If the majority of compact discs have lost their value, certain exceptional boxes can be bought at a high price, new or used.
Certain exceptional CD boxes continue to fascinate collectors despite the digital age. These editions by artists who have left their mark on their era can fetch several hundred euros on the collector's market.
What distinguishes these sought-after editions from the standard CD is above all their unique design. Record companies have created particularly elaborate box sets for certain artists, including exclusive content, detailed booklets and sometimes even a book, a poster or collector's items. It can be a limited edition but also a complete album by the artist including rare pieces which are still difficult to find on streaming platforms today.
The complete Karl Böhm at Decca perfectly illustrates this trend. The work of this 20th century conductor famous for his interpretations of Mozart, Beethoven, Richard Strauss and Richard Wagner is recorded in a box set of 38 CDs sold at 674.43 euros new at Fnac and around 290 euros on Amazon. The CDs come with Blu-ray audio and archival images. Still in the field of classics, the complete studio remastered by Maria Callas sells between 370 euros new on Fnac and between 170 and 270 euros used on Amazon.
However, French song also has its treasures. The anthology “Y'A D'La Joie” by Charles Trenet, a numbered box set of 19 CDs including more than 400 restored titles, reaches 300 euros in very good condition on Amazon. Even more impressive, the complete Pierre Perret collection (29 CD + DVD) sells for up to 610 euros new and around 360 euros used on the same platform.
Furthermore, a group very popular with the general public stands out on several occasions with several CD boxes sold at very high prices. This is Pink Floyd, this psychedelic rock group from London has always taken care of the design and content of its CD boxes. The complete “Discovery” of 16 CDs sells for between 594 and 829 euros new and around 200 euros used in good condition. The “Immersion” edition of “The Wall” including 7 CDs sells for up to 250 euros second-hand on Ebay, thanks to its elaborate packaging and Collector's items included.
However, it is the box set “The Later Years 1987-2019” by Pink Floyd which wins the prize because it sells for more than 500 euros used. This limited edition of 16 discs, containing more than 13 hours of unpublished audio and video recordings, including the legendary concerts of Venice (1989) and Knebworth (1990), is 684.99 euros on the Fnac marketplace, new and under seal. On Amazon, it sells used for 519 euros. The edition includes vinyls and a 60-page photo book in addition to CDs.
Surprisingly, the equivalent exclusively in vinyl version only costs around forty euros at Cultura even new and in limited edition.
