The One That Got Away.... The Misery Of Losing Out On A Rare Find

[baudrillard]

Like the unexpected find thread, this has probably been done before, but here goes...

 

Not strictly soul, but close enough for many here to understand the weeks of misery this balls-up caused... This is exactly what happened - no embellishment...

 

A couple of years ago was doing my usual sweep of a boot sale in Kent, asking all the cars if they had any records (unpleasant, but necessary these days if you want to get anything). The boot fair in question is not a big one and there were only two or three other record heads there, all of whom were way behind me, checking out the cars I'd already asked. Anyway, I'm getting the usual answers: "Oh, I've got loads at home"... "no, I threw them out years ago" and suchlike, along with a few people handing me stacks of Jim Reeves and Jack Jones LPs after I'd waited ten minutes for them to unearth them. It's getting to about 8.30 and I've got nothing. Then this blue van pulls in, pretty much the last arrival of the day. I wander over meaning to ask him if he has any vinyl, but, having had such a crappy day, I just glance in the back of his van, see a bunch of tools and stuff and don't even bother to ask. Ten minutes later, I'm walking back to my car when an antiques dealer I know comes over and asks me if I'd seen what these two other record heads had just found. "No", I say. "What?" "Big box of reggae," he says. "From that blue van over there."

 

Later, I have the misfortune of seeing for myself what the two of them bought. Sitting in the back of one of their cars is a crate of about 200 singles - all reggae, all UK label late sixties stuff and all in EX condition with centres intact. There's Blue Cats, Studio Ones, Coxsones, Crabs, you name it, UK Trojan-related labels I've never even seen before. The only flaw is that the bloke whose collection this obviously once was has written his name in tiny biro on the centre of each one. Apart from that they are pretty much unplayed. Turns out the two guys (both of whom I know pretty well, and neither of whom are into soul or reggae) had arrived at the box at pretty much the same time and decided that the only fair thing to do was to share the find, so they bought the whole box and split it later.

 

And the price paid for this once-in-a-lifetime find? £25

 

I didn't sleep for about three weeks

[Jordirip]

I don't think I'll sleep after hearing that.

[Graym]

Torquay Market 1974 with messrs Ian Clowrey and Les Cockell. Record stall which I  got to first. Nothing much until a Marvin Gaye Stateside red & White demo of 'How sweet it is' turns up and goes to front of box for payment later. In the excitement of potentially turning up more gems I rattle through the box without really concentrating. With indecent haste and the other two breathing down my neck and looking over my shoulder I notice a King single but fail to check it out suspecting its yet another Larry Cunningham. Not a lot else to rave about so I step back to pay for Marvin and that point Les politely asks if I've finished. To my horror and his words still haunt me to this day - Right oh says he and goes straight back into the box to pull out Mary Love 'You turned my bitter into sweet' and calmly said 'ok if you're leaving this I'll have it !  AAAAAAAAAAAGGGHHHHH. 

 

The other one that got away was the Sapphires 'Gotta to have your love' on HMV. Swapped about a dozen bog standard Tamla imports with some Scousers in the record bar at Wigan for this little beauty. My last memory of possessing it was when a well know DJ from the Stoke area saw it in my box and asked to have look at it despite it not being for sale. Hey presto obviously he had studied under Paul Daniels cause it wasnt there later !

 

Eventually got a replacement for the Sapphires but Mary has always since eluded me.

 

The upside of the week in Torquay was that  a CBS Dennis Dell UK demo and Thrills What can go wrong on Capitol demo did make the return journey .

Edited March 5, 2015 by GrayM

[Paul R]

At a car boot in Plymouth 20 odd years ago I found a box of mint Oriole singles. Not one Motown one in there. apparently someone had beat me to it by about 5 minutes and got them. I had to be content with Sherry, Hugo Montenegro as a poor consolation.  I did get a mint April Stevens MGM Demo for £3 from another stall though.

 

Paul

[Ronnie Mccarthy]

This one will haunt me for the rest of my days.

Walking around Bournemouth car boot I spy some records spread around the side of a car.

Has a flick through, pulls one out. Looks interesting  ...Its an Immediate  white label mint demo lp.

Who`s this guy ?  .. must be a local artist ( too true ). Its £1..

I was either distracted or suffered some sort of mental blockage as I usually buy these obscure items.

Anyway I put it down and walked away.

Later , at home, I could not stop thinking about it, so out came the Price guide.

Billy Nichols  Would you believe.

What a downer.

Lesson learnt.

[Len]

I went to a record shop in Traders Victorian Arcade in Reading, looking through some records, got chatting (The guy had a Wigan Casino membership behind his counter)......."Blah, blah, blah"..........."We did have loads, but someone came in and completely cleaned me out a week ago".........."I don't suppose you got the guys name did you?"........"Yes, John Manship".........

 

Argh!  

 

God luv him   

 

Len  

Edited March 10, 2015 by LEN