Somebody walked past a man crouched over a bin of records outside a store, and they snickered. The man noticed, and he had a pretty good idea why.

The record collector behind @digginginthesalescrates says he was digging outside the shop the other day when a passerby laughed on the way in. His guess is that the stranger saw a grown adult elbow-deep in a dollar bin and wondered what he could possibly expect to find in there.

He had an answer ready, and he put it on camera.

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“Well, I Find Some Treasures In There” Says The Digger Who Got Snickered At

He is the first to admit the dollar bin is not a goldmine every time. “It’s not all heard of Albert, but when it is, I take it,” he says in the reel, shrugging off the bad days along with the good.

That is the honest math of any cheap bin. Most of what sits there is forgettable, and every so often something wonderful is hiding in the pile. The people who keep flipping through are the only ones who ever see it.

On this particular day, he says, the patience paid off, and every record he holds up in the reel cost him $1.

A Seals And Croft Album, A Dave Brubeck Record And A Craig Hundley Trio LP, All For A Buck Apiece

He holds them up one at a time. First comes a Seals and Croft album. “Look at that. Seals and Croft. The Buck,” he says, meaning one dollar.

Next is a record by jazz pianist Dave Brubeck, also a dollar. The name will be familiar to many readers: Brubeck’s quartet recorded “Take Five,” one of the best-known jazz tunes of the twentieth century. Seals and Croft, the soft-rock duo of Jim Seals and Dash Croft, are remembered for 1970s hits such as “Summer Breeze.”

Then he saves the best for last. “Craig Hundley Trio. A Buck,” he says of a jazz record. His verdict is blunt: “This is a killer album and should be owned by anybody who loves jazz.”

Three records that would each make a fine afternoon of listening, and those three together cost him $3.

His Parting Shot Is A Plea: “Don’t Make Fun Of People In Them”

The reel ends the way a good punchline should, with a little sting for the snickerer. “Dollar bins. Don’t make fun of people in them,” he says.

It is a fair point, and a funny one. The laugh that followed him into the store was, in the end, a laugh at someone who left with a jazz record he calls a killer album for the price of a gumball.

He also hands the question to his followers. He asks, “What’s the best record you ever pulled from a dollar bin?” It is the kind of question that gets collectors talking, because everyone who has dug through crates has a story about the one that almost got left behind.

How To Dig A Dollar Bin Like Somebody Who Knows What He Is Doing

You do not need to be an expert to try it, but a few habits help. These are general tips that most record collectors will recognize.

Go through every record, not just the covers that catch your eye. A plain, worn sleeve can hold a record in better shape than the glossy one on top, and some of the best jazz albums have modest artwork.

Slide the record out and look at the vinyl under good light. Deep scratches, warping and scuffs matter more than a ripped corner on the cover. If the surface looks clean and glossy, you are probably in good shape.

Know a few names before you go. Brubeck, for example, made many albums, and a jazz fan will tell you that not every one is the same, so a quick look on your phone for the title in your hand can tell you a lot. Even if the record is not rare, a clean copy of a good album for $1 is a win.

Keep a little cash in your pocket. Many outdoor bins sit right at the shop door, and the price is usually low enough that you can grab an armful without thinking twice.

Why The Laughter Misses The Point

A dollar bin is the cheapest way to learn what you like. When an album costs the same as a cup of vending machine coffee, you can take a chance on a name you have never heard and lose almost nothing.

That is how many people discover a favorite artist. You pick up a record because the price is right, you play it on a quiet evening, and suddenly you are hunting for everything else that musician ever made.

So the next time someone smirks at you in front of a bin of records, take a page from this digger. Keep flipping, keep your head up, and let the music do the talking. Then, if you are lucky, you will be the one holding a jazz record he called a killer album, with a few dollars spent and a grin on your face.

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