Tapes as collectibles

Discussion in 'Audio Hardware' started by Justme87, Dec 14, 2020.

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  1. anorak2

    anorak2 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Berlin, Germany
    I own a few hundred records and CDs, no prerecorded cassettes but I assume the same applies. All of them were bought at the original retail price or even from the bargain bin. Today the majority have a resale value hardly above the postage, a few I could sell at the original price plus inflation, but a number of them fetch triple digit prices. Sell two or three old records, and my next summer holiday is paid for. Having an eclectic taste and a sweet tooth for bargains pays off decades later, but that's not why I bought them in the day.
     
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  2. nosliw

    nosliw Delivering parcels throughout Teyvat! Meow~!

    Location:
    Ottawa, ON, Canada
    In other words, hindsight is 20/20. I don't think many people expected certain albums today would commend significant value.
     
  3. ANALOGUE OR DEATH

    ANALOGUE OR DEATH Forum Resident

    Location:
    HULL ENGLAND
    You can presume all you like.It doesn't make it a fact.Like all sealed media,if sold as mint and then the buyer unseals it and finds a fault,then as a seller you have a problem.Unless,as I mentioned in a previous thread regarding sealed records,you have made an arrangement with any buyer stating something along the lines that the item is sold as seen(i.e sold as a sealed item with no proof that the item within can be guaranteed as mint).
    Personally I would never sell a record or any media as mint if it was sealed.I would sell as sealed with that proviso.

    If we are buying used media whether on this platform or e-bay,if it is unsealed but described as mint,should we assume it is mint if visually it shows no marks whatsoever? Personally,I would never assume so.It may well be without any faults,but until played you don't know.

    The true grading of a vinyl record is determined by the sound quality,not how it looks.However,both the visual and play grade can be used to grade.Obviously,many sellers who have a large inventory cannot be expected to play grade every item.This is why sellers should have solid return policies and err on the side of caution when visually grading.
     
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  4. trickness

    trickness Gotta painful yellow headache

    Location:
    Manhattan
    And this entire post is reason number one why vinyl (or anything analog) is a gigantic pain in the @$$, especially for a seller. Even something brand new & sealed could be trash. And some vinyl is sold one way from the record companies to record stores meaning it is unreturnable even if it is defective..

    try buying a sealed candy bar from a deli, walking out with it, coming back two weeks later with a bite taken out of it and saying to the owner “this doesn’t taste right to me, I know I bought it new and unopened a couple of weeks ago but give me my money back or else I’ll file a PayPal complaint”

    Gotta love folks who demand perfection from a format that has imperfection literally baked in.

    Long live digital
     
    Last edited: Dec 16, 2020
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  5. DRM

    DRM Forum Resident

    If a cassette is truly new and sealed, the chances of it being defective are very slim. I buy Beatles cassettes that are over 40 years old and most are fine. And I can fix most of the ones that have any issues via transplanting into a new shell. Tape lasts a long time. If there's a problem, it's usually because of an old or missing felt pad or a very old and unstable cassette shell.
     
  6. The Trinity

    The Trinity Do what thou wilt, so mote be it.

    Location:
    Canada
    If you should sell your sealed cassettes at some point in the future, the person who buys them will likely be buying them as an artifact and not necessarily to listen to. Look at 8 track sales on eBay, as an example. Desirable, sealed carts sell for big bucks; not because they’re good to listen to, but because collectors want to own the item. Yes, tapes degrade, but sealed tapes will always carry a premium over their unsealed counterparts, unless they are completely undesirable. Lastly, I have 40 year old tapes that still sound really good (for tapes), and I think people who collect tapes are well aware of the risks of degradation, and collect them anyway. I’m getting old, and if I’ve learned one thing in life; it’s do what makes you happy, and don’t worry about pleasing others.
     
    Last edited: Dec 16, 2020
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  7. Justme87

    Justme87 Active Member Thread Starter

    Location:
    Belgium
    Thx so much !! You convinced me
    It would be a small amount compared to my vinyl collection, but i would be happy owning these tapes.
    Thx again. All the best
     
  8. The Trinity

    The Trinity Do what thou wilt, so mote be it.

    Location:
    Canada
    You are welcome. I do exactly what you are about to do. I still buy the odd new cassette when I see them, and if I like the band, or simply want the item. Just enjoy yourself. That’s all that truly matters.
     
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  9. andrewskyDE

    andrewskyDE Island Owner

    Location:
    Europe
    Probably not quite fitting to this thread but just saying that blank Type IV cassettes are something like a 'holy grail' for self made tapes these days. Average price for one such tape is 40 bucks or so.
    I wish there would be new Type IV cassettes manufactured, so the prices would balance some things out (like being less expensive than older and used cassettes of that kind are sold today).
    Too bad, not even Chrome but only Ferro tapes will be made these days...
     
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  10. andrewskyDE

    andrewskyDE Island Owner

    Location:
    Europe
    This counts for all formats in my collection.^^
     
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  11. bluesky

    bluesky Senior Member

    Location:
    south florida, usa
    I still have one sealed cassette: Atlantic Crossing (Rod Stewart/Faces). I just keep it sealed for old times sake.

    Also still have some sealed LPs that I bought back in the early 80s: 2 ea Jimmy Page, 2 ea Hendrix, 1 Funk. Just never opened them.
     
    Last edited: Dec 16, 2020
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  12. apesfan

    apesfan "Going Ape"

    What's collectable to me is my 30 or so Maxell UD and UDXL II recordings made in the mid 1970's of first issue Beatles, Hendrix, Turtles, Doors, Tijuana Brass, and also 100 or so 45 rpm mono and stereo discs from about 1964-79. Played back on my Tandberg 440A through my old Denon 4802 theater receiver sound exactly like I remembered and different from my newer versions on my " better" setup. John M.
     
