I’m certain that when 2021 comes to a close and I’m reflecting on my favorite goals of the year, this one will reign supreme. When I decided to methodically go through our records, I had no idea how time consuming but also interesting (maybe obsessive) the experience would become. I had more of a clean-it-out-Marie-Kondo project in mind, but now you can hand me a record, and I can tell you a lot of things.
Is the cover a gatefold? Does it have a cut corner, foxing or a hype sticker? Is the album mono, stereo or even duophonic or quadraphonic? Does it come with a colored insert or a poster? Is the vinyl colored or marbled or splattered? Is the album a first or test pressing? What country was it released in? What’s etched on the runout? And on and on…
As of today, I’ve gone through over 350 records & you’ll notice our estimated collection value is between $3.7K & a whopping $13.2K (all those $10 records add up!).
In all, our albums are organized alphabetically, but I also keep separate categories for Soundtracks, Compilations, World Music, Singles, Christmas, and Miscellaneous. I probably have closed to 30 Hawaiian albums on their own, and one of the more fun discoveries was a 1960 souvenir album from the Waikiki Outrigger Hotel that included a spiral-bound booklet with history of the islands and lots of vintage pictures.
HOWEVER there is one caveat – I have not yet cataloged our extensive Christmas album collection…it felt weird playing A Sinatra Family Christmas in May. So I’m saving those for the end of the year when I can leisurely play my albums to get into the holiday spirit.
In the meantime, maybe I’ll get around to cataloging all those Wild West coins or vintage postage stamps I’ve been hoarding. Basically, I’ve turned into your favorite grandpa.
I previously blogged about cataloging the A’s – S’s (read about it here and here) and for those that skip through the reading, here’s a recap of the T’s – Z’s, and some bonus categories.
One final note: I would love to put this new found vinyl knowledge to the test so if you’ve got a basement full of your grandparents vinyl sitting around, I would love nothing more than to be invited over & dig through them for you.
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