i was perusing the internet looking for a few old records i owned in the 80's and a couple of accessories for my lambretta and i was amazed at how prices havent just held up in the pandemic but the value  of "old things" has risen at many times inflation.

 As well as vinyl soul records which is discussed on here, classic cars have GONE THROUGH THE ROOF. i've always smoked around in old 70's Porsches, 80's BMW's  and 60's Mercedes as i thought they were cool and they were cheap insurance and plenty of fun. usually cheaper than a new basic Ford Fiesta. it seems now anything from the pre 1980 era is climbing to rich peoples land. same with vintage guitars, i've started shopping further and further down the desirability table for Gibsons and Fenders to such an extent that i'm considering guitars that i would have ignored in the 90's. A good second hand 60's les paul has gone from 200 quid to 30 grand in my lifetime - way ahead of inflation. take the price of a pair of second hand technics 1210's; they were 300 to 400 quid for a pair for 20 years, often with a mixer chucked in . now were looking at 1000 quid plus and new?....., forget it!!. classic cars have now been made ULEZ exempt forever mot free, tax free,  meaning even Austin Maxis will be a rich Londoners toy soon !! there's Lambrettas on ebay now at well over 10,000 quid.

my point is they always said when the older enthusiasts died out that old "stuff" would become worthless again. in an increasingly modern world i dont think so, i think old records, cars, furniture, clothes and even tech will be more collectable than ever. my chances of owning certain soul records wont improve at all if i do yoga til my joints creak trying to outlive the current owners!!!!.

Nobody has been able to spend much the last year, virtually no pub holidays etc, collectables inc vinyl records are bound to at least hold their price and more at the moment, more spare cash will keep prices up at the moment for sure, long term who knows. 

As soon as there is a recession, (which there is, will be) people invest in physical things....gold, cars, watches, rare records...generally as soon as the economy settles prices settle.....the exception seems to be rare bloody soul records😂😂😂.....Rob

Another thread just went over this...

But just to add...theres more norvun fans around the world than ever, if you looked at the 2019 events guide, so the up and coming collectors / djs... just create more demand.

That youth who bought Frank Wilson recently is probably after a copy of the other couple of hundred or so rare as hens teeth vinyl...

Got to be another 20 years mileage in this.

Ed

 

 

my main point being, although there's a world of wealthy and tasteless people they never invaded the everyman's cool. old cars and old vinyl records. the sad thing is the lines have crossed over. the things that made life worth living such as collecting cool soul records and being in a sub culture that thumbed its nose at "new". has become a blurred line now money has become a factor.

i think soulies never saw the value of a record , they saw its value in quality. i was hoping one day that 40 quid records might be 40 quid records again!!!! ah well. 

12 minutes ago, soulacola said:

my main point being, although there's a world of wealthy and tasteless people they never invaded the everyman's cool. old cars and old vinyl records. the sad thing is the lines have crossed over. the things that made life worth living such as collecting cool soul records and being in a sub culture that thumbed its nose at "new". has become a blurred line now money has become a factor.

i think soulies never saw the value of a record , they saw its value in quality. i was hoping one day that 40 quid records might be 40 quid records again!!!! ah well. 

You will need to go back to the old ways, car boot sales, charity shops, ebay virgins..

The bargains are there, and the thrill of the chase does not stop.

Keep your spirits up.

Ed

caught my 18 year old  daughter looking through my records boxes the other day. she said .." my mates say some of these old records are cool". on the plus side it was the first time she's spoke to me in about a year. on the minus side i'll probably lose the records i've got.

Better get a years sunday morning  membership to carboot land and the bargain cruise. if i can just find a scratched third edition of Band of Gold that someone hasn't expertly valued on ebay as a master copy. 

I collect 60s RnB and Soul, but also Jamaican 60s and also 60s Latin Soul

There is not much of a Jamaican 60s club scene generally unlike the northern scene, but the good Jamaican records are going up in value as they are not available out there anymore, collectors are bang at it with out any help from a scene. 

Same with boogaloo, go try and buy all Joe Bataan's good Fania releases on 45 in 2021, They just don't turn up anymore like they used to.  

I personally think there are so many people all over the world now just happy collecting for no other reason than the love of music and the collecting, digging away quietly for themselves.

I feel there has never been such a great time to pay attention to the new releases, so many great new things being released by new talents and all the fab unreleased things we are treated to.

From a collecting point of view weather I'm  trying to find vintage things or buying new releases its a fantastic time. Yes getting originals has become harder and more expensive but that's a genuine reflection to the amount of people out there who are collecting records in my opinion. 

  

 

 

 

 

 

      

There's no sign the upward momentum is slowing down,the reverse in fact.Records that may have fetched between say 120 and 200 pounds only four years ago are frequently reaching new heights maybe between five and ten times in excess of  those figures.I suppose if something hasn't shown up for say four years or so that could precipitate a frenzied bidding war.
          It appears there are people with serious money investing in the scene too sending the prices skyrocketing and effectively sidelining many collectors.I'm not convinced this is happening in other markets say rare books and paintings for example but quality always comes with a chunky price tag now!

furlough money is strong in the force.

60's  vintage teak furniture even in the niche market i usually collect has doubled in a year. there seems to be a direct correlation with the rise in popularity in vinyl.  when 16 year old girls start shopping in vintage and charity shops instead of demanding the latest trends there's something more underlying at work here. could it be the shift towards sustainable energy also means there's a move to reuse not only bottles but music culture and clothing as part of a lifestyle. or maybe the growing realisation that quality has dropped over the last decades and that there's a epiphany moment  in society in general to own a motown record because it offers a wonderful experience and it also may go up in value and so can be owned for free or indeed at a profit!. most bands now release a vinyl copy first as its the way to make money' not only is that an important consideration again, the sleeves have become art again and many are mastered for vinyl not digital. could it be we're on the edge of seeing the rise of the vinyl 7 inch again to conquer all other mediums.