Here is a story that keeps record collectors digging through dusty bins long after the sun goes down. Someone once paid 75 cents for a record at a street sale in New York. A few years later, it sold for more than $25,000. It turned out to be an acetate of the Velvet Underground’s first album, cut before the album was even finished. Nobody at that street sale knew what was sitting in the crate.

That kind of tale is exactly why one beginner decided to spend a whole day thrifting vinyl in Long Beach, California. She had only just started collecting, owned about 30 records, and had never once gone out hunting for them. So she gave herself a budget of one hundred dollars and a challenge: work through five levels of thrifting, from the cheapest records you can find to the pricier end of the hobby, and see what all the fuss was about.

The creator, @LavondaRocksRetro, set three goals before she left the house.

First, at every level she wanted to buy one record she was excited to keep and one she thought she could resell for a little profit. Second, she wanted to find the one record she had wanted since she started collecting: The Beatles’ White Album. If that album was anywhere in Long Beach, she meant to find it. Third, and she was firm about this one, have fun, because what are we doing if we are not having fun?

Starting at the bottom

Level one was the cheapest records you will ever find, if you can find them: garage sales. And here is where a true beginner’s honesty comes through. She admitted she was so excited to start that she did not even know where to find garage sales. So she did what plenty of us would do and hopped on Google to figure it out.

That small moment is worth pausing on. Every expert started out not knowing where the sales were. Nobody is born knowing which neighborhood has the good estate sales or which swap meet has the dollar crates. You learn by showing up, asking questions, and being willing to look a little new.

How the day added up

By the end of her five levels she had come home with 11 records, including one from a vinyl swap. Her tally of what she had bought came to about $90 worth of vinyl, and she paid $75 for all of it. That left her comfortably under her hundred-dollar limit and, on paper at least, ahead of the game. For a first outing, she called it not bad, and most of us would agree.

She finished the day by playing one of her finds and reported that it was a banger of an album, adding a genuinely surprised “who knew?” That might be the best part of thrifting records. Sometimes the prize is not a rare pressing at all. It is an album you never would have picked out, and now you cannot stop playing it.

The White Album, though, did not turn up. She says it is still out there somewhere and that she is not done looking. She invited anyone who wants to keep digging with her to come along to every bin, every swap meet and every dollar crate. Maybe, she said, they will find it together.

Thinking of hunting for records yourself?

You do not need a hundred dollars or a big city to try it. A few habits will serve you well.

• Look before you buy. Slide the record out of its sleeve and tilt it under good light. Deep scratches, scuffs and warps are easy to spot. Hold it edge-on to check that it lies flat.
• Judge the sleeve, too. Ring wear, water stains and split seams drag down the value of an otherwise good record. Mold and a musty smell are reasons to walk away.
• Bring a phone with signal. A quick search of recent sold prices on a record marketplace will tell you whether a “rare” sticker is real or wishful thinking.
• Keep a short wish list. Hers had one title on it. Having a goal keeps you from spending your whole budget on records you will never play.
• Buy what you will actually enjoy. Resale is a bonus. A record you love is never a wasted purchase.

About that White Album

If you are also hoping to land the Beatles’ double album, know that it came out in 1968 with a plain white cover, and early pressings carried a stamped serial number on the front. Those low-numbered copies are the ones collectors fuss over, but a later copy in good shape plays just as well. Copies are common enough that patience usually pays off, and a clean one from a thrift bin is a real possibility. Check all four sides of the two discs, since double albums are often damaged on the outer sleeves and on whichever disc sat on top.

Finally, remember the lesson in that 75-cent story. Most records in a bin are worth only a few dollars, and that is fine. The thrill is in the looking. Go early, go often, keep your budget small, and enjoy the hunt, because that is half of what makes it worth doing.

More Stories You May Like

• Shopper Finds A Tote Of Nearly Complete China At Goodwill For $29.99, Unboxes Eight Place Settings On Camera, And Calls It Her Favorite Thrift Find To Date
• Thrifter Who Almost Skipped A Small Town Thrift Store While Driving Through Finds The Vintage Coach Purse She Had Been Waiting For
• Grandmother Who Is 85 Recalls Her Aqua 1958 Prom Gown With The Crinoline Slip And Long Gloves And Says The Boy Who Took Her Later Became Her Husband