Some collectors develop very strict boundaries for their collection limiting it, for example, to only Japanese releases, promotional material, or whatever. Others seem happy with a scattergun approach. Collectors who engage in a lot of inter-collector trading may even keep records of what other collectors are looking for in the hope of making mutually beneficial trades.

Of course, the collecting sub-culture is not without its problems. One difficulty is grading, which is very subjective. What is described as in 'excellent' condition by one collector or dealer, will perhaps be regarded as only 'very good' by another, and therefore unacceptable. The other major concern is scam artists and rip-off merchants. Fortunately, these kinds of people are relatively rare, but, particularly in online trading, they do surface from time to time.

In this collecting feature we look at the Top 10 Prince sound collectables in Germany and we revisit the Top 10 USA collectables, which has been updated since previously published in "Sevenmag". Prices are expressed in US dollars.

(Written and compiled by AnjulberG with invaluable assistance from Alex. Also, thanks to the various other people (U know who U R) who volunteered information for this piece.)

Place: Alsdorf, Germany
Time: 1987
Event: Some 500,000 copies of Prince's rumoured underground album -- dubbed "The Black Album" due to its packaging -- are pressed and made ready for shipping only to be suddenly recalled and ordered destroyed.

As Prince-lore goes, this story is one of the most famous. Copies of this "Black Album" that escaped destruction subsequently went on sale for huge prices, different bootleg issues hit the market by the dozen, and Prince himself launched some kind of anti-"Black Album" campaign during his Lovesexy Tour and on the video for "Alphabet St".

The "Black Album" release is probably the most famous of all Prince collectables and, although very rare, still becomes available from time to time at somewhat lower prices than was originally the case. (Apparently one Hamburg shop had a copy on sale for in excess of DM22, 000!!!!)

But, this prized item aside, Germany is still responsible for quite a few other highly sought after releases -- particularly promotional issues -- as befits the home of one of Prince's strongest fan bases worldwide.

What follows is NOT a comprehensive listing. It is more than open to debate; such is the nature of these items. It may also omit many items which some may believe ought to be included. What this list does attempt, however, is to provide an accurate summary of items which deserve to be included and which are also realistically obtainable (with the possible exception of the original "Black Album"). Any corrections, additions, or other information is most welcome! Please send any such information to: joeycoco@seagreen.ocn.ne.jp or this site.

#1
TITLE: no title. Dubbed "The Black Album".
FORMAT: 12" vinyl (CDs were all USA pressings) with black sleeve
CATALOGUE NUMBER: 925 677-1

COMMENT: As mentioned above, this item was pressed in 1987 but withdrawn and most copies destroyed. How many are circulating is difficult to confirm. One collectors' pricing publication makes the vague claim that while the album is 'rare, it's certainly not as rare as most people seem to think. What this means, exactly, is not clear, but there may be anywhere from twenty to forty copies floating about. The album and cover is all black, with track titles and catalogue number in orange print, with the only artist-credits going to 'Somebody' on the Warners' release schedule. But there is no overt identification on the album itself. On the back of the cover is the 'W' Warner Bros logo pressed in relief and a sticker bearing the pin code.

PRICE: Very difficult to narrow down a price range for this. Because of its eventual official release in 1994, the 1987 pressing has lost some of its original value, but probably due to the very high prices paid in the beginning, collectors seem unwilling to take too big a loss on their investments thus keeping prices relatively high for an item which is not the rarest collectable (in terms of numbers pressed) on the market. This said, prices range from a low $1,500 up to $6,000 in most record pricing catalogues. However, you will probably find it very difficult to find copies at the lower end of this scale, and prices might often be listed higher. At a recent British auction, a copy was apparently sold for 3,000 UK pounds.

NOTE: A two-12"-disc (45 RPM) DJ promotional set also exists with two songs per side (catalogue number: 25677DJ). This is much rarer than the above disc, but the country of origin is not clear, though it may well have been a USA pressing. In value, you would not go too far wrong if you add between 30 per cent and 50 per cent of the value of the above-mentioned "Black Album" issue. If anyone actually has this item, please email me or this site; I would be extremely interested in a description of this elusive issue.

