The Vinyl Market at Old Spitalfields Market is considered one of the best in the South for rare and collective vintage vinyl, posters, merch and more attracting DJs, collectors and curious passers-by. What began with a handful of stalls now fills the Market on the first and third Friday of every month and this year the Vinyl Market celebrates its 25th Anniversary!
The Vinyl Market is brought to life by some of the UK’s most dedicated and knowledgeable vinyl hunters, who offer everything from obscure psychedelic ‘60s to ‘90s New York hip-hop, plus plenty in between! Vinyl Experts from Old Spitalfields Market have shared their top tips on what to look out for when purchasing vinyl, just in time for the 25th anniversary:
Condition is everything
: treat vinyl like antiques, the better the condition, the higher the value. A scratched ‘60s record might survive, but a scratched ‘80s vinyl? You might as well throw it away.
Bowie is best
: rare Bowie vinyls are some of the best; take his second album, The Man Who Sold the World, it’s very rare but only if it’s the cover of him wearing a dress. A buyer could spend up to £2,000 on that!
The devil is in the detail
: knowing details can help avoid buying the wrong thing! Re-issues often look the same as the original, so be wary of subtle details including barcodes, sleeves and artwork
Just because it’s popular doesn’t mean it’s valuable: more copies tends to mean less value! When it comes to hits, you need to try to look for something unusual for it to be worth more!
To celebrate the Vinyl Market’s 25th Anniversary, Hoxton Radio will host a free-to-attend live broadcast from the Market on Friday 15th August between 10am – 2pm. Visitors are invited to enjoy tunes from the live broadcast, browse the extensive array of stalls and maybe just find the new soundtrack to their summer! Previously based in Old Spitalfields Market between 2017 – 2021, Hoxton Radio is a popular East London radio station covering arts and pop culture, playing rock n roll, electronic and smooth sounds from the 70’s to today!
Date: Friday 15th August
Time: 10am – 2pm
Location: Old Spitalfields Market, 16 Horner Square London, E1 6EW
