I Have Taken On An Immense Task

[Wolfiesmom]

My husbands uncle passed away the other day. He was a hippie back in the day, and an avid record collector. My mother in law was just going to get rid of the collection. I know there are a few very valuable records in there. I didn't want her to just throw them away when she could get money for them, so I volunteered to sell the collection. I didn't realize that he had about 3000 albums and they are all in mint or near mint condition. You can imagine the type of music they are, Lynyrd Skynryd, The Beatles, Jefferson Airplane, Jimi Hendrix, The Who, The Kinks, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Bob Dylan, Joan Baez, etc etc etc. I have no idea where to begin to price these.. UGH

[Whiteshepherds]

Check prices on ebay and other online places that sell old albums. Sometimes the condition of the album cover is more important than the condition of the album itself.

[Wolfiesmom]

Thanks, yes, I am going to check on ebay. All the covers are in mint condition. He treated them like a baseball card collection, no bent corners, etc. He even has some that have never been opened.

[KZoppa]

one place to price them, check ebay and amazon and see what the average seems to be. You should also be able to find a shop that still sells records for collectors or get in touch with someone similar who can give you a rough idea what they're worth in some circles and what they're worth in other circles. You might even be able to have them viewed as antiques and get a rough estimate that way.

[Wolfiesmom]

I didn't think of the antique angle. That's a good idea

[carmspack]

I would check the legal aspect first .
The collection could have been specifically left to someone in a will . The estate should be kept in tact until an appraissal of value can be made - sale of any possessions will be part of the amount which will be split among listed beneficiaries.

[AbbyK9]

I would not recommend going by the prices you see on eBay.

My husband deal a lot with selling militaria on eBay and there is a lot of ridiculousness going on with the prices there. Some stuff that is worth very little keeps getting bid up to ridiculous amounts, while other items that are quite valuable remain un-bought, even at prices that are way below market value.

I would recommend finding someone who deals in vintage records and having the collection appraised. This would help give you an idea what the entire collection is worth and which, if any, of the records in the collection are most valuable and their individual worth. Then I would proceed from there.

[Wolfiesmom]

Originally Posted by carmspack

I would check the legal aspect first .
The collection could have been specifically left to someone in a will . The estate should be kept in tact until an appraissal of value can be made - sale of any possessions will be part of the amount which will be split among listed beneficiaries.

My mother in law is the only beneficiary, and I am selling the collection for her, so no problems there. That is a good point you made, though, and people need to think of that before they do anything. I have seen my share of estate and will disputes.