Record hunters love a good bargain, but few bargains beat paying pocket change for a classic album. That is exactly what happened to the thrifter behind @floridaythrifter, who stumbled onto a Bob Dylan record at a Goodwill bins outlet and walked away having spent just thirty three cents.
His caption calls the find pretty epic, and by the end of the story it is easy to see why. Here is how it went, from the lucky timing to the final price.
@floridaythrifter
Right place, right time
He opened with a bit of thrifting wisdom: sometimes you have to be at the right place at the right time. In his case, that place was the Goodwill bins outlet off Gandy. The bins are the part of Goodwill where items are piled in large containers and sold by weight, and they reward shoppers who are patient enough to dig.
Spotting Planet Waves
While digging, he ran up on a copy of Planet Waves and recognized it right off the bat. It was a Bob Dylan record. Recognition matters in the bins, because a pile of records can look like a blur of faded sleeves, and only someone who knows the covers will spot the good stuff quickly.
Cover art drawn by Dylan
He pointed out something special about the sleeve. The cover art is pretty amazing, he said, and it was actually drawn by Bob Dylan himself, along with all of the notes on the back of the cover. That makes the jacket more than a protective sleeve. It is a piece of the artist’s own handiwork. In his caption he added that the cover has the usual wear but is pretty decent.
All about the vinyl
As any collector will tell you, it is all about the vinyl. So he took a close look at the record itself. It looked great, he said, clean and pristine. His caption goes a step further and calls the vinyl totally clean, which is the best news a bin digger can get. A decent cover is a bonus, but a clean disc is the real prize.
Thirty three cents
Then came the best part: the price. At the bins, he explained, records sell for around sixty nine cents a pound. His copy of Planet Waves came out to about thirty three cents. He called it definitely his find of the day, and few collectors would argue.
That price math is worth pausing on. Because the bins charge by weight rather than by title, a record is treated the same as any other item of similar heft, whether it is a famous album or a forgotten one. For a shopper who knows what to look for, that is the whole opportunity of the bins. His caption notes that he picked it up at the bins for thirty three cents, and the clean disc made the deal even better.
Bin digging tips and a little Dylan history
A find like this one can inspire anyone to try the bins. Here is some general advice for bargain vinyl hunters, along with a few background notes.
- Planet Waves is a Bob Dylan album released in 1974 on Asylum Records, recorded with The Band. It includes the song Forever Young, which appears in two versions.
- Learn to recognize famous covers at a glance. A quick study of well known album art before you go can help you spot hidden treasures in a jumbled pile.
- Bring hand sanitizer, a mask if dust bothers you, and a pair of gloves. Bins can be dusty and crowded.
- Always check the vinyl, not just the cover. Tilt each disc under bright light and look for deep scratches, warping and scuffs. Jackets can be tatty while records are perfect, and the reverse is just as common.
- Remember that selling by weight rewards lightweight pressings and punishes heavy ones. Check how your store prices records so you know what to expect at the scale.
- Look for the label, catalog number and any matrix markings inside the groove area to identify which pressing you hold.
- Clean your finds at home with a carbon fiber brush or a gentle record cleaning solution, and replace worn inner sleeves with fresh ones.
- Do not be discouraged by scuffed jackets. A cover with the usual wear can still house a great sounding disc, and replacement sleeves protect the record.
- Test play a new find on a turntable with a good stylus before deciding whether to keep it or sell it.
Weight based pricing rewards patience. Visit on restock days if the store posts a schedule, wear gloves, bring a small flashlight for checking grooves, and carry a sturdy bag. Sleeves with ring wear can still hold excellent discs, so judge the vinyl first and the cardboard second.
Small prices, big joy
The pleasure of this story is its simplicity. There is no hype, no mystery about hidden value, just a music fan who knew a cover, checked a disc and paid a few cents. For many collectors that is what the hobby is all about. The record might have been passed over by hundreds of people, but one person who recognized the artwork gave it a second chance to be played. If you have ever wondered whether the bins are worth the digging, this thirty three cent Dylan record makes a pretty good argument.
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