The fascination with mid-20th Century America culture continues to grow with today’s buying public, sending retailers of both reproduction and true vintage merchandise scurrying to keep the shelves stocked with the latest trends.
Consumer spending for goods accounts for 70 percent of the U.S. economy. Say what you may about the state of that economy, statistics show that consumer spending has increased steadily over the past 4 years and continues to climb.
So why are so many of the nations top retailers constantly singing the blues about their sales? The answer is simple. In ever-increasing numbers, people are buying secondhand. Call it vintage, gently used, retro or re-purposed, we are experiencing a recycling craze that rivals the Depression Era mentality, and the most desirable of the lot are those things from the 60’s and 70’s.
Clothes, shoes, furniture and other essentials are rolling off the shelves as consumers discover that the price is low while the quality of items produced in mid-20th century America, far surpasses most of what is being manufactured today. Sales are also strong for non-essential purchases like jewelry, home decorator items and sentiment-based collectibles. But what has come as a shock to many of us in the resale business is the increasing interest in old records
Vinyl — who would ever have imagined? From old hippies to new hipsters, albums from 1960 through the 1970s are a hot commodity. In preparation for this column I chatted with my friend, and highly respected expert in the field of vinyl, Rick Wilkerson, about the resurgence of music from “The Golden Era.”
According to Wilkerson, the buying demographic in this category of collecting runs from 17-70, undoubtedly one of the largest audiences for any vintage collectible. “Since all the 60s and 70s music originally came out on vinyl there is a lot of interest among young people in acquiring original copies of their favorites,” he told me. “Then there’s the nostalgic factor to consider. Baby Boomers, who grew up during the golden age of vinyl enjoy reconnecting with the music of their youth. A vinyl record offers a more authentic version of the ‘time travel’ than a CD or digital file.”
While many of us have a stack of old albums in the closet, few of them are the type that record stores want. If you are interested in selling your collection, make a list of the artists in your collection and how many pieces you have by each artist, and make a basic assessment of the condition of the albums. Remember, for an album to be considered in good shape the cover should not be creased, torn or water damaged and the vinyl must not be scratched or warped.
Dealers constantly struggle with being inventory poor. To attract a customer base, you need a large display of records. However, many of them will sit on the shelf for months, even years, before the person wanting a particular release comes through the door. It’s a Catch-22 and is the reason a dealer cannot, in the majority of cases, offer you much for your collection, and may have no interest in it at all.
Whether you are selling or buying, vinyl is back and as Rick so aptly put it, “Vinyl has a mystique and a character and is a very good archival medium. An old record kept out of the elements will sound as great today as it did 50 years ago.” As great today as it was 50 years ago? I like the sound of that. Until next time . . . Linda
Linda Kennett is a professional liquidation consultant specializing in down-sizing for seniors and the liquidation of estates and may be reached at 317-258-7835 or lkennett@indy.rr.com