PRICE GUIDES VERSUS REALITY

HERE IS MY EXPERIENCE ON WHAT THE PRICE GUIDES SAY A RECORD IS WORTH AND WHAT IT WILL REALLY GO FOR HERE ON EBAY OR ELSEWHERE. RECORD COLLECTORS ARE A DIFFERENT BREED. DEPENDING ON WHAT A CERTAIN RECORD MEANS TO THEM, THE PRICE GUIDES BECOME ALMOST WORTHLESS INFORMATION. THIS IS ONLY MY OPINION, AS EVERYBODY IS DIFFERENT, BUT WHAT A PRICE GUIDE SAYS A RECORD IS WORTH, VERSUS WHAT A DEALER WILL PAY, VERSUS WHAT A COLLECTOR WILL PAY FOR A PARTICULAR RECORD ARE VERY DIFFERENT FROM EACH OTHER. I FOR ONE COLLECT CERTAIN GROUPS AND LABELS AND WILL PAY WHATEVER IT TAKES TO AQUIRE CERTAIN 45'S. DEALERS ARE IN IT FOR THE MONEY, AND IF THEY ARE BUYING, ARE ONLY GOING TO GIVE YOU THE ABSOLUTE MINIMUM FOR A RECORD. PRICE GUIDES ARE JUST A REFERENCE OF WHAT A RECORD HAS SOLD FOR IN THE PAST OR WHAT THE AVERAGE PRICE OF A CERTAIN COPY IS GOING FOR AMONGST DEALERS-COLLECTORS. THE HOLY GRAIL OF MOST COLLECTORS OF R&B, DOO-WOP FOR THE LAST 50+ YEARS IS A COPY OF THE FIVE SHARPS "STORMY WEATHER", IT IS SUPPOSED TO ONLY EXIST ON 78 RPM, AND ALL 45 RPM VERSIONS ARE BOOTS. SOME COLLECTORS WOULD GIVE UP THEIR FIRST BORN FOR A COPY, AND EVEN THE BOOTLEGS SELL FOR HUGE MONEY. I'VE HEARD THIS VERSION AND TO BE HONEST, IT'S  REALLY, REALLY BAD. SO FOR ME, AS A COLLECTOR, I WOULD NEVER EVEN CONSIDER PAYING MORE THAN $50.00 FOR A BOOT COPY 

SOME EXAMPLES

THE PRICE GUIDE LISTS THE ABOVE RECORD AT $200.00 IN M- CONDITION. AS A COLLECTOR, I LOOKED FOR THIS COPY FOR ALMOST 15 YEARS, IT WAS RARE WHEN IT CAME OUT IN 1959, AND IS ALOT RARER TODAY. I WOULD HAVE EASILY PAID $800.00-$1000.00 FOR IT AT ANY TIME. ONLY  A FEW COPIES HAVE COME UP ON EBAY IN THE LAST COUPLE OF YEARS AND THEY WERE TRASHED AND STILL WENT FOR ALMOST $200.00

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ON THE OTHER HAND, THE ABOVE COPY IS LISTED AT $200.00 M- ALSO, I HAVE 3 COPIES AND PAID ABOUT $40.00 FOR THE HIGHEST ONE. THIS 45 IS PRETTY EASY TO COME BY AND HAS SOLD HERE ON EBAY FAIRLY CHEAP.

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ANOTHER EXAMPLE IS THIS ONE FROM THE FIVE DISCS. THE BOOK LISTS IT AT $400.00 M-. A DEALER IN NEW YORK HAD A G+ COPY FOR $75.00, LAST YEAR I TURNED DOWN $850.00 FOR THIS VG+ COPY. IT ALL COMES DOWN TO WHAT IT'S WORTH TO YOU AS A COLLECTOR AND WHAT YOU ARE WILLING TO PAY FOR A CERTAIN RECORD. (JUST ASK THE NORTHERN SOUL CROWD). IF YOU ARE SELLING A LOT OF RECORDS, DON'T BE SURPRISED IF YOU ONLY GET A FRACTION OF WHAT THE PRICE GUIDES SAY THEY ARE WORTH. ON THE OTHER HAND, YOU MAY HAVE A COPY OF AN OLD DOO-WOP RECORD THAT THE GUIDE SAYS IS WORTH $100.00 AND YOU MAY FIND A COLLECTOR THAT HAS BEEN SEARCHING FOR THAT PARTICULAR COPY FOR AWHILE AND MONEY IS NO OBJECT.

BUT THEY ARE ALMOST THE SAME 

THESE TWO COPIES ARE ALMOST IDENTICAL TO EACH OTHER. THE ONE ON THE LEFT IS DORE # 905 AND THE ONE ON THE RIGHT IS DORE #903. THEY COULD HAVE ALMOST BEEN PRESSED IN THE SAME AFTERNOON. WHAT'S THE DIFFERENCE? THE "B" SIDE AND ABOUT $130.00. THE ONE ON THE LEFT CAN BE HAD FROM SEVERAL DEALERS FOR ABOUT $15.00-$30.00. THE ONE ON THE RIGHT FOR ABOUT $150.00. WHY WOULD A COLLECTOR PAY SO MUCH MORE FOR ALMOST THE SAME RECORD? BECAUSE, DORE #903 CAME FIRST AND IT IS A LITTLE HARDER TO GET.

SENTIMENTAL OR JUST IMPULSIVE?

AS WITH ALOT OF COLLECTORS, CERTAIN SONGS MEAN DIFFERENT THINGS OR REPRESENT A PERIOD OF TIME IN THEIR LIVES. (AGAIN, TALK TO THE NORTHERN SOUL CROWD). SO, FOR ME, I'M NO DIFFERENT. ALONG WITH COLLECTING CERTAIN GROUPS OR LABELS, THERE ARE SOME SONGS THAT HAVE A SENTIMENTAL VALUE TO THEM AND SOMETIMES YOU JUST GOTTA PAY BIG IF YOU HAPPEN TO WANT A RECORD THAT SOMEONE ELSE DOES ALSO.

ABOVE ARE A COUPLE OF 45'S THAT HAVE THAT SENTIMENTAL MEANING TO ME, AND  I PAID WAY TOO MUCH (ACCORDING TO WHAT THE PRICE GUIDES SAY). ESPECIALLY THE McKINLEY MITCHELL 45. I LOOKED FOR THIS ONE FOR A LONG TIME AND IT IS PRETTY HARD TO GET, SO, I TOSS UP AN IMPULSIVE BID AND GET CAUGHT UP WITH AN INCH BIDDER BIDDING AGAINST ME. SO LIKE 20+ BIDS LATER AT FIVE DOLLARS A POP. I FINALLY WON IT. WHAT SHOULD HAVE COST $20.00-$60.00, ENDED UP COSTING SEVERAL HUNDRED. BUT THAT'S  ON ME.

BOTTOM LINE

THE BOTTOM LINE IS THIS IS A GREAT HOBBY AND MUSIC SOOTHES THE SOUL. VINYL HAS A SOUND AND WARMTH THAT CANNOT BE REPRODUCED WITH A CD. RECORDS ARE WORTH ONLY WHAT THEY ARE WORTH TO YOU. IF THEY BRING ENJOYMENT TO YOUR LIFE, IT'S HARD TO PUT A PRICE ON THAT.