Would you consider selling off some of your prized vinyl?

Discussion in 'Music Corner' started by Johnny Vinyl, Mar 7, 2018.

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  1. A lot of Elvis' fans were not necessarily fans of music in general just Elvis, something we see here repeatedly with Beatles' fans, something similar I am sure we could find with Michael Jackson fans. It seems when an artist reaches truly iconic levels they get a level of fandom separate from what their given artistry/milieu is.
     
    Crimson Witch likes this.
  2. Holerbot6000

    Holerbot6000 Forum Resident

    Location:
    California
    I already did and I made a LOT of money. It was a lot of work but for the first time in my life I hit the market at just the right time. People are paying top dollar for collectable vinyl right now; especially pre-resurgence stuff. It was tough parting with some things but I'm getting old and I was able to pay off my second mortgage so that definitely helps compensate. Strike while the iron is hot.
     
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  3. phillyal1

    phillyal1 Forum Resident

    Location:
    philadelphia, pa.
    Most of my record buys are impulse buys. It is good karma to sell something you don't really like to someone who may like it more.
     
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  4. nolazep

    nolazep Burrito Enthusiast

    I have sold off some prized, "valuable" stuff with no regrets.
     
  5. Kevin j

    Kevin j The 5th 99

    Location:
    Seattle Area
    I would, and I have. I don't need a million different versions of the same album, I just need the best version. of course, there are a few exceptions to that rule, but it's a rule I try to follow.
     
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  6. whodanny

    whodanny The Who ! THAT'S WHO !!

    I think I could sell all of it or none of it, I've had so much enjoyment from the thousands of titles I have that I maybe could survive without some of them again. But what about the ones I forget?. Every now and then I dig out something I haven't played in years and thoroughly enjoy it, or sometimes think "why'd I buy that?" Ultimately, if I needed the cash the rare stuff can be sold, I have a very clean copy of the first Who album, worth quite a bit I think, I also have several other versions of the album on vinyl and cd (and cassette). I can hear that record anytime I want. I have very rare copies of other titles, maybe worth more than "My Generation" but I only have one copy, do I sell that?. The answer is yes, if I have to, but I'd rather not. Because I like collecting. !! ?? If it was simply a matter of financial necessity then yes I could sell any of it to help my daughter, or my wife or any member of my family. It's only bits of plastic.
     
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  7. ndoheny

    ndoheny Forum Resident

    Location:
    Sacramento, Ca
    Do people collect Boston? :laugh:
    Radiohead is a interesting one. I actually think their collectibility is just starting to rise. The super rare stuff has always been expensive but now a lot of the standard OG pressings have been exploding. Their original fans are hitting the sweet spot of entering their 40's and that's when nostalgia kicks in. I would say Radiohead is safe for another 20-30 years.

    For the record I am a huge Beatlemaniac born in 1978. There was a whole generation of collectors created from the Anthology series. Not sure if younger collectors starting off today care about what a export pressing is or the difference between a one box and a two box but Beatles vinyl still flys off the shelves and is bringing in higher prices then ever online.
     
  8. alexpop

    alexpop Power pop + other bad habits....

    Discogs gives you a estimation on what your stock is worth.
     
  9. Sabbath and Radiohead are definitely collectible, average Sabbath used vinyl is sometimes $15, usually $20-30, before we get to white labels and Vertigoes.

    Boston, Eagles, Chicago, Billy Joel, Kansas, etc., can be made more collectible with knowledge of mastering and matrix, otherwise there is a glut of millions and millions.
     
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  10. alexpop

    alexpop Power pop + other bad habits....

    I've seen crazy prices for bad conditioned uk originals Beatles LPs that used to sell for 10.00, now going for 50/100.00. Buyers market.
     
    ndoheny likes this.
  11. lwh1

    lwh1 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Kent, England
    I did last year. Sold off 98% of my Sparks collection. Over 40 years worth of collecting.
    Couldn't see the point anymore of having things like 24 copies of "Cool Places". Had a touch of seller's remorse for a little while, but soon got over it!
     
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  12. seed_drill

    seed_drill Senior Member

    Location:
    Tryon, NC, USA
    Yeah, as much as I love Aqualung, I let my MoFi copies go. What's the purpose, when I have the DCC, original Reprise and the special box?
     
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  13. seed_drill

    seed_drill Senior Member

    Location:
    Tryon, NC, USA
    That still can leave stereo and mono or maybe quad, plus CDs, R2R, hi-rez and cover or track variations depending on country of origin!
     
  14. seed_drill

    seed_drill Senior Member

    Location:
    Tryon, NC, USA
    Prices crashing except for key titles, due to original fans dying off and the fact that there is a lot of dreck bearing the King's name.
     
