularly valuable, with a sealed stereo example reportedly selling for $125,000. Even altered versions can be collectible, so don’t automatically dismiss a copy just because another cover appears to have been pasted over the original.

Bob Dylan — The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan

The valuable version of this 1963 album looks deceptively similar to much more common copies. A small number were accidentally pressed with four songs that should have been removed before release, creating one of the record’s most desirable variations.

Only a handful have surfaced, with a rare stereo example reportedly selling for $35,000. Identifying one can involve checking the songs that play, as well as the numbers stamped into the runout, or “dead wax,” area around the label.

The Beatles — The White Album

Millions of copies of The White Album exist, so simply owning an old one doesn’t mean you’ve hit the jackpot. What makes certain early copies interesting is the individual serial number printed on the cover, with collectors generally placing much higher values on exceptionally low numbers.

Ringo Starr’s personal UK copy numbered 0000001 famously sold for $750,000, while other very low-numbered copies have also commanded thousands. If you come across an early numbered copy, don’t focus only on the album’s age, look closely at that number.

The Velvet Underground & Nico — The Velvet Underground & Nico

Original copies are easy to recognize thanks to Andy Warhol’s famous banana artwork, but finding one with the original peelable banana sticker still intact can make it considerably more desirable. An even rarer variation was accidentally pressed without “Sunday Morning,” even though the song appears on the cover and label.

Only one example of that particular variation was known when it sold for $22,000 in 2017. More attainable original copies can still be collectible, particularly when the cover, banana, and vinyl are well preserved.

The Beatles — Introducing… The Beatles

This is a record where you really need to know exactly what you’re looking at because different versions can have dramatically different values. Early “ad back” copies have advertisements for other Vee-Jay albums on the back, while another early variation has a largely blank back cover.

Rare stereo “ad back” examples have reportedly sold for as much as $15,000, while certain blank-back copies can also bring thousands. Counterfeits are a concern with collectible Beatles records, though, so an unusual copy deserves proper research before you start calculating its value.

The Beatles — Please Please Me

Here’s another example where the label can matter far more than the album title. The earliest UK stereo copies used a black Parlophone label with gold lettering before the company switched to its more familiar black label with yellow and white printing.

Fewer than 1,000 of the early stereo black-and-gold versions are estimated to have been sold, and exceptional examples have reportedly reached around $21,000. A later pressing of the same album isn’t automatically worth anywhere near that amount.

Early acetates and test pressings

Sometimes the most valuable record in a collection doesn’t look like a regular commercial album. Acetates and test pressings were generally created during the production process in very small quantities, and examples connected to highly collectible artists or unreleased recordings can command substantial prices.

One early acetate containing recordings that eventually became The Velvet Underground’s debut album sold for more than $25,000, while an acetate of Elvis Presley’s first recording sold for $300,000 in 2015. These are extremely unusual finds, and valuable acetates have also been counterfeited, so authentication is especially important. (Rare Records)

Don’t assume an old record is valuable just because it’s old

This is probably the most important thing to remember when you’re digging through old vinyl. Millions of records were produced during the height of vinyl, and an album that sold millions of copies can still be relatively common decades later.

Scarcity, demand, pressing and condition generally matter far more than age alone. Collectors may also pay more for original artwork, rare labels, withdrawn songs, unusual pressings, and copies that still have inserts or other pieces that were originally included.