Trash or treasure?
How much is your Madonna collection worth?
A guide by Steve Caraco

INTRODUCTION

You may be just curious, or you may require an appraisal of your collection for insurance purposes, or you may want to sell your collection (in whole or part). Although I can't personally recommend anybody in particular who "specializes" in appraising Madonna collections, I do have over 10 years experience with buying, selling, and trading Madonna memorabilia, so I have a very good idea of what most items are worth. However, I am by no means an "official" or "licensed" appraisor. In other words, the best I can do for you is to give you my own personal, professional opinions of the approximate, U.S. dollar values for the item(s) in your collection, based on the condition of the item(s), and the current market demand (see "price fluctuations" below for details and "fine print" at the very end of this page for important information).

How to appraise items on your own:

There are several different (and mostly free) methods you can use on your own to put approximate values on your items. Some of the best methods include eBay, my own web site, and my new appraisal service. They are all outlined below.

eBay:

One of the best ways to determine the value of an item is to do a search for the item on the eBay auction web site, to see what it's currently selling for (by doing a current item search), or what it's sold for in the past 90 days (by doing a completed item search). Since eBay is world-wide, this should give you a good idea of a realistic value of the item. The best thing to do once a list matching your search criteria comes up is to "sort" the list by price. Clicking on "highest priced" will show you the most expensive items first (thus giving you an idea of the higher end of the value range). However, it's important to consider only those items that actually received bids - after all, an item is only worth as much as someone is willing to pay for it - if an completed eBay item's auction ended at $500.00 but nobody bid on it, that generally means that it's not worth that much. But if an item ended at $400.00 but received 22 bids, then you'll know that there are many people willing to pay for the item, and some of them are willing to pay top dollar. Likewise, clicking on the "lowest priced" link will give you an idea of the lowest prices that the item has been selling for - again, it's important to look only at items that actually received bids. However, if an item ended at a low price but didn't even receive a single bid, it's quite possible that it's a "worthless" item (nobody wanted it at that time, not even for a very low price) - but then again, this could also simply mean that the seller was not reputable, or the item did not have a sufficient description or photo, or there was something else about the eBay auction listing itself that caused it to not receive any bids.

You should be familiar with searching for items on eBay to get the best results. I regret that I can not walk you through the eBay search process. But any questions you may have will most likely be answered on eBay's web site - in particular, try THIS LINK for help on finding items. It also helps to include only very specific words in your search - including too many words could severely limit the search results. Using the feature to "search descriptions" also helps a lot (although searching descriptions is not available for completed items). Likewise, including too few words could give you way too many results - it might take a little practice to get it just right, but eBay is a very valuable (and free) tool to help determine the current collector's value for an item. Some good examples of search criteria are Madonna sex book and Madonna promo video and Madonna Ray Of Light CD - putting quotation marks around specific words or phrases forces eBay to return only those items that match the phrase exactly, so use them carefully. For example, if you search for "Madonna True Blue Poster" (with the quotes), it will NOT return an item whose title is "Madonna poster from the True Blue Album".

PRICE FLUCTUATIONS:

It's important to keep in mind that typically, a "new and exciting" item is usually worth the most during the first few days it comes out (sometimes even more before it even comes out, see below), then it typically declines slightly after a few weeks, then a little more after a few months. It will then generally remain stable for the next year or two, then possibly start to increase in value once again after that).

For example, in-house "promo" or "advance" copies of a Madonna single or album fetch amazingly high prices BEFORE they are released to the public. For example, advance promo copies of any Madonna album can easily sell for over $100.00 before the album comes out, but once the album is out, those advance promo copies will only be worth a few dollars (unless they have unique artwork or material that remains unreleased on them). Some good examples of extreme value fluctuation are as follows:

  • The "Music" Z-100 "Hyper CD" - this item was going on eBay for upwards of $700.00 during the week it first came out; but now generally changes hands for as little as $25.00.
  • Brand-new magazines with Madonna on the cover can sometimes fetch three to four times what they'll be worth just days or weeks after the magazine hits the news stand.
  • A promo CD with a currently unreleased song or remix can go for $75 to $100 and up. However, once that song or remix is officially released to the public, the value of the original promo CD can decrease greatly (sometimes CDs that once sold for $125.00 can now be worth only $5 to $10).