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  13. soundboy

    soundboy Senior Member

    I found my sister's 3 factory-sealed Sony Metal Master type IV blank tapes (with ceramic shells and super heavy in weight) in a box in her garage the other day. I took them to her and took her to be careful with these....they could be your retirement! :D
     
    Last edited: Dec 16, 2020
  14. andrewskyDE

    andrewskyDE Island Owner

    Location:
    Europe
    Man, those white colored cassettes look so great. Wish I had at least one. Yeah, occasionally found for 80 bucks and (much) more on Ebay...
     
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  15. soundboy

    soundboy Senior Member

    At least she will have $240 for her retirement :D
     
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  16. Tapes?
    What tapes? Open reel? If so, will you be looking at half tracks? Mono and/or stereo? Half track 7-1/2 IPS? Or, 3-3/4 IPS?

    Or, quarter tracks? What IPS?

    Or, DAT's? Digital audio tapes? Or, 8-tracks? Or, Elcassettes?

    Or, just plain, old, dumb, low fidelity cassettes?
    [​IMG]
    [​IMG]
     
  17. negative1

    negative1 80s retro fan

    Location:
    USA
    I have always collected cassette versions of my favorite album.

    But this year, and partly last year, I am making it a priority to fill in all the
    gaps for bands I like.

    I am also looking for cassette singles, and cassette maxi-singles too.

    I have seen wide variations on the prices of cassettes from Europe/UK/Asia compared to US cassettes.

    But I am making a huge dent in adding them, as they are not usually as expensive as I would
    have thought. Now if its something thats 20 years or older, than yeah, its hard to find.

    The promo ones do cost a lot usually, and most are very hard to find.

    I will post some of them here.

    later
    -1
     
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  18. Alright4now

    Alright4now Forum Resident

    Location:
    New Orleans, LA
    Responding to the OP with “Drummer of Urban Dance Squad” make me guffaw out loud. That was awesome.
     
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  19. negative1

    negative1 80s retro fan

    Location:
    USA
    now that tapes are kind of making a comeback, some bands are putting their
    albums back on them, after taking a long break.

    here's a japanese one (one of the few i have), for a new orders 'music complete',
    it only came in this boxset:

    New Order = ニュー・オーダー – Music Complete = ミュージック・コンプリート (2016, 風呂敷ボックス・セット = Wrapping Cloth Box Set, Box Set)

    [​IMG]

    New Order = ニュー・オーダー* ‎– Music Complete = ミュージック・コンプリート
    Label:
    Traffic (3) ‎– TRCP-BOX200
    Format:
    Box Set, Limited Edition, 風呂敷ボックス・セット = Wrapping Cloth Box Set
    Cassette, Album
    CD, EP
    CD, EP
    CD, EP
    Country:
    Japan
    Released:
    25 May 2016
    Genre:
    Electronic, Rock
    Style:
    Alternative Rock, Synth-pop, Electro, Indie Rock

    TracklistShow Credits
    Music Complete
    Cassette-A1 Restless 5:28
    Cassette-A2 Singularity 5:37
    Cassette-A3 Plastic 6:55
    Cassette-A4 Tutti Frutti 6:22
    Cassette-A5 People On The High Line 5:41
    Cassette-A6 Stray Dog 6:17
    Cassette-B1 Academic 5:54
    Cassette-B2 Nothing But A Fool 7:43
    Cassette-B3 Unlearn This Hatred 4:19
    Cassette-B4 The Game 5:06
    Cassette-B5 Superheated 5:04

    I'm not sure if you can buy the cassette anywhere else, this package
    was sold in Japan during their tour then, when it happened.

    I'm sure the tape is valuable on its own, but not sure how much it would be worth.

    later
    -1
     
  20. qwerty

    qwerty A resident of the SH_Forums.

    Buy the cassette (or r-r tape) if it has music not released elsewhere and you want to enjoy the music.
    Buy the cassette (or r-r tape) if you're a completeist and want to enjoy the collection for what it is.

    But don't buy the tapes as an investment. Sure, there will be the occasional exception that might sell for big bucks, but most won't. And if the tape is part of a meaningful collection to you, you will be unlikely to want to sell the valuable tape anyway.
     
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  21. vwestlife

    vwestlife Forum Resident

    Location:
    New Jersey, USA
    On Discogs, someone paid $89 for a Justin Bieber cassette. And someone is currently trying to sell a copy for $75. This, for a tape that originally sold for around $15 when it was new.

    Justin Bieber – Purpose (2015, Cassette)
     
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  22. c-eling

    c-eling They're made of light,We never would have guessed

    Worth having if you enjoy the album/Ludwig cuts :)
     
  23. c-eling

    c-eling They're made of light,We never would have guessed

    About what I paid for Second Voice's 1988 album Perpetuate, however only 1 song from it made it to digital.
    [​IMG]
     
  24. CDV

    CDV Forum Resident

    An acquaintance of mine makes a decent living now, selling off the stamps he bought half a century ago.

    I'd say, if you don't have a reliable hunch about what might increase its value in the future, don't collect for the purpose of resale.

    The "completist" reason is silly and plays in labels' favor: the more media types and releases they make, the more items they sell to completists. They got you hooked, and now they can milk you.
     
  25. bluesky

    bluesky Senior Member

    Location:
    south florida, usa
    I thought I saved 60 'special' cassettes and gave away all the rest. Well, a month or so ago, I just found 240 more, many 'special' one way or the other. :) I had no idea but... glad I kept them!

    Hope they go up in price.
     
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