WOW!

Is that all? Heh..... i know with 100% certainty that i've spent close to $7,500, almost entirely on vinyl....because about 2/3 of my paycheck goes towards music purchases and i've made around $10,000 this year at my retail job working for Target (who by the way sells these interesting mix cds, one of them contains the version of She's Not There by the Zombies with the new drumbeat added, going so far as to specifically list it as a stereo mix in the booklet, also listing Build Me Up Buttercup by the Foundations as a stereo mix -- and with other stereo mixes on the cd these two are the only ones with that distinction....and other cds of theirs are quite interesting too... but theyre not available anywhere besides target, and not even on the target website -- so go figure that cds worth buying have to be exclusive in-store products....ive spent around $100 on these cds, too....) thank goodness i have no major bills to pay yet, otherwise my music buying would come to a screeching hault!

Brian W. wrote: TomDiehl1 wrote: because about 2/3 of my paycheck goes towards music purchases Don't tell me, let me guess: you still live at home with your parents! ;)

Yeah, no kidding! Having a 150 year old farmhouse eats up a lot of "disposable" income (even though it's paid for)!

You mean this isn't a thread about a Moby Grape album? I am SO disappointed. ;)

John, you're right in how sometimes the true cost of collecting can surprise us when it comes into sharp focus. I went on a buying spree through last year, tracking down hopelessly obscure vinyl for a college radio anthology project. One post-holiday mail delivery had nearly thirty record packages. It felt like I was back at the music director's desk at my college station. Except for that VISA bill part, that is.

It could be worse. Check this out:


    http://videos.komando.com/2008/10/06/worlds-largest-record-c ollection/

Edited by Yah Shure

Anyone wanna pitch in for lottery tickets? ;)

Edited to add: It really is a damn shame. You can see and feel the emotion this man has for this amazing, lifelong collection. And, the heartbreak in his wife's eyes too, that no one appreciates what the man has accumulated.

Edited by eriejwg

If nothing else, it sure puts that $1900 or $7500 into perspective, doesn't it? It's also a dilemma that most of us collectors will have to face at some point. As awe-inspiring as Paul Mawhinney's collection is, it also proves the point that collections, by definition, really reflect the tastes and interests of those who have assembled them. Finding someone with $3 million to drop for one person's musical tastes is extremely difficult, as they've sadly discovered. And that's just for the collection; consider extra expenses for warehouse space, transportation costs, insurance, etc., etc. And on top of all that, how would we be able to set aside enough time to actually listen to each record even once?!

It isn't that no one is interested in his collection (as we all sit drooling just trying to comprehend its sheer vastness) but the reality is that it would ultimately be more valuable - and more marketable - if sold off piece by piece. But then, who among us really wants to see our own hard efforts divvied up in similar fashion? Watching that video makes you just want to cry.