#2
TITLE: "Sexuality" b/w "Controversy"
FORMAT: 7" single with unique German-only picture sleeve
CATALOGUE NUMBER: WBK 17869

COMMENT: This is easily the rarest of all German regular releases. Its sleeve is unique to Germany with a black and white picture of Prince in his period bikini briefs.

PRICE: Were you interested in tracking this item down, you'd be doing well to find it in the $150 range. Expect prices ranging from $175 to $275. Pay more than this and it had better be in absolute mint condition!

#3
TITLE: Music from the Motion Picture "Purple Rain"
FORMAT: Cassette
CATALOGUE NUMBER: PRO-413

COMMENT: This sampler cassette was the very first German promotional issue and was issued in order to promote "Purple Rain" in 1984. According to "Uptown" magazine, this cassette came housed in a purple-and-white j-card and featured the following tracks: "When Doves Cry" (album version)/ "Baby, I'm A Star"/ "When Doves Cry" (edit)/ "Computer Blue"/ "When Doves Cry" (album version). It is often listed as being entitled, "Purple Rain Sampler", but the actual sleeve does not bear such a title anywhere. Apparently, only about 100 were made and this item is extremely hard to find.

PRICE: Suggested prices range between $150 and $250. If you can find it at all.

#4
TITLE: "Orgasm" (/ "Come" -- see below)
FORMAT: 5" CD single
CATALOGUE NUMBER: PRO-902

COMMENT: 300 pressings of this item were sent out in 1994 to promote the "Come" album. It came in a special promotional folder which contained information on the "Come" album ("The Most Beautiful Album in the World"). Also in the folder was a special CD single titled: "Come", which was credited to "Prince". The track though is what became known as "Orgasm" and is timed at (3:42). It differs from the album version only at the very end where Prince asks: "R U ready?"

PRICE: Well, if you are ready, look to pay between $150 and $250.

#5
TITLE: "Sexuality" b/w "Controversy"
FORMAT: 12" single with unique German-only picture sleeve
CATALOGUE NUMBER: WBK 26197

COMMENT: This title represents the rarest of the regular German 12" releases. The cover picture is similar to the 7" issue.

PRICE: This item is less rare than the 7" disc, but will still set you back around $150-$200.

#6
TITLE: "The Crown Jewels"
FORMAT: 5" CD
CATALOGUE NUMBER: SAM 1037

COMMENT: About 800 copies of this unique German disc -- in black packaging with grey lettering -- was issued in 1992 in support of the Diamonds and Pearls Tour. This disc is essentially a "Greatest Hits" sampler with sixteen tracks ranging from 1982's "Little Red Corvette" to 1992's "Gett Off".

PRICE: Not particularly hard to find, and you can pick one up anywhere between $100 and $150.

#7
TITLE: "Paisley Park"
FORMAT: 12" single
CATALOGUE NUMBER: 920356-0

COMMENT: According to "Uptown" magazine, this is probably the rarest of all German 12" maxi-single pressings but it's actually a lot easier to find than the "Sexuality"/ "Controversy" 12" listed above.

PRICE: This item will usually fetch between $125 and $150. Much higher and it would be a good idea to look elsewhere.

#8
TITLE: The Gold Experience
FORMAT: 5" CD
CATALOGUE NUMBER: 9362-4599-2

COMMENT: No, this isn't the regular release, it's a special promotional issue erroneously credited to "Prince", rather than "0(+>". It comes in blue-black-and-white packaging and was withdrawn soon after the mistake in the credits was noticed.

PRICE: Not particularly easy to find, this item usually commands a price of around $100-$125.

#9
TITLE: "Sexy MF"
FORMAT: 5" CD single
CATALOGUE NUMBER: SEXY 1

COMMENT: An interesting-looking 1-track CD single, this issue was limited to 300 copies.

PRICE: It IS a tricky one to find, but when you do find it, a price range of between $80 and $125 is most likely.

