Most Seniors Ignore These 25 CDs From 80's WORTH 10X Their Retirement

This video counts down 25 valuable CDs from the 1980s, ranked from least to most valuable, and shows how to identify rare pressings using the matrix code, country of origin, promo stamp, and obi strip. The video explains that early CD pressing runs stayed small because labels were unsure the format would last, and that most early discs were made in Japan and West Germany. Because factories stamped discs differently, two copies of the same album can sell for very different prices. Every entry gives the catalog number, what to check on the disc, and sold prices from sources such as Discogs, eBay, Popsike, and Value Your Music. The highest confirmed sale on the list is a sealed copy of U2’s Special Collection 1980 to 1987, which sold at auction in May 2020 for $8,400. What’s covered in this video: 0:00 Intro 0:38 Why Early CDs Are Rare 1:51 #25: Abbey Road Black Triangle 3:05 #24: Brothers in Arms Longbox 4:34 #23: The Wall Japan Pressing 5:40 #22: ABBA’s Blue Face Visitors 7:10 #21: Billy Joel’s First Pop CD 8:28 #20: Rumours Japan First Pressing 9:37 #19: Purple Rain Target Pressing 10:55 #18: Hotel California Sealed Longbox 12:12 #17: The Cure’s Obi Strip 13:12 #16: Thriller’s Hidden Japan Pressing 14:12 #15: Mobile Fidelity Gold Discs 15:12 #14: Metallica’s Megaforce Debut 16:05 #13: Only 500 Copies Existed 16:55 #12: Dark Side’s $1,000 Triangle 18:18 #11: Nirvana’s Barcode-Free Bleach 19:14 #10: U2’s Ireland-Only Reissue 20:06 #9: The French Gold Single 20:54 #8: Stones Steel Wheels Promo 21:44 #7: Springsteen’s Promo-Only Double Disc 22:42 #6: George Harrison’s Rare EP 23:33 #5: Bowie’s Wooden Box Set 24:25 #4: Wish You Were Here Gold 25:25 #3: Depeche Mode’s Radio Promo 26:20 #2: Prince’s Banned Black Album 27:19 #1: The $8,400 Sealed U2 28:05 The One Rule That Matters Numbers 25 to 22 cover The Beatles’ Abbey Road Japan Black Triangle (CP35-3016), the 1985 longbox first pressing of Dire Straits’ Brothers in Arms, Pink Floyd’s The Wall on CBS/Sony from Japan, and ABBA’s The Visitors, whose Japan Discomate pressing with obi sold for $999.99. Numbers 21 to 18 cover Billy Joel’s 52nd Street (Japan 35DP-1, widely cited as the first pop CD), Fleetwood Mac’s Rumours (Japan 32XD-350), Prince’s Purple Rain as a West German target pressing, and the Eagles’ Hotel California, whose sealed longbox copy sold at auction for $1,030. Numbers 17 to 14 cover The Cure’s Disintegration Japan first pressing with obi at $169.20, Michael Jackson’s Thriller (Japan 358P-11), the Mobile Fidelity gold CDs including Rush’s Moving Pictures, and Metallica’s Kill ’Em All on Megaforce Records. Numbers 13 to 11 cover Now That’s What I Call Music 4, the 1984 UK release limited to about 500 CD copies, Pink Floyd’s The Dark Side of the Moon Japan Black Triangle (CP35-3017) at $1,017.67, and the 1989 Sub Pop first pressing of Nirvana’s Bleach. Numbers 10 to 7 cover U2’s 3, an Ireland-only reissue, Mylène Farmer’s gold CD single Sans Contrefaçon at about $1,320, the Japan promo of The Rolling Stones’ Steel Wheels, and Bruce Springsteen’s promo-only Japanese double disc The Future of Rock and Roll. Numbers 6 and 5 cover George Harrison’s Songs by George Harrison, a 1987 Genesis Publications release that sold for about $1,850, and David Bowie’s Sound + Vision, the Rykodisc set in a wood box with a certificate. Numbers 4 to 2 cover Pink Floyd’s Wish You Were Here Japan gold CD (35DP-4) at $2,799, the Depeche Mode Music for the Masses gold promo estimated at $3,000 to $4,000, and Prince’s The Black Album, with promotional copies trading from $3,000 to $8,800. Number 1 covers the sealed copy of U2’s Special Collection 1980 to 1987 and the point that opened copies or missing booklets sell for far less. The closing section explains that the value of these discs lies in physical details rather than the music, and that most CDs are worth only a dollar or two. Mentioned in this video: Discogs, eBay, Popsike, Value Your Music, Japan, West Germany, Ireland, United Kingdom, Hanover, Toshiba EMI, CBS/Sony, Polar, Polydor, Polygram, Megaforce Records, Sub Pop, Genesis Publications, Rykodisc, Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab, The Beatles, Abbey Road, Dire Straits, Brothers in Arms, Pink Floyd, The Wall, The Dark Side of the Moon, Wish You Were Here, ABBA, The Visitors, Billy Joel, 52nd Street, Fleetwood Mac, Rumours, Prince, Purple Rain, The Black Album, Eagles, Hotel California, The Cure, Disintegration, Michael Jackson, Thriller, Rush, Moving Pictures, Metallica, Kill ’Em All, Now That’s What I Call Music 4, Nirvana, Bleach, U2, 3, Special Collection 1980 to 1987, Mylène Farmer, Sans Contrefaçon, The Rolling Stones, Steel Wheels, Bruce Springsteen, The Future of Rock and Roll, George Harrison, Songs by George Harrison, David Bowie, Sound + Vision, Depeche Mode, Music for the Masses, matrix code, obi strip, black triangle, target pressing, longbox, 35DP series, gold CD, promo stamp.