A while back when we were moving to another home, we got rid of a ton of stuff at our old apartment. One of the things we had was this very very old recordplayer and it was also a radio and cassette player. Its one of those things where it had wheels on it as well so you could push it.
We had ton of records as well and most of them were bought in the late 70s to 80s or so. I recalled one of them was the michael jackson thriller and it was those big discs… thus a record. I know when we bought those, they cost a good amount of money but of course when i say that, i mean good amount of money during the late 70s and 80s.
I was going to check ebay and enter those titles to see if any of those records were worth anything but i found out we threw everything out. Later when we went back to the basement, the recordplayer and all the records were gone. So that meant someone probably saw it and took it and though maybe it was worth something.
Does anyone know if a recordplayer that im describing or records like that, that we had could be worth a good amount of money?
Also has anyone here or know anyone that threw something away from sold it for very little and then found out it was worth much more later? For example i read stories about how a guy would sell something like a ring for 10 dollars then found out it was worth like 5000 or something like that.
Im assuming this happens much more than i think it would?
Im kinda upset that i didnt get a chance just to see if any of the old records we had from back then was actually worth something. I know we had like 35 plus records at least. Curious if anyone knows anything about this. I know the records were mostly late 70s to late 80s or so. There might been some that were early 90s. I just know the michael jackson thriller cd looked like a popular one and its worth at least 15 dollars from checking ebay. Curious if there are any record experts here.
Certain radios from the 30’s and 40’s are worth a lot of money, but record players from the 60’s on are worthless. And, records from the 70’s and 80’s are even less than worthless - you can’t give them away.
The Gospel of Thomas was found among 13 codecs inside an urn discovered by 2 Egyptian locals in 1945. They were disappointed that the urn did not contain gold, but relieved that it also didn’t harbor an angry jinn. Anyway, when they got home they tossed it in a pile of straw. Their Mom used some of the ancient texts for kindling; after all the books were very old and in an unfamiliar language.
Around here, records are having a heyday. I see used record sales at least once or twice a month, where used vinyl records from pretty much all periods and genres are being sold. Sure, some are super cheap, but most range in the $4-$6 range. If you’ve got a collection of hundreds of records (not uncommon back in the day), if they’re in playable shape, they could end up bringing in a bit of extra cash.
Personally, I don’t want to go back to the days of vinyl and scratches and warped albums and replacing needles. But from what I gather, many audiophiles prefer vinyl to other media, and are willing to pay for it.
The records themself aren’t worth much – only a few audiophiles still think vinyl is better, and they want mint-condition vinyl, not the worn & scratched ones that most of us have.
However, the album covers, especially if in good shape & including all the inserts, lyrics sheets, etc. – those are finding quite a market among collectors. I recently saw the cover from Meet the Beatles, framed under glass, in the window of an antique/curio store, priced at $29.95. And a couple of weeks later it was gone, so I guess people are buying them.
I see plenty sold. The fancier/rarer listings go for more, but there are several that show up in the $5ish range that look like plain old albums.
I’m not saying you’re going to get rich. All I’m saying is that they’re not worthless or worth only pennies on the dollar, and it’s not just for the cover art/lyric sheets/rare versions. The only caveat is that they have to be playable. Warped and scratched records are truly worthless.
I woke up this morning to yet another “USED RECORD SALE!!!” plastered all over Facebook. There’s a guy who comes to town once or twice a month who puts these on. He apparently makes enough money that he keeps coming back. I’ve been to the sales; most of the records are in the $3 range, some range up to $10 or $15. I see very few under $2. They seem to be all types of records, from jazz to blues to punk to alternative and anything else you can think of. There’s always a crowd at the sales.
I had a Wacky Packages collection that was stolen after I moved. Probably worth a couple hundred at least. Why I didn’t take it with me I’ll never know. The whole collection fit in a shoe box. :smack:
When I was little I collected those cards that come in a pack with bubblegum. I had hockey cards, baseball cards, and various movie cards. LOTS of them. They all got left behind in an attic when I moved out of my dad’s house when I was 12, and he left all my stuff behind in that attic when he moved out.
Not “million-dollar find” valuable, but I threw away, gave away, or let my parents yard-sale away tons of original Star Wars action figures, vehicles, and LEGO stuff when I moved out for college. They were things that every middle-class kid from my generation had, and there was no indication any of it would ever become collector’s items.
There might be some nostalgia value, but generally old records aren’t worth the cost of hauling away. They’re heavy and unless they’re unopened, they’re likely scratched and warped. Very few albums had much rarity value – they made millions. So “Thriller” might sell for a couple of bucks – maybe slightly more now that most people have trashed their record collections.
You should probably check your albums for seven-leafed clovers before throwing them out though.
My parents moved several years ago. Now in their golden years, my dad doesn’t do as much handy-man stuff as he used to, so he figured it was time to pare down his extensive tool collection. Among other things, he put an add on craigslist for an anvil he’s owned for decades, something he got from a firetruck factory he worked at as a much younger man. He listed it for $25, and almost immediately got a call from a very interested party, who soon after showed up and bought it. My parents were quite surprised by the enthusiastic response, and only then thought it prudent to do some research and see what that anvil was really worth.
They were chagrined to discover that comparable anvils (in the 100-150 lb range) were selling new for around $700. :smack:
When it comes to stuff like Beatles albums, it really depends on which one you have. The fine print and other small details make the difference between a potentially valuable first pressing and a later version that was produced by the truckload. There are price guides out there that spell out the differences. I’ve bought Beatles albums for a dollar or two here and there…some are worth exactly that, and some are worth quite a bit more.
I had an 85rpm Edison player and a stack of records. The records were about a quarter inch thick and only one side had groves. Parents tossed it when I joined the USAF. Could not bring myself to research the value.
My mother is an antique dealer from a line of antique dealers. My father was a packrat. Having inherited both their genes, I have never thrown away anything of value.
As I’ve related before, a relative once gave me two old vacuum tube radios. I immediately dismantled one, took the tubes, and threw the rest away. The other radio gave me a twinge. I felt it could be valuable. I saved it and asked my Mom before destroying it. She confirmed that the first radio had been worth less than the tubes. The second radio, the one I had spared, was worth $200-300 in its current condition.
If this Buzzfeed piece 32 Of Your Childhood Toys That Are Worth An Absolute Fortune Now is any guide :rolleyes:, I could have funded my retirement with all the crap we bought for the little one. We had half of that stuff. Seriously, a Polly Pocket for $499.00? :eek: