Do You Feel Sorry For Northern Soul Collectors Starting Out

[Wiganer1]

was on a main delaer s site today and the average good classic oldie (top 500 say) average 75-100 pounds

 

desirable classic oldies are auction items now

 

it would cost a fortune if you were starting out again

 

dear game now northern soul isnt it

[Soulstu]

Dead right bud,

To mark my impending 50th I'm just in the process of replacing some of my boots/reissues with US 1st pressings. It's going to be a long job. I'm picking up some decent stuff for about £30 - £50 but there's a hell of a lot of records that are way out of my price range. I'm planning to get a couple or 3 a month so it's gonna take ages. I'm beginning to wish I'd done this a couple of decades ago!

 

However there's a lot of quality motown to get my teeth into.

Edited January 29, 2014 by SoulStu

[Patto]

Think the answer for the younger collector is not to get hooked up buying those standard oldies that have circulated through hundreds of collections for umptean years.They need to look amoung the forgotten treasure trove of Stafford and other 80s plays.Buy a few classic Anthems that suit your style then forge your own identity as a DJ and be an individual.

However its still an expensive game even searching out underplayed stuff but you have got to work at searching for the best deals.There are vast price differences amoung records that amaze me sometimes.

[Swifty]

Just have a look when I'm selling some stuff on ebay 'cause I tend to get fook all for nice classic originals but people pay more for boots , Madness eh? 

[Benji]

And that's one of the main reason why boots sell as much as they do these days. People can't/aren't willing to spend 100's on tunes that are actually not rare at all.

[ZootSuit]

It's all relative, in 1967 FL Moore was selling The Poets She Blew a Good Thing on Symbol. (This is the first 'proper' Northern track I acquired)

 

At time I'd never heard of FL Moore OR Northern as such, but Dingle, then quite a well known local DJ) had played it at a do in Bedford I were at.

 

ASAP, off to Leighton Buzzard by bus I went, a 17 year old 2nd year apprentice at Vauxhall earning, before tax, 35 shillings a week, ( £1.75P a week to those of you not familiar with Pounds, Shillings and Pence).

 

SO, Mr Moore wanted £1 5/- (£1.25P !!!), suffice to say, suffice I couldn't afford that sort of dosh, I did get a 'free' copy  , the story is on another thread, yes I still have it, AND I'd snatch some ones arm off if I were offered a copy at that price today !!!!, (no, don't offer me yours  )

 

(How the feck do you  live on £1.75 a week !!!!!, well 10 ciggies were round about 12P, beer were 7 or 8p  a pint (lager hadn't arrived in the UK), daily papers no more than tuppence (1P) for example and it were 5/- (25P) to see Drifters at the California Ballroom in Dunstable.) Pop singles were I think 3/- (15P)

 

However, to answer the question, yes, for those starting out on a serious collecting path, its going to cost a lot of money, BUT in 46 years they'll look back and realise how cheap it actually was......in relative terms, ie the cost now as opposed to what they will cost then, assuming the scene still exists  .

Edited January 29, 2014 by ZootSuit

[Benji]

You're not seriously trying to compare 1967's prices with today's prices, are you?

[Sceneman]

prices wane and soar over the years if i told you that you could buy mint classic demos in the late 60s for 10pence or 5 old pennies would you believe it ?

soul prices had slumped at that time and soul boys were dumping their collections .

the problem buying good soul when they came out was there were 100s of records hitting the shops every week some,only on special order ,so you wouldn't have enough spare cash at that time to buy even a good selection of classics by the famous names. (allowing for very low wages then )

hence many good obscure titles were overlooked as they were overshadowed by the famous names and top classics and went unnoticed and sold few.

record shops couldn't stock them all so you just wouldn't know what was hot or what was kerap unless someone recommended a particular title .now with the benefit of all the online resources you can get a handle on them all in short time .

Edited January 29, 2014 by sceneman

[Guest Chiefy]

Most records at moores were a pound to 3POUNDS and not many were over a fiver.. Fiver then must be 50 now. So comparable in a way .Think your normal retail priće uk releases was about 3s 6d late 60s. I woudnt want to be buying nowadays .