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  15. vinylbeat

    vinylbeat Forum Resident

    That doesn't seem to be the case for US original Beatles LP's. I see a lot of that stuff in VG shape sitting in the bins unsold priced at $10.00. I rarely if ever see an original UK Beatles LP in nice shape at a record stores in the Chicago, Wisconsin or Indiana area. Maybe a two box EMI if you're lucky and usually overpriced.
     
    seed_drill likes this.
  16. whodanny

    whodanny The Who ! THAT'S WHO !!

    Yeah, that may be another thing affecting value. I love early Elvis, not so much the movie years, do like some of the post 68 stuff. But many Elvis fans are, like me getting on in years, I'm 58. I don't see too many enthusiastic younger people coming up behind me. The whole idea of Rock'n'Roll seems to be gone, outdated. When I say to someone that Royal Blood, or Muse or even an "old" band like The White Stripes are "Rock'n'Roll" I often get a blank look or even a mocking comment. So how much is a "rare" Elvis record worth to those people ? I don't have any "rare" Elvis stuff, I'll always love the Sun and early RCA stuff, but todays record buyers, do they really give a **** ??
     
  17. seed_drill

    seed_drill Senior Member

    Location:
    Tryon, NC, USA
    Cool Elvis still has hipster cache., as does vintage Sinatra. Movie Elvis, Country Elvis, Gospel Elvis, Holiday Elvis, Dexterized Elvis and Camden budget label Elvis, not so much.
     
    showtaper likes this.
  18. Y9771

    Y9771 time traveller

    Location:
    Lithuania
    It depends. If it's something I really like to listen or have a deep emotional attachment to, then no. But if I have something and don't like it enough to make it worth having, considering I can use the money to buy things I'll enjoy more, then I can sell it, though slightly sad it feels to part with interesting items. Also, if I have multiple issues of same title, and they are worth enough, then I think they're not worth keeping, this way I already sold some items I previously did not wanted to sell. When I was younger I was more idealistic about collecting, but some additional years taught me that sometimes it's really wise to let certain things go. If I sell off multiple copies I had, I always leave to myself either best sounding, or very first pressing. Sometimes, however, things are just too cheap to justify getting rid of them. For example, I currently have three differently mastered The Joshua Tree CDs, however neither of them is valuable, so even if won't listen to them all, it would be stupid selling them off for almost no gain.
     
  19. If I would need the money or the space and I don't listen to it a lot, the answer is yes. Records are meant to be played and when it comes to things I really don't listen to that much, I don't mind selling it or giving it away if it won't earn me any money. I avoid duplicates, whenever I find something in better shape or with better sound quality the old LP goes.
     
  20. Sax-son

    Sax-son Forum Resident

    Location:
    Three Rivers, CA
    There will be quite of few items(not just records) that will be going full Elvis. As the boomer and early gen X er's get to that certain age, the nostalgia for those items will wane. Latter generations of music buying will be going for different items. And so it goes!
     
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  21. Mr Bass

    Mr Bass Chevelle Ma Belle

    Location:
    Mid Atlantic
    I have sold some of my vinyl particularly when big money has been offered. So I sold off some early Blue Notes and other 50s jazz pressings to the good folks in Japan. In the case of RVG even the later pressings sound close to the originals so I wasn't losing much. I have also sold some UK classical LPs given the declining market for them. Also a few extra copies of Led Zep records. The rest I'm keeping up to the nursing home.
     
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  22. whodanny

    whodanny The Who ! THAT'S WHO !!

    Absolutely, I get that. But do they REALLY care about the music or just the "Cool factor". We loved the music. I have to say as a long haired rocker in the 70s I loved Elvis' music, I wasn't interested in his look or "image". I think, maybe you're right the records might sell for their "Cool" factor. I just hope the music endures.
     
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  23. seed_drill

    seed_drill Senior Member

    Location:
    Tryon, NC, USA
    Pretty sure they play their records, just like they ride their fixies, drink their PBR and drive their ironic (but cool) 30+ year old grandma cars.
     
  24. James Glennon

    James Glennon Senior Member

    Location:
    Dublin, Ireland
    Great post, look at all the great conversations you had with your customers.:pineapple:
     
  25. seed_drill

    seed_drill Senior Member

    Location:
    Tryon, NC, USA
    Back in the early 1990s, bad psych exploitation stuff was common and cheap. Now stuff like St. John's Green, Giant Crab and Beacon Street Union is quite collectible. I still kick myself over never buying a copy of Bubble Puppy for $20.00 that sat at my local record store for about ten years.

    Edti: Actually, the Beacon Street Union albums are pretty great, but they certainly weren't desirable. I remember when I did a few shows, someone asked specifically for them, and was "psyched" that I had a beater copy in my $2 box.
     
    JNTEX likes this.
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