Béla Bartók – Piano Music

About this record

Two matrix runouts, ETC1012-A6 and ETC1012-B4, are the only physical identifiers this Netherlands pressing gives you, so the dead wax is where verification starts. Etcetera (3) issued this Bartok Piano Music LP in 1983 under catalogue ETC 1012, a four-track modern classical release.

With 9 copies listed for sale and 28 collectors holding one against 3 wanting it, supply is modest but the demand is thin.

What drives its value

The price guide for this pressing runs from 15.42 USD in Mint down to 7.31 USD in VG, with a Near Mint figure of 13.80 USD and a VG+ figure of 10.55 USD. The lowest current listing is 0.95 USD, and 9 copies are for sale, so the guide sits well above the cheapest asking price.

Condition therefore drives the value more than any other variable, since the difference between the top and bottom grades on the guide is what a buyer pays for surface quality. Demand is the weaker lever: 28 collectors have it and 3 want it, which keeps the market quiet.

The other_pressings data gives no alternative edition to compare against, so this copy is judged purely on its own grade, country of issue and the Etcetera (3) label.

How to appraise this pressing

Confirm the pressing by reading the label for Etcetera (3) and catalogue number ETC 1012, then check the dead wax against the two runout strings ETC1012-A6 and ETC1012-B4, one per side. The dead wax should show these matrix markings in the groove area near the centre of each side; if the strings differ, the copy is a different stamping of this release.

No barcode is listed for this issue, so the absence of one is not a red flag on its own. Grade the record by checking the playing surface under raking light for each of the four tracks across both sides, noting any wear that would move it from VG+ toward VG on the price guide.

Compare the sleeve and inner for the 1983 date and Netherlands origin printed on the artwork before settling on a grade.

Further reading: grading a record, how to sell vinyl.