[Gogger]

It's all relative, in 1967 FL Moore was selling The Poets She Blew a Good Thing on Symbol. (This is the first 'proper' Northern track I acquired)

 

At time I'd never heard of FL Moore OR Northern as such, but Dingle, then quite a well known local DJ) had played it at a do in Bedford I were at.

 

ASAP, off to Leighton Buzzard by bus I went, a 17 year old 2nd year apprentice at Vauxhall earning, before tax, 35 shillings a week, ( £1.75P a week to those of you not familiar with Pounds, Shillings and Pence).

 

SO, Mr Moore wanted £1 5/- (£1.25P !!!), suffice to say, suffice I couldn't afford that sort of dosh, I did get a 'free' copy  , the story is on another thread, yes I still have it, AND I'd snatch some ones arm off if I were offered a copy at that price today !!!!, (no, don't offer me yours  )

 

(How the feck do you  live on £1.75 a week !!!!!, well 10 ciggies were round about 12P, beer were 7 or 8p  a pint (lager hadn't arrived in the UK), daily papers no more than tuppence (1P) for example and it were 5/- (25P) to see Drifters at the California Ballroom in Dunstable.) Pop singles were I think 3/- (15P)

 

However, to answer the question, yes, for those starting out on a serious collecting path, its going to cost a lot of money, BUT in 46 years they'll look back and realise how cheap it actually was......in relative terms, ie the cost now as opposed to what they will cost then, assuming the scene still exists  .

 

i can remember when lager was a girls drink 

[Ady Croasdell]

It's all relative, in 1967 FL Moore was selling The Poets She Blew a Good Thing on Symbol. (This is the first 'proper' Northern track I acquired)

At time I'd never heard of FL Moore OR Northern as such, but Dingle, then quite a well known local DJ) had played it at a do in Bedford I were at.

ASAP, off to Leighton Buzzard by bus I went, a 17 year old 2nd year apprentice at Vauxhall earning, before tax, 35 shillings a week, ( £1.75P a week to those of you not familiar with Pounds, Shillings and Pence).

SO, Mr Moore wanted £1 5/- (£1.25P !!!), suffice to say, suffice I couldn't afford that sort of dosh, I did get a 'free' copy , the story is on another thread, yes I still have it, AND I'd snatch some ones arm off if I were offered a copy at that price today !!!!, (no, don't offer me yours )

(How the feck do you live on £1.75 a week !!!!!, well 10 ciggies were round about 12P, beer were 7 or 8p a pint (lager hadn't arrived in the UK), daily papers no more than tuppence (1P) for example and it were 5/- (25P) to see Drifters at the California Ballroom in Dunstable.) Pop singles were I think 3/- (15P)

However, to answer the question, yes, for those starting out on a serious collecting path, its going to cost a lot of money, BUT in 46 years they'll look back and realise how cheap it actually was......in relative terms, ie the cost now as opposed to what they will cost then, assuming the scene still exists .

What thread's the Poets story in?

[Northernjordan]

With inflation and what not, I think people will be surprised at how comparable prices actually are from now and then. Obviously the demand of a record has an influence in the price, and that can go up and down. But thats the same with any collectable commodity... One example are Lambrettas, I seem to remember the price of a new TV200 or 175 in the 60scant remember exactly was around 116 pound, and some one put that into an inflation calculator... And it came back with a value very similar to the current market value of the scooters.

Pretty much no 18 year olds would have been able to afford one out right in the 60s, just like no 18 year old can really afford one now. So, these originals at 75 quid a pop, yes they arent cheap but when they were say 2-3 quid in the 80s I bet your incomes wouldn't have allowed to buy a whole collections worth in a month? Just like my income as a young collector allows me to buy 2-4 cheapies a month... The difference is now for you guys, your middle agaed, generally with a better income and a collection already built up.

[ZootSuit]

You're not seriously trying to compare 1967's prices with today's prices, are you?

 

 

Hi Benji, perhaps you'd have another look at what I wrote, the term 'relative' is in the post  .

 

NO I'm not comparing then and now prices, I'm saying when you're earn 175P a week  and a dealer wants 125P for a record, that record. in relative terms is just as expensive then as paying £105 for a disc when I was working 8 years ago and earning £500+ a week, in fact, in relative terms the Poets disc was a damn site more expensive, he wanted 71% of my weekly wage, whereas Laura Green was 19.7% of my weekly wage.

