Coro De RTVE – La Zarzuela

About this record

Compiled and reissued on Philips in Spain in 1983, this LP gathers zarzuela and pasodoble material under the baton of Igor Markevitch with the Coro de RTVE and Orquesta Sinfónica de RTVE, and it is catalogued as 68 51 253. Its listing marks it as both a compilation and a reissue, so buyers are not looking at an original first run but at a later Spanish-market reassembly of Philips material.

Only one track is recorded in the release data, which makes the sleeve and label details carry more of the identification work than the programme itself.

What drives its value

Price for this pressing is set by its condition ladder, which runs from a Mint value of 3.60 USD down to a VG value of 1.70 USD, with VG+ at 2.46 USD and NM at 3.22 USD. The lowest current asking price is 1.19 USD, and 11 copies are listed for sale, so a buyer has a live market to compare against the guide.

Demand is modest: 61 collectors list the record as in their collection while only 3 want it, a have-to-want ratio that points to a steady supply rather than a scarce title. The reissue status matters here, because the original Philips pressings of this material sit in a different position among the other_pressings, and a buyer should not assume the 1983 Spanish reissue carries the same premium as an earlier issue.

A copy that grades strongly keeps most of its value across the guide, while a worn copy drops toward the 0.95 USD G+ level, so grading accuracy is where the money is made or lost.

How to appraise this pressing

Confirm the pressing by reading the Philips label and the catalogue number 68 51 253 printed on the sleeve and label, then compare them against the release details, which list Spain as the country and 1983 as the year. The release data gives no barcode, so do not rely on a barcode check to identify it.

If the dead wax carries a matrix or runout string, record it exactly and match it against a reference listing before accepting the copy as this edition, since the data provided does not include a matrix code to verify against. Confirm the pressing plant from the runout etching where present, because a plant mark is the most reliable way to separate this reissue from other Philips Spanish material.

Grade the sleeve and disc separately, using the price ladder from Mint down to Poor, and assign the lower of the two grades to the lot. Check that the single track listed is complete and that the record is not a later repress with altered inner sleeve printing.

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