Rare Opera Collection-- Hundreds of LPs and LP Box Sets For Sale

[mperrill]

I recently acquired a collection of opera LPs and LP box sets from the estate of two gentlemen in Suwanee, GA who were lovers of opera and the arts. I would like to sell this collection, in whole or in parts, to someone who would value and appreciate it.

Unfortunately, I don’t have a complete catalog. Many of the LPs are in fact box sets of 2, 3 or more records. Some have, for want of the technical term, a booklet that has the lyrics (a libretto maybe? I’m not an opera guy), information about stage productions, etc.

Many of the box sets are imports from Great Britain or someplace else on the Continent. Considering their age, the condition of the covers and boxes is good to very good. Several were produced in the mid ‘60s. In every case, the vinyl inside is in great shape.

Here are a couple of random examples I pulled from a random box. I have these recordings in the collection. The links are to the same item on Amazon. I don’t propose to sell them to you at these prices. But this is what others have valued them at.

Verdi's Aida, Solti conducting. Two offers, the lowest of which is $49.99. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0052R5IGC/sr=1-11/qid=1347973893/ref=olp_product_details?ie=UTF8&me=&qid=1347973893&seller=&sr=1-11

Bellini I Puritani, Maria Callas. One offer, $95. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003S5UIVA/sr=1-33/qid=1347973732/ref=olp_product_details?ie=UTF8&me=&qid=1347973732&seller=&sr=1-33

Verdi’s Luisa Miller, conductor Fausto Cleva, box set. Lowest offer on Amazon is $12.99. http://www.amazon.com/Luisa-Miller-Verdi/dp/B000RKB8RW/ref=sr_1_1?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1347974880&sr=1-1&keywords=Verdi+Luisa+Miller+Cleva+vinyl

Wagner’s Die Walkure, Act One complete. Box set. Import from London. Lowest offer on Amazon is $99. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B007PTAD4M/sr=1-26/qid=1347975708/ref=olp_product_details?ie=UTF8&me=&qid=1347975708&seller=&sr=1-26

I have 10 boxes full of similar LPs. If you would like to make an offer, please get in touch. My name is Mark, I live in the Atlanta metro area. You can email me at mdperrill@yahoo.com You may also contact me via cell phone: 770-366-6955.
Lastly, a heartfelt “thank you” to the site owner, Alma, for giving provisional approval to post. I greatly appreciate it.

[Luiz Gazzola (Almaviva)]

Thank you for your kind words. A piece of advice: I think your best bet to sell your vinyls is to make a true inventory of them. People will need to know what recordings you are selling - name of the opera, label, who was the conductor, the orchestra, the singers, and the year of recording. List them all. If listing singers is too time consuming, at least you should list the year, the conductor, and the orchestra, since people can take it from there by consulting databases such as Operadis. But people are unlikely to make blind offers without knowing what these recordings are.

Since you said there are hundreds of them, I imagine that writing up the inventory will be time-consuming. But you just can't get away with not doing it, if you're truly interested in selling. You may have had some trouble understanding this because like you said, you're not an opera guy. You're probably thinking, "well, it's sufficient to say it's a vinyl of the opera Aïda.." (like you just said, "Die Walküre, act 1" - well, there are precisely 171 recordings of Die Walküre - and 262 of Aïda - so people will want to know which ones you're selling) - and even when you quote the conductor, many of them have recorded the same opera more than once, with different orchestras and singers. It's not as simple as it may seem to the non-initiated.

Opera lovers won't just buy a vinyl because it's a recording of Aida, or Die Walküre, etc. They will buy it, if it is a recording with a good conductor, a good orchestra, and good singers. The list may not make any difference to you, but will make a huge difference to your prospective buyers.

So, time-consuming or not, you gotta do it, buddy. You can't have the eggs and the omelet. If you want people to take your offer seriously, you need to do the legwork and provide them with the information they need.

[mperrill]

Almaviva,

I see your point. Thanks for giving me the benefit of your knowledge and experience. I truly didn't understand the nuances involved with singers and conductors. <sighs> I have some work ahead of me.

[Amfortas]

Almaviva,

I see your point. Thanks for giving me the benefit of your knowledge and experience. I truly didn't understand the nuances involved with singers and conductors. <sighs> I have some work ahead of me.

On the plus side, if you stay with us a while, you can offer the collection bit by bit over time. Not such a daunting project that way. :)

[Operanut]

Just read about the LP collection for sale. I am in the process of selling mine.
The prices quoted for a couple of the sets seems to be quite high. Either I'm willing to sell
at a very low price, or your prices are too high.
Would you have any interest in my collection? A full list by opera, composer, conductor, label, record number,
etc. can be made available.