 

And NOBODY in the 60T's earnt the sort of wages being paid now, those who are working that is, and I've been collecting sing 1967 and think prices are cheaper now, relatively, than they werein 1967  .

 

OR perhaps I've just got more flush financially as I've got older as I cant see any 18/19 year old being able to pay £75/£100 a pop AND buy in bulk, mind ALL my cash, before I got married, went on everything involved in the nighter scene, as Ian Dury sang, Sex and Drugs and Rock and Roll.

Edited January 30, 2014 by ZootSuit

[Dave Pinch]

I can't see me collecting in 45 years time and paying £5000 for something that's currently £500. I think I'll be fed up by then

[Premium Stuff]

No - I don't feel sorry for new collectors starting out.

Always been hard work money-wise and always hard work hunting - that's why we say hard records are hard isn't it?

Plus, my main point is THIS IS FUN, EXCITING, INSPIRING STUFF - why would you feel sorry for someone doing what we do?

Cheers

Richard

[ZootSuit]

What thread's the Poets story in?

 

 

Old timers kicking Ady, its not in a post, its was a story I told Kimbo in a PM, not a post on here   but it goes like this :-

 

Mr Moore had his shop in an old terraced house, it would have backed onto where Tescos is in Leighton Buzzard today, you knocked on the front door, Fred let you in and gave you a single sheet of his stock list, NOT a photocopy, you remember those printers that used a carbon, were talking the Dark Ages technically, anyway, to be honest, I couldn't afford anything on that list, even the 15/- (75P) stuff, however, before I left a copy of the Poets some how got inside my jacket.

 

Years later, when Fred was based in Luton, I bought rakes and rakes from him and it got to the stage where he was letting up in his stock room with the old discatron, found some wonderful stuff, Bobby Taylor, San Remo Strings, Bob Wilson (All turned on), You ought to be in heaven, Clara Ward (Right direction), by this time I'd told him about the Poets, which had been about 6 years earlier AND paid him for it, but the kicker was, he never checked what I pulled out of his stock, used to let me have them at 3 for a £1.00

[Geeselad]

With inflation and what not, I think people will be surprised at how comparable prices actually are from now and then. Obviously the demand of a record has an influence in the price, and that can go up and down. But thats the same with any collectable commodity... One example are Lambrettas, I seem to remember the price of a new TV200 or 175 in the 60scant remember exactly was around 116 pound, and some one put that into an inflation calculator... And it came back with a value very similar to the current market value of the scooters.

Pretty much no 18 year olds would have been able to afford one out right in the 60s, just like no 18 year old can really afford one now. So, these originals at 75 quid a pop, yes they arent cheap but when they were say 2-3 quid in the 80s I bet your incomes wouldn't have allowed to buy a whole collections worth in a month? Just like my income as a young collector allows me to buy 2-4 cheapies a month... The difference is now for you guys, your middle agaed, generally with a better income and a collection already built up.

big difference between buying in the 8ts compared to now was there were no guides or pop sike, you used to get people flogging boots as the real deal and (less often) vise versa. finding out what was what as a young collector was tough, often the guys selling didnt have a clue either. 

[Wiggyflat]

big difference between buying in the 8ts compared to now was there were no guides or pop sike, you used to get people flogging boots as the real deal and (less often) vise versa. finding out what was what as a young collector was tough, often the guys selling didnt have a clue either. 

The upshot though is that there is a lot more information about now.I used to buy blind after looking at a record and try and offload the turkeys.At least now you can youtube it and get the info from this very site on boots pressings etc.If you have taste and are willing to put the hours in then you should be able to build up a reasonable collection on a limited budget as the sheer volume on e bay etc is immense.Use the sniping tool to full effect.No use in chasing the current biggies if you have limited funds.And it depends on what you plan to do with the records.Collecting for yourself or deejaying.Buying the future biggies you will get no bookings or have empty dancefloors.Gone are the days when people will dance to unknown after unknown.Here in the uk anyway.A quality record is a quality record.I recently got The Remarkables Is The Feeling Still There and Fred Hughes Dont Let Me Down from this site.Both for under 50 quid.Both i think are good solid northern records and will weather the fads of the northern scene.

