What's your rule of thumb with record plowing

[13th Floor Garage]

Not sure about the rest of you, but I usually come up empty handed when going to thrift stores or "junk shops." I'm guessing that a lot of you have also wasted hours doing this.

Then again, all it takes as the one memory (or more) of getting an unexpected score to continue the cycle.

If I see records like the Dave Clark Five, Yardbirds, Strawberry Alarm Clock etc... I end up sometimes spending hours going through stacks of records. Seems like the odds would be that there would be at least one good nugget in the hundreds upon hundreds of 45's.

Today, my heart almost jumped a couple of times while seeing a HBR and Brent label 45, but neither were worth the price of $1.00 (tested on a record player in this thrift store) .

I did find two copies (2nd pressing) of Balloon Farm's "Question of Temperature" which I realize isn't much of a score to a lot of you, but it was worth the hour of rummaging.

I'm guessing that if you see Beatle's or Stone's records, you can assume that a collection hasn't seen a lot of mainstream rummaging.

Do most of you set a bar - like... after 30 minutes of no Electric Prunes, Seeds, Shadows of Knight, you give up?

 

[MopTopMike]

Just some info:

There is no "second pressing" of the Balloon Farm "A Question Of Temperature" 45.
The mis-spelling of Temperature as Tempature was the result of the pressings that came from RCA's Indianapolis, Indiana pressing plant. When discovered, the labels were destroyed and quickly re-printed.
Pressings from Monarch (styrene copies) and from New Jersey all have correct labels.

To answer your question:

You ain't gonna find anything unless you are willing put in the time and effort ($$$, travel, and work) to hopefully come across worthwhile records of any kind. I go through everything, unless were are talking something akin to 50,000 or more records. Thankfully, that has only happened one time. My collector pal and I cased different areas and the ratio of junk was beyond pathetic.

I've put in many hours and come away with zilch, and I've come across incredible 45s in quick fashion that far outweighed the unsellable junk. You will obviously strike-out more times than you will score. That's just the way it is.

 

[chas_kit]

I have very little luck at thrift stores and junk shops these days. I think it helps if you can stop in every week, then you'll get an idea of where the new stuff might be. Getting to know the people who work there can be very helpful for finding out when new stock is going to be put out. Right now I don't have time to do this kind of routine hunting.

I did some advertising in small local papers, the ads were cheap, like $25 and I often got a lot of calls - most of which turned up nothing of interest but occasionally I hit something great, like a mint Moving Sidewalks or a random assortment of minty northern soul 45s mixed in with average stuff.

I also like the small record fairs, the type held in bars in the afternoon or a parking lot with 12 dealers. The smaller and more local the better the chance of good finds at reasonable prices.

 

[13th Floor Garage]

Thanks MTM for the accurate info re: "Balloon Farm."I learned something new.
Chas_Kit, I did have good results from a parking lot record show. Only been to one, but now I realize that the finds that particular day were more than likely a result of your analogy.

 

[Westex]

Persistance. Going back week after week and getting to know your shop folks. Get to know 'em well enough and you'll get first look at new catches before anyone else. Last weekend I got to be the first person to go through a 20,000 45 accumulation that hit a record shop in the area. I pulled 15 records out of all of that, no big deals. Partway through I realized it hadn't been dug through, but it was someone else's culls. But what if it hadn't been culls, but an old radio station library? Never know until you dig.

And you also go big when you can. Recently ran an ad in a local small paper for two records from the town, including my top local 45 want. First day the ad ran I got a call from the fellow and wound up spending the afternoon with him talking local music, eating birthday cake, and buying a copy of his record. It certainly wasn't a cheap way to do it, but I did what I set out to do and don't have to sit around hoping it pops up on eBay. I've gotten two other calls from that ad offering more 45s, but not specifically what I advertised for. Will use the same strategy again elsewhere once my bank account recovers.

 

[bosshoss]

Recently ran an ad in a local small paper for two records from the town, including my top local 45 want.

I did this 15 years ago in Australia. I ended up with a massive haul, including the Marksmen and many other of my top Aust. wants.