#10
TITLE: "Batdance" (The Batmix Edit)/ (Vicki Vale Mix Edit)
FORMAT: 7" promo single
CATALOGUE NUMBER: PRO-542

COMMENT: This came out in the same picture sleeve as the regular release but with the word, 'Remixes' added beneath the "Batdance" title. This was only the second ever German promo release for Prince and is actually quite difficult to track down.

PRICE: Difficult to find, difficult to price. But perhaps an $80 to $125 range is about right.

Some of the above rankings and/or listings will undoubtedly prompt disagreement. All prices were derived from a variety of sources ranging from collectors' magazines and books, to various collectors' opinions based on experience. The only item I couldn't get a price on for sure was the "Purple Rain Sampler" cassette. As a side-note, if you do your shopping in the UK, don't be surprised if you have to pay between 20 per cent and 100 per cent more for certain items; prices in the UK are often higher than anywhere else.

There is also a host of other items which ought to command the attention of collectors of German issues (which generally range in price from $50-$100) such as:

• "The Hits" (PRCD2) -- another sampler/ promo CD issue, this one from 1993
• "Paisley Park" (PRO 667) -- 7" white label promotional issue (no picture sleeve)
• "I Wanna Be Your Lover" b/w "Why You Wanna Treat Me So Bad?" (WB 17560) -- 7" regular release with picture sleeve.

Happy collecting!!

Sources: various pricing guide books, "Goldmine" magazine, "DisCovery" magazine, "Uptown" magazine, various Internet collectors.

USA TOP 10 COLLECTABLES -- REVISITED

Written and compiled by AnjulberG with invaluable assistance from Scott Sapp, Ms E, and input from Troy M, Jan G, and Phil B and 'T'.

If you are looking to collect Prince/Artist items from a particular country, the USA is a reasonably realistic choice. Not only were a lot of each item (relatively speaking) pressed for the huge USA market, but prices -- compared to other countries such as Japan for example -- are low.

Most Prince 7" and 12" singles can be procured for anywhere between $5 and $15 with only the pre-"Purple Rain" era singles likely to tip the scales at between $20 and $40 a pop, depending on the title and the condition.

As for CD singles, nothing should cost you more than $12-$15 per title -- and these should be in perfect condition. In fact, the only regular, store-released USA items likely to cost you more than $100 are the 12" "Let's Work"/ "Gotta Stop (Messin' About)" (WBS 50028), and the 7" of "Delirious"/ "Horny Toad" (29503).

But most of these kinds of items are small potatoes if we factor in the wealth of promotional items the USA has produced and the many unreleased-but-pressed, and limited and/ or withdrawn items which exist.

The following "Top 10" list makes no pretence at being exhaustive. It's merely a start. If you have any comments, corrections and/or additions, please feel free to email me at: joeycoco@seagreen.ocn.ne.jp or via this site.

#1
TITLE: none
FORMAT: 12" vinyl (x 2 discs)
CATALOGUE NUMBER: 25677 DJ

COMMENT: This is the promotional issue of the 1987 album project which became known as the "Black Album", and is probably one of the rarest of all Prince collectables on the world market. This item comes as two 12" 45 rpm discs, each containing two songs per side. Beyond that, little else is known. If anyone has more definitive information concerning this item, please forward it.

PRICE: This item commands an extremely high price. One collector's price guide lists this item at between $4,000 and $8,000. It must be noted, however, that such price guides often list items at well below what the item will fetch on the open market.

#2
TITLE: none
FORMAT: 5" CD w/ longbox
CATALOGUE NUMBER: 2-25677

COMMENT: These are also extremely rare with perhaps no more than a dozen in existence. These CDs were promotional issues and came housed in longboxes (as was common at the time). All the packaging is black with the spine bearing the catalogue number in orange print. There is also an 'Explicit Lyrics' warning and a barcode sticker on the back which also features the Warner Bros' address. The CD itself contains no clue that Prince is the artist responsible, and only gives a tracklisting (again in orange print). There are no European CD pressings of this item.

PRICE: With the eventual release of the "Black Album" in 1994, all 1987 originals suffered a serious depreciation. However, probably because investors in the 1987 product are unwilling to lose too much on their investments, all 1987 pressings (in all formats) still retain high values. Nevertheless, the numbers of this item in circulation are very few and this, plus the fact that the CDs are promotional items, means that 1987 "Black Album" CDs still command a hefty price tag. No information has surfaced concerning recent sales of this item, but "Uptown" reported that a CD without the longbox sold for $11,000 back in 1991, and that in 1992, a copy with the longbox was offered up for sale for $8,000. What is its value now? Well, only the market can decide that, but perhaps we can regard it as being on par with the vinyl DJ edition mentioned above.

#3
TITLE: "Come & The Gold Experience"
FORMAT: CD-R
CATALOGUE NUMBER: none

COMMENT: This is the original configuration of the album as Prince first presented it to Warner Brothers in mid-1994. The CD-R is dated 'March 25, 1994' and contains "Poem", "Interactive", "Endorphine Machine" (sic), and "Strays Of The World". There may also be another CD-R of this album which contains an unedited version of "Race" (6:09).

A CD-R of "The Gold Experience" has also surfaced, but is configured exactly as finally released. Another CD-R of "The Gold Experience" may also exist including "Ripopgodazippa", "Eye Hate U" with a different ending, and a longer version of "Shy".

It perhaps should be noted that CD-R copies of albums are a relatively recent addition to the collecting market and it is very difficult to decide on their collectability at this point. "Rarity" itself does not necessarily confer high value on anything. Having said that, however ...

PRICE: Recently, a copy of the "Come" CD-R was sold for $2,000 while a copy of "The Gold Experience" CD-R went for $750.

#4
TITLE: "The Black Album"
FORMAT: 12" grey marbled vinyl
CATALOGE NUMBER: 1-45793

COMMENT: Part of a series of promotional issues to accompany the 1994 issue of "The Black Album". Four types of 12" vinyl promotional issues were pressed, also including white vinyl, orange marble vinyl and black vinyl. Only fifty of the grey marbled vinyl discs were pressed and were apparently issued to Warner Bros executives. Each disc is numbered from #1 to #50 using a gold-stamp on the white label. No artist information is included in the package. The (white) label contains only the tracklisting and WB logo in orange print. The sleeve is plain white with the catalogue number and WB address in orange being the only information included.

PRICE: Since there are relatively few (only fifty pressed) of this item about, it naturally commands a high price tag. Some collectors seem to think that a lower gold-stamp number equals a higher price, but there really is no logic behind such a line of thought. Copies generally seem to start around $700 and go up to $1,000. But copies have been for sale for considerably less.

#5
TITLE: "The Future"
FORMAT: 5" CD single
CATALOGUE NUMBER: PRO-CD-3597

COMMENT: It was originally reported in "Uptown" that only five copies of this item existed, but other information indicates that circulating numbers could be much higher. This CD single is a promotional issue featuring yellow silk-screened Batman logos. The version of the song is listed as being the LP version.

PRICE: Despite claims that more copies are floating about than previously believed, this item remains extremely difficult to track down. In 1991, a copy of this item changed hands for $750, and perhaps a price range of $500-$800 is what you'll find listed.

#6
TITLE: "Gett Off" ('approx. damn near 10 min.')
FORMAT: 12" vinyl
CATALOGUE NUMBER: JUN 7

COMMENT: As the catalogue number suggests, this promo issue has something to do with Prince's birthday. On 7 June, 1991, Prince reportedly distributed 1500 copies of these one-sided pressings to various recipients as a special birthday present. The white sleeve features hand-drawn art by Prince himself in purple on one side, while the other is blank. Much is made of this artwork, but it is exactly the same as appeared on the yellow-sleeved USA commercial release. The labels are also worth a mention. The side which contains the music again features Prince's artwork in purple on a white background. The reverse side, which is smooth and contains no music, merely has a plain purple label.

PRICE: This item is one of the more readily available rare-and-expensive items on the market. For some extremely strange reason, despite the relatively large number of discs pressed, this item still ranks as a very costly item, often being listed between $300 and $700. It can be found on rare occasions a little cheaper, but, just as often, it will be listed at an even higher price.