    • So as you can see, the most accurate values are for those of items that have "been out" for a year or more. Some more typical (average) U.S. dollar values for Madonna collectibles are as follows:

  • MAGAZINES with "full Madonna covers" (in other words, Madonna is the ONLY person on the cover) - generally worth $6 to $15 each. However, if the photo on the cover (or photos inside the magazine) are "exclusive" (in other words, not seen or published anywhere else) the value can range from $20 to $40 and up (some magazines fetch hundreds of dollars). Any magazines from 1984 are highly collectible, as only seven different magazines from 1984 are known to exist with Madonna on the cover (values range from $25 to $500.00). Madonna's very first magazine over (ISLAND magazine from 1983) has sold for over $1,000.00 in the past!
  • MAGAZINES with "partial Madonna covers" (in other words, Madonna shares the cover with other celebrities or artists) - generally worth $2 to $10 each. However, if there's an article inside that features exclusive photo(s) of Madonna, this can increase the value to $6 to $15 or more.
  • CD SINGLES with common artwork and where all tracks on the CD are available elsewhere: generally worth $3 to $10. Those with "exclusive" remixes or artwork are generally worth $15 to $50 and up (some CDs fetching hundreds of dollars).
  • POSTERS can sell for anywhere from $5 to $40 and up. High prices are given to those posters that contain rare or exclusive images.
  • AUTOGRAPHS - this is a very grey area. Of course, the most important thing is authenticity. If the autograph isn't even real, it's virtually worthless (unless it can fool an unsuspecting collector who is willing to pay for it). Assuming of course that the signature is GENUINE, a signed Madonna photo or item can usully get at least $75.00 to $100.00. Of course, this value can go all the way up to several hundred or even thousands of dollars, depending on the particular item signed. In general, items that are "inscribed" to a particular person are worth a LOT less than "uninscribed" autographs. For example, a photo signed "To Mike, Love Madonna" would be worth considerably less than one simply signed "Love, Madonna" - after all, unless your name is Mike, would you want that photo hanging on your wall?
  • ANY ITEMS pertaining to "Otto Von Wernherr" - are generally worthless. Since any Otto Von Wernherr material is really nothing more than his sad attempt to cash in on Madonna's fame, and any songs he recorded or created with Madonna are absolutely HORRIBLE, they are far from desirable among collectors. Although a few items (such as CDs and picture discs) are attractive to look at, most items that bear Otto Von Wernherr's name or material are only worth a couple of dollars. CD compilations such as "In the Beginning" and "Give It To Me" usually don't sell for more than $10 on the collector's market.
  • SEX BOOKS - of course, the most "desirable" SEX books are those that are still sealed in the original mylar foil. There are many different SEX books from different countries, and the value of any particular SEX book can range from $50 to $300, depending on the country it's from, condition, and more. For complete details about SEX books (including more info about how to value them), please visit my SEX BOOK PAGE (must be a supporting member to view)

    • If you can't find values for your items on eBay, and the above guidelines are not helpful, the current collector's values for hundreds of other specific items can also be found right here on my web site. You must be a supporting member of my web site in order to view the collector's guide pages, which include photos, descriptions, and U.S. dollar price values for most popular items. If, even after viewing my web site and following all of the guidelines above, you are still not able to value the item(s) in your collection, I offer an all-new appraisal service (see below).

    ALL-NEW APPRAISAL SERVICE:

    If you are still not able to find specific items or values that you are looking for, I also offer a new APPRAISAL SERVICE to help you out. Here's how it works:

    I can attach an approximate U.S. dollar "price range" to the item(s) in your collection, based on the following criteria:

  • The current market demand for the item (see "price fluctuations" above for important info)
  • The condition of the item (naturally, the better condition an item is in, the more valuable it is to collectors) - items that are "factory sealed" are generally worth more, so please specify if the item is "sealed" or not
  • Whether or not the item is truly "complete" (if it includes all items that originally came with it, such as custom sleeves, inserts, papers, stickers, boxes, instructions, or any other pertinent items)

