are there albums where the covers are worth more than the records?

HERE’S ANOTHER QUESTION ABOUT VINYL on Quora that distracted me from various writing projects! The question is, “What vinyl album cover empty is worth more than a mint vinyl album without the cover?” Or, as I have worded it in this article’s title: Are there albums with covers that are worth more than the records? [Continue reading]

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the stairway to heaven leads to gilligan’s island

IN MAY 1978, a record by a group with a rather silly name was released in the San Francisco Bay Area. After making a splash in that market, radio stations around the country picked it up for their playlists. Had things been left to themselves, the record might have been a really big hit record. [Continue reading]

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a blonde on blonde labelography and price guide

THIS IS A LABELOGRAPHY and price guide for the ’60s pressings of Bob Dylan’s album BLONDE ON BLONDE. It is intended as a complementary piece to my article “What Was the First Rock Double-Album of the ’60s?” Whereas that piece was for a general readership, this article is intended for Dylan aficionados and record collectors. [Continue reading]

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about collectables and their alleged collectability and value

BUYERS AND SELLERS of collectables—whether records or memorabilia or Beanie Babies—often fail to achieve their goals of financial success because they do not understand a few basic concepts on determining collectability and value of the “seldom found.” Because this a record collectors website, I will generally refer to records below, but you can substitute almost any other collectable and the comments remain virtually unchanged. [Continue reading]

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the avid collectors’ guide to wild in the streets part 4

THIS IS PART 4 of the Avid Record Collector’s Price Guide to Wild In The Streets. It addresses in detail the four albums associated with that movie and its music. The first three parts have been published, and with this part I finally get around the a labelography and price guide for the records. [Continue reading]

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the ongoing damnation of faust (and a lesson on selling on ebay)

BUYER SCAMS ON eBay and other seller sites are recognized, if poorly addressed by those sites. In my article “eBay Buyer Scams And Shipping Items Internationally,” I wrote about these issues and an altercation that I had with a buyer in Europe who I believe was trying to pull such a scam. [Continue reading]

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beware fake bowie and prince autographs and memorabilia

FAKE AUTOGRAPHS are back in the news, this time featuring a mother-son combo forging the signatures on thousands of sports items. And while it hasn’t made any headlines, the recent unexpected deaths of two beloved superstars should have every collector of Bowie and Prince autographs treading cautiously as this is when they are ripest for a rip-off! [Continue reading]

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ebay buyer scams and shipping items internationally

EBAY IS THE PLACE TO SELL and has been for years and years! But sellers quickly learn that eBay goes out of its way to protect and even placate buyers—regardless of the patent absurdity of some of their claims against the seller! Everything from eBay’s flawed feedback system to the almost open-ended return policy favors the buyer. [Continue reading]