Edited January 30, 2014 by wiggyflat

[Guest manusf3a]

It's all relative, in 1967 FL Moore was selling The Poets She Blew a Good Thing on Symbol. (This is the first 'proper' Northern track I acquired)

 

At time I'd never heard of FL Moore OR Northern as such, but Dingle, then quite a well known local DJ) had played it at a do in Bedford I were at.

 

ASAP, off to Leighton Buzzard by bus I went, a 17 year old 2nd year apprentice at Vauxhall earning, before tax, 35 shillings a week, ( £1.75P a week to those of you not familiar with Pounds, Shillings and Pence).

 

SO, Mr Moore wanted £1 5/- (£1.25P !!!), suffice to say, suffice I couldn't afford that sort of dosh, I did get a 'free' copy  , the story is on another thread, yes I still have it, AND I'd snatch some ones arm off if I were offered a copy at that price today !!!!, (no, don't offer me yours  )

 

(How the feck do you  live on £1.75 a week !!!!!, well 10 ciggies were round about 12P, beer were 7 or 8p  a pint (lager hadn't arrived in the UK), daily papers no more than tuppence (1P) for example and it were 5/- (25P) to see Drifters at the California Ballroom in Dunstable.) Pop singles were I think 3/- (15P)

 

However, to answer the question, yes, for those starting out on a serious collecting path, its going to cost a lot of money, BUT in 46 years they'll look back and realise how cheap it actually was......in relative terms, ie the cost now as opposed to what they will cost then, assuming the scene still exists  .

Youre right in a way its all relative Paul,as a thirteen year old frequenter of the North Park club Kettering among others remember the price of beer 11pence(pre decimal money)for starlight bitter.Crazy as it sounds now I had to got to the bar for my mates Keith and George who were both sixteen then but short arses who would be refused to be served.However beer took a back seat fairly quickly from soon on.Over the years having been a guest of HM on a few occasions,not for over thirty years now thanfully,what records I did used to buy would never be there when I came out(from polkey that is)Wasnt a big collector or anything but like near everyone else did have a few choons.people didnt discriminate,chons,clothes,yer best leather jacket etc,once you werent there if you hadnt been living at your mums or a loyal girlfreind ,mrs everything  never mind "Must Go", it "Did Go".Since back on the scene I do buy a few records here and there without spending silly money and must admit at first when coming back got a bit of a shock at what sort of stuff was going for what and the mass of boots and the price charged for them,adverts effectively saying "This boot is the first of a half dozen or so later  boots that came out of ...????? there fore a bargain at 40quid.Also these days there seems much more people chomping at the bit to dj as opposed to collecting to listen to at home primary purpose.However after a bit of time had passed I realised it was all relative as Paul says ,theres more money about now and still as well as the big well known classic stuff the real art is finding what will become classics themselves ,putting in loads of hard work if you havent got the cash to match the big money buyers and buying the right stuff that people dont know but will respond to big style.Must be thousands of sixtees still out there still not known or not known very well,same again for underplayeds.,the sort of thingPremium stuff and Patto are advocating sounds the way to go for people coming into it now new to the scene.

[Kev Cane]

If they are looking for "same old, same old" then yeah, could work out really expensive, however, if they have an "ear" for a sound then there has never been a better time to buy records, forget the main dealers, there are great records for sale on here for example every day, for absolute bargain prices, wouldn't cost that much to build a nice collection up at all

 

Kev

Edited January 30, 2014 by kev cane

[Daniel Harvey]

I feel sorry for the poor souls out there deciding they want to be a floor filling northern soul dj. They will be competing with many bidders to pick up all the records that so many people all ready own and play all the time. For the collectors out there looking to pick up records that they can simply play to themselves and maybe the world seems like a nicer place, I don't think theres any need to feel sorry for them. They are in a good place:) 

[Steve S 60]

Attended a couple of nights in the northwest within about six weeks of each other.  Two different venues but a young DJ was on at both.  To be fair, he did a good spot, well received both times, but his playlist was almost identical both times, with only a few exceptions.  To give him the benefit of the doubt, I put it down to his age, and the fact that he wouldn't have been collecting long.  So yes, I can empathise with the OP comments, and everybody has to start somewhere.  After all, I believe the children are our future.

[Casper]

The hard truth is , if you can't afford it ,then don't do it , its the same with everything in life ,  there is always a limit to what any dj or collector can afford (for most) .

So instead of throwing money away on boots go and enjoy the life and dancing of northern soul , then collect as and when you can .  if you are young there is no rush , plenty of time later . get some dancing and club visits done.

 

I would love to own and fly an original spitfire ...  but i cant afford it ... so i wont go and buy a cessna , paint it brown and green and hope nobody will notice 

 

 

pete

Edited January 30, 2014 by casper

[Russ Vickers]

Absolutely NOT. Its the same now as its always been. 

 

I'm on my third collection in a way, as my 2 previous collections, have paid partially for my current collection.  I couldnt afford to buy well known rareities when I first started to collect, I bought Stax, Motown, Atlantic club classic type sounds, with an odd boot or repress (mostly unknowingly) thrown in. 

 

Whilst I didnt set out to do it, I ended up selling, trading & wheelin n dealin these records for more 'Northern' style records, until eventually, within reason most of that collection was gone & replaced with a very basic NS collection, with an odd rareity that I had got lucky with.

 

A lot of that second collection has been wheeled n dealed to partialy make up my current collection. In recent years, I've been able to afford to buy more records instead of constantly selling & trading up....I've also got better contacts & am able to dig deeper through experience.  I also think, that over the years my taste has improved (altho not everyone who has heard me DJ would agree with that lol), & hopefully you get a better 'ear' for things that others may have missed or overlooked.

 

There are some great young collectors/DJ's now, who have amassed great collections of records in a relatively short time, because they discover & make records popular...they dont just follow the crowd, they become the tastemakers, buy cheap, sell high & start again...dig, dig, dig, dig & then dig some more....

 

It seems that some out there want everything & they want it NOW...some people have even started to slag off those that have built up collections over many years, with a lot of hard work & putting in 100's of hours & occasionally splash out a lot of money on items they cant source through digging...in many cases this is pure jealousy, get out there n do the work n put the time in...

 

So, to conclude its pretty much the same now as its always been really, its not about money, its about taste, hard work & a lot of luck....

 

Best Russ

[Steve G]

big difference between buying in the 8ts compared to now was there were no guides or pop sike, you used to get people flogging boots as the real deal and (less often) vise versa. finding out what was what as a young collector was tough, often the guys selling didnt have a clue either. 

 

Very true....As a kid I got skimmed £4 at Wigan with a Sam & Kitty early boot by one of these so called "older lad heroes" we're always hearing so many fond memories about - c**t. And a Mel Britt 2nd press too....was still in school at the time so had diddly squat money. Still it taught me a valuable lesson.

 

If they are looking for "same old, same old" then yeah, could work out really expensive, however, if they have an "ear" for a sound then there has never been a better time to buy records, forget the main dealers, there are great records for sale on here for example every day, for absolute bargain prices, wouldn't cost that much to build a nice collection up at all

 

Kev

 

Exactly......I mean why would a youngster want to buy the same standard records anyway? Plenty of other stuff out there and it's only the older generation that have this god given belief that their favourite records are the only good northern records.

[Patto]

With inflation and what not, I think people will be surprised at how comparable prices actually are from now and then. Obviously the demand of a record has an influence in the price, and that can go up and down. But thats the same with any collectable commodity... One example are Lambrettas, I seem to remember the price of a new TV200 or 175 in the 60scant remember exactly was around 116 pound, and some one put that into an inflation calculator... And it came back with a value very similar to the current market value of the scooters.

Pretty much no 18 year olds would have been able to afford one out right in the 60s, just like no 18 year old can really afford one now. So, these originals at 75 quid a pop, yes they arent cheap but when they were say 2-3 quid in the 80s I bet your incomes wouldn't have allowed to buy a whole collections worth in a month? Just like my income as a young collector allows me to buy 2-4 cheapies a month... The difference is now for you guys, your middle agaed, generally with a better income and a collection already built up.

Not quite right Jordan.I was certainly a lot better off in the 80s (except for one crucial year)than i am now and had a lot more disposable income back then.Times are a lot harder now for most middle aged people as you put it with most of my mates in low paid or part time jobs.Also most of us are subbing our teenagers who cant find work

Edited January 30, 2014 by Patto

[Guest in town Mikey]

Very true....As a kid I got skimmed £4 at Wigan with a Sam & Kitty early boot by one of these so called "older lad heroes" we're always hearing so many fond memories about - c**t. And a Mel Britt 2nd press too....was still in school at the time so had diddly squat money. Still it taught me a valuable lesson.

 

 

Exactly......I mean why would a youngster want to buy the same standard records anyway? Plenty of other stuff out there and it's only the older generation that have this god given belief that their favourite records are the only good northern records.

 

I agree with what you are saying Steve. But someone new into the scene may not have heard Epitome Of Sound 15000 times. They are probably having the same experience we had a long time ago, and just HAVE to have it on original.

 

But like Mark says its not a passtime everyone can afford.

[Guest in town Mikey]

With inflation and what not, I think people will be surprised at how comparable prices actually are from now and then. Obviously the demand of a record has an influence in the price, and that can go up and down. But thats the same with any collectable commodity... One example are Lambrettas, I seem to remember the price of a new TV200 or 175 in the 60scant remember exactly was around 116 pound, and some one put that into an inflation calculator... And it came back with a value very similar to the current market value of the scooters.

Pretty much no 18 year olds would have been able to afford one out right in the 60s, just like no 18 year old can really afford one now. So, these originals at 75 quid a pop, yes they arent cheap but when they were say 2-3 quid in the 80s I bet your incomes wouldn't have allowed to buy a whole collections worth in a month? Just like my income as a young collector allows me to buy 2-4 cheapies a month... The difference is now for you guys, your middle agaed, generally with a better income and a collection already built up.

 

Here are a few comparisions.

 

£20 in December 1974 = £171 today

 

£20 in December 1977 = £106.12 today

 

£20 in December 1979 = £83.51 today

 

£20 in December 1984 = £55.77 today

 

£20 in December 1989 = £42.66 today

 

£20 in December 1994 = £34.71 today

 

 

I actually expected 20 on the 70s to be worth quite a bit more. I'd imagine in 1974 that wasnt a million miles away from the average weekly wage. (Will ask a colleague to find that out for me.)

Edited January 30, 2014 by in town Mikey

[Northernjordan]

big difference between buying in the 8ts compared to now was there were no guides or pop sike, you used to get people flogging boots as the real deal and (less often) vise versa. finding out what was what as a young collector was tough, often the guys selling didnt have a clue either. 

 

Yeah, I was only really meaning in monetary terms. I agree it's definitely easy now, but, you can still make mistakes when you start out. Theres stuff on Ebay that are definitely on the vague side, with almost identical lables!

[Northernjordan]

Not quite right Jordan.I was certainly a lot better off in the 80s (except for one crucial year)than i am now and had a lot more disposable income back then.Times are a lot harder now for most middle aged people as you put it with most of my mates in low paid or part time jobs.Also most of us are subbing our teenagers who cant find work

 

I suppose, theres definitely less costs when you are young especially regarding running a home... However, most of you will have a collectiosn, and its bit like money make money. You have a lot of tunes that you can sell/swap according to your current tastes.

 

To be fair though, unless you are very wealthy collecting records is a tough game! However, its great fun and very rewarding when you finally get the tunes you want!

[Steve S 60]

Here are a few comparisions.

 

£20 in December 1974 = £171 today

 

£20 in December 1977 = £106.12 today

 

£20 in December 1979 = £83.51 today

 

£20 in December 1984 = £55.77 today

 

£20 in December 1989 = £42.66 today

 

£20 in December 1994 = £34.71 today

 

 

I actually expected 20 on the 70s to be worth quite a bit more. I'd imagine in 1974 that wasnt a million miles away from the average weekly wage. (Will ask a colleague to find that out for me.)

 

Nice one Mikey.  From your table, in 1977 I was earning the equivalent of less than £60 a week in today's money.  Mind you, that was all spending money as the navy fed and sheltered me back then.