    • If you are submitting a list of items to me for my appraisal, you must include as much information as possible about the item, or I might be unable or unwilling to attach a value to that item. Typically, you should provide the country of origin (if known or significant), condition of the item, catalog number (which is VERY helpful), track listings, and any other info you think might affect its value. For example, if you just said "Everybody 12" single" I would have no way to put an accurate value on the item; since an original UK pressing of the single (catalog number W9899T) is worth about $250.00, and a USA 12" single is only worth $5 to $10. I do "know my stuff," but sometimes an insufficient description can lead to an inaccurate value. If you can include a country of origin, catalog number, format (CD single, 12" single, or CD album, for example) that's usually enough for me to know whch item you are talking about (so track listings are not always necessary). Some good examples of proper and accepted item descriptions are as follows:

  • PEOPLE magazine (USA, March 13, 1985) - no subscription label, mint condition
  • "Another Suitcase In Another Hall" USA promo CD single (catalog number PRO-CD-8751-R)
  • "Ray Of Light" USA promo Henna Tattoo Kit (sealed)
  • "Nothing Really Matters" promo CD (catalog number W471CDDJ)

    • Sometimes it also helps to include a link to my own web site - if an item is shown on my web site, but no value is listed and the item might be hard to describe, just include a LINK to the item's photo (or description) on my web site.

    When appraising items, I generally will just "copy and paste" your item list into an email (or into a printed appraisal). I will then attach my current estimated values to each item. But keep in mind that if you have an obscure item, or one that I've never even heard of before, I may attach a value of "unknown" to it - meaning that I do not have enough information about the item to assess a valid dollar value to it. A short example of my appraisal might look something like this:

  • PEOPLE magazine (USA, March 13, 1985) - no subscription label, mint condition $15 to $30
  • "Another Suitcase In Another Hall" USA promo CD single (catalog number PRO-CD-8751-R) $185 to $400
  • "Ray Of Light" USA promo Henna Tattoo Kit (sealed) $45 to $75
  • "Nothing Really Matters" promo CD (catalog number W471CDDJ) $40 to $50

    • APPRAISAL FEES:

    If you are not a supporting member of The Madonna Catalog, I will appraise up to five items for you, free of charge. If you ARE a supporting member of The Madonna Catalog (with a currently active membership), I will appraise up to twenty items for you, free of charge. Otherwise, for my appraisal services, I charge only ten cents per item, with a $3.00 minimum. That's only $10.00 to appraise a collection of 100 items. The maximum number of items in any particular collection that I will appraise is 350 ($35.00 charge). Those fees are for only for appraisals done entirely via E-MAIL. If you want or require me to return to you a PRINTED appraisal (printed on my own letterheads with all items and values listed), please add $4.00 to the above fees, to cover costs of printing and mailing. If you feel you have an unusually large or valuable collection, and require an appraisal, please email me (with details about your collection) for price estimates regarding "in-person" appraisals (where I could come out to where your collection is, and personally inspect and value each item). In-person appraisals usually range from $75.00 to $300.00 and up (depending on your location; and those fees are mostly to cover my travel costs).

    Paying for your appraisals:

    All appraisals that require payment MUST be paid in full, in advance, before the appraisal is sent back to you. My preferred method of payment for appraisals is PayPal. Please see my complete payment policies for details on how you can pay for your collection appraisal.

    "Fine Print":

    My appraisals and estimates are for personal reference purposes only. I can in no way "guarantee" that your item(s) will actually sell for the value(s) I place on them. Furthermore, in the unfortunate event of a loss, I can not guarantee you in any way that my estimates and values will guarantee or lead towards a monetary settlement equal to or greater than the value(s) I place on your item(s). The main reason is that an item is only worth as much as someone's willing to pay for it, and it's often hard to "prove" the true value of an item. As is the case with Madonna memorabilia (and most other music memorabilia), the value of a particular item is speculative - a Madonna keychain, for example, would be literally worthless to some people, worth $2 to others, and possibly $100 to others.

    If you have a complete, detailed list of the items in your collection prepared, and you would like to email it to me, just copy the list to your "clipboard" in your computer, then send me an email and paste in the list. Typcal turnaround time for appraisals of 20 items or more is 4 to 7 days. I'm sorry, but I can not and will not accept printed lists through "snail mail" - it simply causes too much paperwork and confusion for me here. If I can not electronically "copy and paste" your list (for example, from an email), then I cannot evaluate your collection.

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