Comments on: What Makes a Collectible a Collectible?

By: Marty

Marty — Fri, 25 May 2012 02:47:00 +0000

Collectable is everything — just need to get a feel for a ‘set of characteristics’ you want. I think the following is a few guidelines to keep in mind:

1. The earlier, the better
2. No use buying that $500 LP with no record cleaning routine, no outer sleeves, and no “new” inner sleeves
3. …really, I need to ask if the turntable has been ‘re-calibrated’ recently?
4. Do they fill your intent? Nice to frame? Nice to look at? Completing a ‘series’? Sound great? YOU CHOOSE.

By: karen

karen — Mon, 28 Jun 2010 17:01:33 +0000

father Hello – my father was a serious jazz collector and is now considering selling. He has more than 1000 albums (les brown, charlie barnet, count basie, jimmy and tommy doresey, duke ellington, glenn miller, benny goodman, woody herman, teddy wilson, benny carter, jack teagarden, joe sullivan, red norvo, billie holiday, earl hines, coleman hawkins and on and on and on. I don’t know where to start – is this collection of interest? of value? or, is there a place to donate that would treasure it like he did? any help you could provide would be immensely appreciated. thanks.

By: bethellodge

bethellodge — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 18:52:27 +0000

i’m satisfied with second/third pressings. Possibly by default, knowing that first pressings just aren’t a financial possibility for me. This may have shaped my opinion that no is worth over $100. There’s really no reason for it, but I suspect i could get sucked in if it was a real possibility.

That said: music first, always. I have no interest in collecting something I don’t want to listen to. Next is that synthesis of music/cover/historical significance that is hard to put into words – that some of us have tried to express above…

I’ve written about it here before… it happens in the space between taking the record off the shelf and putting the needle down.

By: Rudolf

Rudolf — Sun, 21 Feb 2010 16:29:35 +0000

the U.K. covers are kif-kif bourricot

By: Geraint

Geraint — Sun, 21 Feb 2010 09:30:26 +0000

if you think the US LT covers are bad you should see the UK issues!

By: Rudolf

Rudolf — Sat, 20 Feb 2010 21:31:00 +0000

ceedee: that is absolutely true and these Japanese issues of the LT series are all in my collection. They are lovely.

By: ceedee

ceedee — Sat, 20 Feb 2010 13:12:39 +0000

Great ponit,Rudolf. As I think of some dates in the “LT” series-Grant Green”Nigeria” or Wayne Shorter “The Collector”,say-the Japanese issues remained true to the label in it’s choice of original cover art. For some reason,the simple(read:cheap)covers used stateside were thought “close enough for jazz”. Or,at least,the US jazz audience.

By: Rudolf

Rudolf — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 21:15:58 +0000

In my opinion Michel forgets one factor: the quality of the cover art work.
This is best illustrated by the Blue Note LT series. The albums in this series are very often in line with the 4 factors mentioned by Michel. But they have all, without exception, miserable cover art work, and are therefor not collectible.

By: ceedee

ceedee — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 13:34:54 +0000

Jan,I think you also inadvertantly touched on another reason why some items go for big bucks,while others are passed on-that is,the buyer has to know it exists! I wonder how many folks entered “Monk Prestige” and perhaps never even saw that desireable lp? Those Esquire items-with the often unique and unusual cover art-are hard as hell to come by. You,my friend,got a “goodie”!

By: Jan

Jan — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 18:39:13 +0000

Thanks a lot for your feedback. I really enjoyed reading your posts and I am happy that we all seem to agree on the fact that the music is the most important thing. And of course, that the sound quality of many early pressings is superior to most of the later pressings.I think one of the best investments of mine was buying a mono cartridge two years ago. But if you are watching the ebay auctions music and sound quality alone for most people do not make a record collectible. Some time ago I was able to buy a copy of the Thelonious Monk Trio on Esquire(Prlp 189). It is indeed great music, great mono sound, it was pressed in the fifties, the mastering is by Rudy van Gelder and the copy is in mint condition and for me it was- and still is a nice collectible. -But nobody wanted to buy it so I got it for $ 20. The prestige original in mint condition would have been sold for $ 300 ? $ 500 ?