[25miles]

I can't see me collecting in 45 years time and paying £5000 for something that's currently £500. I think I'll be fed up by then

eyup dave..........duztha rekckon me n thee will last another 45 years :g: ...........[orfansfromdetroit]

[Guest in town Mikey]

Here are a few comparisions.

 

£20 in December 1974 = £171 today

 

£20 in December 1977 = £106.12 today

 

£20 in December 1979 = £83.51 today

 

£20 in December 1984 = £55.77 today

 

£20 in December 1989 = £42.66 today

 

£20 in December 1994 = £34.71 today

 

 

I actually expected 20 on the 70s to be worth quite a bit more. I'd imagine in 1974 that wasnt a million miles away from the average weekly wage. (Will ask a colleague to find that out for me.)

 

Talking to myself

 

Here are the average weekly wages I mentioned earlier

 

1974 - £27.80

 

1977 - £54.80

 

1979 - £76.10

 

1984 - £126.40

 

1989 - £192.30

 

1994 - £255.20

 

1999 - £317.50

 

You can compare how much of an average weekly wage a 20 quid record was and the subsequent values as time moved on.

 

Edit, will work out the equivalents in a bit for the full comparrison..

Edited January 30, 2014 by in town Mikey

[Steve G]

But there is no correlation.....a record that sold for £30 in 1990 may sell for thousands now......How many of us turned our snouts up at Eddie Parker when they were £35 for instance? I know at least two of us who did......too expensive we convinced ourselves.....

 

Conversely a classic that sold for £100 in 1990 may sit languishing in dealers boxes for years now......unloved and unwanted.

[Steve L]

But there is no correlation.....a record that sold for £30 in 1990 may sell for thousands now......How many of us turned our snouts up at Eddie Parker when they were £35 for instance? I know at least two of us who did......too expensive we convinced ourselves.....

 

Conversely a classic that sold for £100 in 1990 may sit languishing in dealers boxes for years now......unloved and unwanted.

 

Exactly, the figures put up by Mikey are interesting but theres lots of other factors to be thrown in.

Ive got some old Pat Brady lists from the early 90s and you could have bought an Invitations - Watch Out Little Girl on MGM for £5 which is £8.67 in todays money according to those figures. How much would you have to pay for one now? £150/200 ?

[Labeat]

I can't see me collecting in 45 years time and paying £5000 for something that's currently £500. I think I'll be fed up by then

Ey-up Dave... knowing you and your kid, in 45 years time (late 90's eh?) you'll still be collecting ha ha

Neil

[Geeselad]

Exactly, the figures put up by Mikey are interesting but theres lots of other factors to be thrown in.

Ive got some old Pat Brady lists from the early 90s and you could have bought an Invitations - Watch Out Little Girl on MGM for £5 which is £8.67 in todays money according to those figures. How much would you have to pay for one now? £150/200 ?

not many returnees buying oldies in the early 9ts at all, the demand was for current sounds back then, imho.

[Guest in town Mikey]

But there is no correlation.....a record that sold for £30 in 1990 may sell for thousands now......How many of us turned our snouts up at Eddie Parker when they were £35 for instance? I know at least two of us who did......too expensive we convinced ourselves.....

 

Conversely a classic that sold for £100 in 1990 may sit languishing in dealers boxes for years now......unloved and unwanted.

 

That true. Rather than making the correlation between the cost of Danny Moore 20 years ago to today. I'm trying to make the comparison that if you spent 20 quid on a record in say 1974, that it would be most of the average weekely wage. So you'd look at spending say 170 quid today, to be buying a record, on par with that 20 quid buy in '74. Irrespective of the actual record.

Or actually more if you were spending the same percentage of your salary in 2014.

Edited January 30, 2014 by in town Mikey

[Frankie M]

basically no one goes by book price , dealers get what they can and thats understandable , what i dont  get is when i see a record on the

many lists i see that remains unsold , price is inflated  and probably stays listed at this price until the  record gets reactivated  and people

want it , are there any dealers out there that are willing to  " price drop " as per Mr Manship  until sold ?, sounds commonsense to me .

