RECORD COLLECTING. SOME THOUGHTS.

 Its always nice to get, within ones grasp ,a tender example of some stunning audio masterpiece, from long ago, but sadly, & this is the reason why they are so rare, there are so few of them around. Most people did not spend vast amounts of money on their records. They bought what was happening at the time, usually from Woolworths, or wherever, & played them to death until the next record came along. A lot can be explained, when buying old records today just by a quick study of a few factors, such as where the record owners lived, where they purchased their collection from, who they were as people, all these factors go a long way in determining what collections should be purchase today, & what should be stayed away from. Remember, `there`s no such thing as a free lunch `, especially when it comes to collecting good records.

 A chap rang me yesterday, from around the corner to me, to let me know he had some records that he had found in the garage of an old house. Naturally I went flying round there, & there was really good albums, but when I looked into a box that he told me not to look into as it had been reserved for another person, I found, probably one of the best finds I have ever come across in all my years of collecting, stuck there in that dirty old box. I began to shake, shiver, & had to forcibly stop myself from bursting into tears as I held it.

  Immediately, I explained to the chap what it was worth, & what I would pay him for it. He swallowed hard, looked me straight in the eye, & said; " I cannot I have already promised it to the other chap, & I am a man of honour ". I told him; " your misguided, the other chap offered you a pittance & that is because he is a record dealer " He agreed, & accepted that he had been ripped off, or was about to be, as the dealer had not even bothered to pick them up or pay him as yet. I walked away heartbroken & angry, cursing the dealer, & the man`s stupidity, but really, after all is said & done, it is I that is the silly one, because I am without a work of art such as that record.

 I hope that you find a gem one day. But remember, the Universe puts gems out there for the brave, & the stupid, to find one you have to decide which side of the fence you reside on. 

 Best