#7
TITLE: "51 Hours"
FORMAT: 12" vinyl
CATALOGUE NUMBER: none

COMMENT: This item comes in a plain black sleeve with the only print being: 'Jacket Made in Canada'. The label is white and contains the legend, "51 HOURS with Diamond and Pearl" in pink script. No other identifying information is included. Numbers of this item are difficult to ascertain, but most collectors believe between thirty and fifty copies are in circulation.

PRICE: Usually, this item will fetch between $350 and $600.

#8
TITLE: "Pussy Control"/ "319"
FORMAT: 5" CD single
CATALOGUE NUMBER: none

COMMENTS: Originally, it was reported that fewer than twenty copies were circulating. However, recent information suggests that many more than this are scattered about. Exact numbers are difficult to ascertain, but a number exceeding thirty, maybe even significantly more, might not be too far off the mark, since 300 were originally pressed for USA club distribution. Apparently, many of these were actually shipped and while some were eventually returned, many were not. The CD itself is a picture CD featuring a huge symbol.

PRICE: Originally, copies sold for upwards of $300 to $400. However, as it has become known that more copies exist than originally thought, prices have dropped accordingly. Most recently, copies seem to be going for between $250 and $350. Paying more would seem excessive.

#9
TITLE: none
FORMAT: 12" white vinyl
CATALOGUE NUMBER: 1-45793

COMMENTS: Much of what was written for the grey-marbled copy is applicable to this item also. This white vinyl issue is limited to 300 copies, each numbered from #51 to #300, again in gold-stamp. The labels resemble the grey-marbled issues as does the entire package.

PRICE: Still relatively hard to locate and is usually at between $250 and $400, though prices much higher are still not unusual.

#10
TITLE: "Slave"/"New World"
FORMAT: Cassette single
CATALOGUE NUMBER: none

COMMENTS: This promotional item was given out at the 9 December, 1995 Paisley Park party and came wrapped in autographed paper. The cover resembles the "Emancipation" album cover.

PRICE: About a year ago, a copy sold for $300, but more recently, another copy sold for $200 and came with the wrapper.

In addition, there are a whole host of other items which might also be considered as worthy inclusions to this list and perhaps they are. Such items include:

• "Kamasutra" promo cassette
  The Artist had special cassettes printed up (featuring "The Plan" and "Kamasutra") as gifts for his wedding with Mayte, but withdrew them at the last minute. "Uptown" says only two still exist, but other sources say up to five may still be around. Yet others claim there are many of these tapes still in existence.
• "The Versace Experience -- Prelude 2 Gold" promo cassette
  Given out to people who attended the July Paris fashion show in 1995. Obviously, many exist, but these remain elusive and tend to command prices of between $200 to $250, sometimes higher.
• "Sexy Dancer" [PRO-A-2746] 1979 pre-release cassette
  This cassette features a unique J-card and lyrics. This item contains the short and long version of the title track (previously only extant on the UK 12" with catalogue number K17590T). Also includes "Bambi".
• "If Eye Love U 2Nite" (Mayte) promo CD
  This was planned for release but withdrawn. A copy recently sold for about $200.
• The Undertaker CD
  Again, a planned live rehearsal album which was withdrawn, but eventually saw some kind of release in the Warner Bros' home video of the same name. This item was ordered to be destroyed by coating the CDs with a special substance rendering the CDs themselves unplayable. Predictably, a method was found whereby the coating could be safely removed. Copies of this CD (both playable and unplayable) are circulating in reasonable numbers, but are still very hard to find. The CD itself is a picture CD with some kind of psychedelic design inspired by the special effects of the video. It comes without any official packaging. It's a relatively high-priced item, but generally doesn't fetch above $200. (This is a little inconsistent considering the price of the 1987 "Black Album" promo CDs.)

Whatever the case, there are still some great items to be had out there, and bargains can be found if you spread your net far enough. It's all part of the ride.
Good luck!!