Mark Bicknell

My take on this is Sax's was a record store and perhaps copies of Benny Curtis were used to promote the store in house as it were, maybe copies were used in the shop stock at random points within the racks or shelves, or maybe Sax's stocked the record and it may have been given away by the artist at gigs to again promote the record and the store? On my copy it say's 'Come To Sax's' on the top side and has the store address on the flip. Regards - Mark Bicknell.

Quite right Pete as ever mate. Regards - Mark Bicknell.

Yes Pete but discuss it with the baker and not the whole shop is I suspect Nev's point and it's certainly mine. Regards - Mark Bicknell.

Pete it's no secret that I'm pretty much done with the Northern scene certainly from a DJ perspective and have little or no interest in running or attending soul events anymore basically more out of choice and that I've got other interests and do other things, our business comes first as does family stuff, now I'm not that bothered about owning some of the records anymore so I'm prepared to let some of them go, the money is going into our business and other stuff and I still collect the odd thing here and there, I use the price guides as simply that a guide, the guides compiled by the likes of John Manship etc. not me, also why the hell should anyone give their records away when certain auctions etc. get good prices for them, guess it's about choice, I've sold several records here recently at pretty much the asking price based on rarity and condition, others have not sold and as I'm not really bothered one way of the other if I sell them or not will alway's consider reasonable offers and have reduced prices in private with interested parties and a deal has been struck, it's already been said that you can alway's come down in price but you can't go up, another thing regarding a bargain that's all well and good but constantly some people want something for next to nothing and try it on offering well below even a bargain price, I suggest it's not your business what other people offer records for either they sell or they don't, far too often on here people comment on other peoples sales when it really has nothing to do with them. I do not wish to fall out with you or enter into a slagging match over this Pete but what I will say is this, I sell my records based on condition, rarity and how much I invested in them in the first place, turns out that many of the records I've sold in the past three or four years have been so called big ticket items, sorry if I've offended you with some of my asking prices recently, I'm not trying it on just simply trying to get a good return on some of the sales records for my own and my family's future and I'm sorry Pete if I see that Manship, Brady, Brown Etc. are getting big bucks or similar prices for certain records them I'm buggered if I'm gonna sell mine for less, half price or bargain basement time sorry but I would be a fool to do so, finally those that don't sell I will simply keep, reduce or haggle a deal with someone on mutual terms and not because you or anyone else say's so, again don't wish to fall out with you but you conduct your business as you see fit and I'll do the same mate. Regards - Mark Bicknell.

Barbara English - (You Got Me) Sittin' In The Corner - Auroa Demo date stamped paper label - Classic Northern soul oldie in nice clean condition £225.00 Big Ella - The Queen - Rush White Label Demo with no Demo Ident Rare - Classy very hard to find in superb clean condition - £325.00 - Cheques, Postal Orders, Cash and Pay Pal as a gift to avoid fees welcome, contact bicknellmark@aol.com or via PM here.

Offers welcome. Regards - Mark Bicknell.

Roy Roberts - I Know What To Do To Satisfy You - Tina - Classy very hard to find 45 in nice clean condition - £550.00 includes insured postage,Cheques, Postal Orders, Cash, Pay Pal as a gift to aviod fees, contact bicknellmark@aol.com or via PM here. Regards - Mark Bicknell.

Surfice to say Phil Reggie has long since gone mate well both copies actually lol sold the first one for £500.00 way back and almost the same for the other, the record worked during the early 90's at the likes of Keele etc. as an ender, it took off for what ever reason and originally cost me pennies, perhaps not the best record in the world but that can be said for so many records that find their way onto the Northern scene. Regards - Mark Bicknell.

Andy Williams lol seems fitting as I was the first one to play this that I should prove it's not Andy lol Regards - Mark Bicknell. Reggie Alexander folks!

Bobby Treetop on hold, list updated. Regards - Mark Bicknell.

Now reduced. Regards - Mark Bicknell.

A genuine rare record that's why, I have a so so condition copy but would never sell it quality. Regards - Mark Bicknell.

The Sinceres - Girl, I Love You - Pzazz - Stunning record in superb clean condition - £250.00 Tony Clarke - (They Call Me) A Wrong Man - M-S White Demo - Class Detroit soul in superb clean condition, hard to find demo - £300.00 Cheques, Postal Orders, Cash and Pay Pal welcome sent as a gift to avoid fees, contact bicknellmark@aol.com or PM via here. Regards - Mark Bicknell.

I sold my stock copy to Carl Fortnum along with The Empires for £810.00 the pair back in 1990 lol Regards - Mark Bicknell.

