[WalterBright]

Of course, having the most famous album cover ever helps!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l6U1JB7z-I8

A personal favorite of mine is The Trolley Song:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b_pCM8jzvtw

which is the same song as the one Judy Garland made famous, but Alpert's version is heavenly.

Before the intertoobs and CDs, I searched everywhere for that album (Herb Alpert's Ninth) for years, and finally found a brand new mint one in the cutout bin with the slot sliced in it. For $1. I couldn't believe my prize!

P.S. The yootoob version has poor sound quality. To hear how good Herb is with the trumpet, ya gotta get the CD.

[aspenmayer]

> Before the intertoobs and CDs, I searched everywhere for that album (Herb Alpert's Ninth) for years, and finally found a brand new mint one in the cutout bin with the slot sliced in it. For $1. I couldn't believe my prize!

This cut-out practice is new to me, but a related one in the publishing/bookselling industry rang true. I learn a lot just by reading and reflecting on your comments. Thanks for posting this personal story.

I think we've lost a lot with the transition to digital, these kinds of bargain bins included, which is part of the reason I too love all kinds of secondhand stores and swap meets, etc.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stripped_book

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Remaindered_book

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cut-out_(recording_industry)

[WalterBright]

I regularly troll pawn shops and thrift stores, you never know what you'll find there. For example, they usually have a bin full of vinyl. The staff pulls out any that are valuable, but what is valuable on the market has no relation to what I consider valuable. Jackie Gleason, for example, made many records that aren't available on CD. His stuff is great if you enjoy easy listening, old style.

A couple months back, the pawn shop had acquired what looked like an old DJ's 12 inch single collection from the 70s and 80s. $.50 per disk. I grabbed them all.

[aspenmayer]

I’ve found that archive.org also has a large number of out of print vinyl.

What the market finds valuable is partially a signaling problem, as it is only loosely connected to any individual’s taste, and more connected to quick sales for record companies. The market as a whole can’t discover prices for products that individuals aren’t aware of and seeking out in the small window of first-sale. It’s not too different from the traditional VC investment strategy, now that I consider it.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Signalling_(economics)