 

PS I have a list of records wanted which i am waiting for them to become "unpopular " , so they may then be listed at proper prices

[Russ Vickers]

Exactly, the figures put up by Mikey are interesting but theres lots of other factors to be thrown in.

Ive got some old Pat Brady lists from the early 90s and you could have bought an Invitations - Watch Out Little Girl on MGM for £5 which is £8.67 in todays money according to those figures. How much would you have to pay for one now? £150/200 ?

 

But your assuming that in the interim period the value has remained the same, its just inflation that has increased.  By that reckoning all records should be selling for the original value when released, plus inflation !.

 

Apologies if I have mis un understood what your saying.

 

Russ

Edited January 30, 2014 by Russ Vickers

[Russ Vickers]

Talking to myself

 

Here are the average weekly wages I mentioned earlier

 

1974 - £27.80

 

1977 - £54.80

 

1979 - £76.10

 

1984 - £126.40

 

1989 - £192.30

 

1994 - £255.20

 

1999 - £317.50

 

You can compare how much of an average weekly wage a 20 quid record was and the subsequent values as time moved on.

 

Edit, will work out the equivalents in a bit for the full comparrison..

 

When James Fountain sold for (I think) £70.00 in 1974 ish ?...today that would be the equivalent of just over £2,500 approx....assuming I have my facts right (?), that kinda puts things into a better perspective I think.

 

Russ

[Steve G]

When James Fountain sold for (I think) £70.00 in 1974 ish ?...today that would be the equivalent of just over £2,500 approx....assuming I have my facts right (?), that kinda puts things into a better perspective I think.

 

Russ

 

Russ it was £170......not £70.

[Steve L]

But your assuming that in the interim period the value has remained the same, its just inflation that has increased.  By that reckoning all records should be selling for the original value when released, plus inflation !.

 

Apologies if I have mis un understood what your saying.

 

Russ

 

Apology accepted

[Russ Vickers]

Russ it was £170......not £70.

 Wow...that puts it into the top of the Premier League in terms of cost comparisons ! 

 

Russ

[Russ Vickers]

Apology accepted

 

Would be nice to know which bit I miss understood  .

 

Russ

[Wiganer1]

one worrying this is a above average oldies £100+ being auction items - remember the buzz of getting a list and trying to get to a phone to order it...

[KevH]

Yes its an expensive game at times.But if you were starting out now as a new young soul,imagine hearing some of the classic thumpers for the first time.!!! Dig deep young men.

I remember when i couldn't afford boots at Wigan,so its all relative to your own circumstances. 

[SHEFFSOUL]

i definitely dont feel sorry.And here's why...many many records are so much easier to find via dealers/internet etc..than bitd..ive bought several over recent years that i never used to see for sale.They are also cheaper in relative terms..some great tunes available for peanuts.The top indemand & classic tunes are a different story, most will usually keep or increase their high price..but for a collector just starting out..with a blank page..must be exciting..ive been collecting since 1970 and i'm still finding great stuff, underplayed, new to me..etc at decent prices..buy cheap but quality 45's..and keep your eyes open for a bargain or top sound that is reasonable..you could get a decent collection going without leaving your house, you couldn't do this bitd..

[Swifty]

There's still plenty of cheapies to start a half decent collection though , if you're prepared to wait and shop around. I just won these earlier this afternoon , not big ticket stuff I know but some nice classics I reckon all for less than £12 + £7 P&P.

 

JACKIE WILSON - YOU GOT ME WALKING - BRUNSWICK W/D - EX

EDDIE & ERNIE - OUTCAST - EASTERN W/D - VG++

BETTY WRIGHT - IF YOU LOVE ME - ALSTON W/D EX

DEON JACKSON - OOH BABY - CARLA W/D VG+

 

Swifty

[Steve L]

Would be nice to know which bit I miss understood  .

 

Russ

 

 

The point was made previously that buying records has always been expensive and that looking back in time you have to consider what earnings were and what money was worth compared to now.

I was saying the same as you, you can't just use the figures comparing what money is worth between two specific dates to compare what a records value is on the same dates.

If it worked like that you could buy a copy of the Invitations I quoted for less than a tenner which you quite obviously can't on todays market (unless you are extremely lucky)