The Constellations - I Don't Know About You - Gemini Star - Classy crossover in superb clean condition - £450.00 Cheque, Cash, Postal Order or Pay Pal as gift to avoid fees, contact bicknellmark@aol.com or via PM here. Regards - Mark Bicknell.

Phil, this should have flown out mate but I suspect people are waiting to see how much the demo goes for on Ebay right now so I'm sure you will see some action on this when that ends. Regards - Mark Bicknell.

There are thousands of records for sale out there from the ten quid cheapie through to the big ticket items, almost on a daily basis someone lists a nice rarity here on Soul Source alone, take a look now and you will see what I mean...do they all sell? I suspect no or at least it's a very slow process, asking prices are so often reduced, big ticket items seem to slip down the list at a rate of knots, Ebay still seems to through up a huge number of records in all price brackets, add this to the major record dealers and the vast amount of stock some of those guys must be sitting on is mindblowing. Still I guess the 64,000 dollar question is do we collect records as an investment or for enjoying them as pieces of music? Some records I've moved on recently for decent money have been records I've had for maybe well over twenty years so I've had the pleasure of owning and playing these records, take into account Ady Pountain mentioned this how much I invested in the records in the first place, checking so called book prices and selling them for what I'm happy with, I won't mention the tune but I invested or paid £100.00 for one tune back in 1989/90 and recently sold it for a Grand be it a genuine rarity which has already been mentioned here tend to hold their prices or improve in value. Popular indemand and genuine rare records seem to hold their own in the market place but there is a stack of records which seem to be very difficult to sell be they cheap, played out or simply not as rare as we once thought. Time will tell I guess how this will all end up but I suspect in the next few years more collections or part collections will be offered up for sale to less and less people who want to buy them supply will over take demand in a lot of cases but I honestly think that this has already started to happen? I'm not trying to stir anything up here just being realistic, good luck to the mavericks, moovers and shakers who still have the passion to dig a little deeper for something new but is there really that much more to find that we can really say comes anywhere near close to the quality of say George Blackwell for example, proper hard edged perfection as far as a Northern Soul record goes in the true sense of the word, slightly off the topic here but a valid point. Regards - Mark Bicknell.

List updated, some reduced. Regards - Mark Bicknell.

Might be able to help you on this one please get in touch, have a nice clean stock/issue copy sitting in a box upstairs doing nothing, looking for a good fair price. Regards - Mark Bicknell.

Pretty much same boat with me Keith but a little more out of choice rather than actually wanting to DJ anymore on a regular basis, I don't think I could hold a candle to what you have to offer the scene record wise but it can eat away at you and in the end you can end up turning your back on it, I guess it's down to how important you think it is to be able to make a contribution? and let's be honest since the year dot it's often been about 'Jobs for the boys' and it's no different now, if the Droylsden thing works out mate you are very much on my short list of DJ's, guy's that I respect and who can cut the mustard musically, you certainly fall into that group. Regards - Mark Bicknell.

Don't remember knocking back an Eddie Parker with you mate, still had that one in the end several years later lol think the Ascots/Bobby Kline deal was around 1981/82/83 certainly around that time Stafford early period, I think I even called you from a phone box so my folks did'nt hear the conversation lol. Regards - Mark Bicknell.

Nice to have it from someone who actually wheels and deals on a major basis, certainly makes a lot of sense Andy and you are so right about the bigger deals being very much hush hush, moved one or two myself in private and all done with no fuss or hassel. Regards - Mark Bicknell.

I think one of the problems is on some of the shall we say 'classics' is if most collectors already have them or have had them at some stage when copies surface for sale it matters very little what the book price is if no one wants to buy them, certain records of course will alway's sell often the big ticket items/trophy records call them what you will some how simply sell based on rarity, kudos etc. i think you are bang on Ady with the £50 - £300 bracket being a good example in the NS style, a lot of the same records constantly come up for sale which makes you also think are they really that rare in the first place? even so called biggies seem to pop up on Ebay for example on a regular basis i.e. Cashmeres, Bobby Kline, Gene Toones of late, Sam Fletcher, Four Tracks, Troy Dodds and numerous others, bit of a minefield but part of the game of collecting I guess and to be honest records mentioned here and others does it really matter if they are ten quid or a thousand a quality record is a quality record no matter what the price, the Four Tracks for example still sounds good to me despite copies turning up in mass a bit back, just means more people have a chance of getting a copy, kudos gone perhaps of owning something not too many other people have but still a mighty fine tune. Oh by the way Ady I've still got the Ascots and Bobby Kline I bought off you when we were still in black and white £18.00 each I seem to remember lol Regards - Mark Bicknell

Yeh a bloody Bentley the way you are going on lol Mark.