Vinyl Records: The Rare and Collectable

The past ten years have witnessed a boom in the collection and sale of psychedelic, progressive, indie and oldies records. Why, in an age dominated by CDs and MP3s, are legions of audiophiles young and old swearing by their turntables?
 
 
Out of the gramophone issue words like import, EP, first-pressing, test-pressing, 45, 78, B-side, acetate. The little RCA dog laughed to hear such fun, but perhaps you're bemused. What's so great about vinyl? . . . Only everything!
 
It's the warm, unclipped timbre of sound technology based on analogue principles identical to the human ear.
 
It's the thrill of the chase: catch the vinyl bug and before you know it, you're hunting down elusive Ramones singles online, bartering fiercely for a first-pressing of Link Wray's Rumble at a local record fair, or unearthing the mythical 78 rpm of soprano Florence Foster Wallace from some musty Salvation Army dollar bin with reverential awe.
 

Of interest to collectors of rare used records. Vinyl records may be plentiful at garage sales, auction houses, flea markets and church bazaars, but the vinyl records that are worth collecting must be selected with care. This site is designed to help collectors and would-be collectors gain perspective on collecting as a hobby and as an investment.

 
It's the elegance of records packaged in larger-than-life 12 x 12 sleeves, enclosed goodies like posters, photos, legible lyric sheets and original liner notes.
 
It's the simple fact that vinyl is a bargain. Records can often be bought in large quantities at low cost. They're easy to store, so there's always room for more of them.
 
Due to these incentives, many collectors own literally thousands of albums. This isn't to say that all used records come cheaply. Many original albums from the 20s through the 80s are now extremely rare, fetching hundreds, even thousands of dollars online or at record fairs.
  
Critics don't buy records. They get 'em free.
- Nat King Cole (1919 - 1965) US singer, bandleader
 
Music is essentially useless, as is life."
- George Santayana