Comments on: Another for The $1,000 Bin

By: Dave S

Dave S — Sat, 09 May 2009 02:59:21 +0000

Thanks for the insight Rudolf. SDounds like being around at the right place and especially right time (1957) got you off to a good start.

I myself only started collecting 4-5 years ago. In some ways I am sure it is more expensive now (the eBay route) but in some cases people are not just dumping their records in the trash anymore, so supply is out there.

Unfortunately a lot of fools are out there too jumping on the return to vinyl bandwagon. I often come across people trying to sell things like their Benny Goodman on Columbia for $50 each.

Record stores have all gone to eBay. Anytime they find a collectible record, they don’t even try to sell it at the store. They just sell it online.
I think the bricks and mortar storefront exists only to buy records not to sell them.

By: Rudolf A. Flinterman

Rudolf A. Flinterman — Thu, 07 May 2009 18:38:36 +0000

Al: I am not in the numbers game, but a rough calculation gives me some 4000.
I sold 3000 (I know this number because I sold exactly 3000) when I stopped working, because a simple calculation learnt me that I could never play all of them during the rest of my life. It does not make sense to have records and just look at them. And I am still selling off through various channels.
I have had a friend who had over 10000 albums. He tried desperately to sell off his entire collection when he was over 70 years old, but he was not succesful. When he died, scavengers were around to take care of the widow and his collection was gone in 2 days and God knows at what prices!

By: Al

Al — Thu, 07 May 2009 13:22:07 +0000

Rudolf — I don’t mean to be presumptuous, but how big a collection do you have?

By: Rudolf A. Flinterman

Rudolf A. Flinterman — Thu, 07 May 2009 12:46:21 +0000

Dave: how do non-US find their treasures? Good question! I would never start again collecting, what I have collected right now. The only source would be EBay and that is too cumbersome and costly.
When I started collecting in 1957 in Europe, it was quite usual to walk into a specialized record shop in Hamburg, Paris, London, Amsterdam, Brussels or Milano and find just about EVERYTHING, from imported Blue Note, Prestige, Savoy, Clef, Norgran or Riverside albums to European versions of Prestige, Columbia, Contemporary, Transition, Atlantic, Dawn etc. This situation lasted until the late sixties.
I started importing myself in the late fifties and bought directly at Prestige, Blue Note and Atlantic for economic reasons.
I found out that the U.S. in terms of availability of jazz records is/was not better off than Europe in the heydays of the ’50/’60-s.
In Europe there are big collections which have been taken care of in an excellent way, just as the Japanese do nowadays. A jazz record is not just an object of current consumption, it is something more, and handled with due care.
I don’t envy those who start collecting only now, I won’t!

By: Al

Al — Wed, 06 May 2009 15:55:22 +0000

Thank you for the kind words Rudolf. I’ve also been one to buy extra copies of records that have value. For the most part, those are the records I’ve been selling on eBay. The day of reckoning came when I moved several years ago and the movers had to call an extra crew and an extra truck because of all the record boxes. Now I’m trying to be more discriminatory about what to keep. Right now I have on my turntable the LP, Winchester Special by Lem Winchester with Benny Golson. I’ve had this record for 20-plus years and never listened to it. It’s actually quite good, so I’m going to keep it (for now) rather than put it on eBay.

By: Dave S

Dave S — Wed, 06 May 2009 14:17:39 +0000

Sounds like a good plan Rudolf to let the interest build back as one was just sold.

It would be great to hear from the non-US collectors how they “find” their treasures.

I spend time at record shows or scrounging around town (Atlanta Georgia) for records. I couldn’t imagine how hard it must be away from where the majority of the records were sold to begin with.

By: Rudolf A. Flinterman

Rudolf A. Flinterman — Wed, 06 May 2009 13:17:13 +0000

Thanks Al. I’ll gear up to sell. But not right away. Buyers should really be astounded to see one again. Two in a row will lessen the appetite.
Re 2 or more copies: I have always bought items which I thought could have collectors’ value. But once you have them, you stick to them. I have for instance 6 original copies of Prestige 7129 “Relaxin’ with the Miles davis Qnt”: one NYC original issue (1958), the first N.J. issue (1958) and the 2nd N.J. issue (1960) (all 3 yellow/black fireworks labels), one U.K. Esquire issue and 2 Danish Metronome issues (one small and one bigger groove label). I don’t count the ones in audio version, or in the Prestige P-12 collection.
Do I really need them? No. But it is fun. And if ever one falls from my shaky hands after too much pastis, I still have another one. Kind of an insurance.
I saw your items for sale. There are some interesting items which I am following.
I have 19 items for sale, my nom de guerre: “fiftiesjazz”.
I really love your site, it is fun and you have assembled a nice crowd.
Rudolf

By: Al

Al — Wed, 06 May 2009 11:46:37 +0000

Yes, I too would advise to sell. Do you really need two copies. You can make some other Jazz Collector, albeit a wealthy one, happy to have the LP at any price. — al

By: Rudolf A. Flinterman

Rudolf A. Flinterman — Tue, 05 May 2009 20:21:48 +0000

exactly, the Dixieland and Big Band guys, who held to their records, are big loosers. I paid 20 Deutschmarks for the Lee Morgan and when I would sell it for, say 1500 dollars, my wife would know how to spend it: invest in new heating, go on vacation in Kamchatka, you name it.
So your advise is to sell, I understand. Thanks, Rudolf

By: Dave S

Dave S — Tue, 05 May 2009 15:10:15 +0000

It is next to impossible to time the market. People holding lots of Dixieland and Big Band haven’t done well.

I assume that you bought the record for much less than you will sell it for, so there is alot of profit to be taken. What would you do with the money if you sold it? Invest it in something else, take a vacation?

Since I never spend more than a $100 for a record, I can’t get into the psychology of someone who spends $1500.