Without having seen the entire collection and going on what similar "pawed-through stock" has gone for, I'd be surprised if anyone gave as much as $50,000 for it. I may be off-base, but in this economy, it wouldn't surprise me in the slightest if no offers at all are received.
 
Cary Ginell
 
> Date: Wed, 18 Aug 2010 20:41:34 +0200
> From: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: Re: [ARSCLIST] music man murray record collection & Murray Gershenz, music collector extraordinaire, is parting with his entire music library.
> To: [log in to unmask]
> 
> 
> In the TV run they said his collection is worth 3-4 million. How much 
> do you think it is actually worth?
> Shai
> 
> On 8/18/2010 5:51 PM, Tom Fine wrote:
> > The big issue with huge "collections" of mostly used records owned by 
> > these long-time stores is that 90+% of the gross weight is either 
> > worthless or near-worthless. The smart few of these guys put that 90% 
> > of gross weight at the curb and let the accumulators vaccuum it all 
> > up. Then they carefully sell off the valuable 10%, either to long-time 
> > collector/customers or via a wider marketplace like eBay. If a person 
> > owns a record store that long and doesn't know in his heart of hearts 
> > that 90% of the gross weight is worthless, he's first of all deluding 
> > himself and second of all it's a miracle he's stayed in business long 
> > enough to become an "institution."
> >
> > By its very nature, a used record store must be an accumulator. The 
> > business model works if you continuously have a nice valuable 10% 
> > moving at high prices and if your rent is cheap enough to use the 
> > other 90% to attract accumulator traffic and to look like you have a 
> > vast inventory of "treasures."
> >
> > Don't get me wrong, the 90% has some value to someone. Just not any of 
> > it monetary. I always troll the dollar bins and free bins at used 
> > record stores, mainly to find better-condition covers to records I 
> > have where the vinyl is great but the cover is shot (and I probably 
> > therefore got it for a huge discount). There was a decorating fad a 
> > while back, popular enough to make it to the NYT style section, that 
> > seriously crimped this MO. The kids were into buying up dollar-bin LPs 
> > to frame the cover and hang them on the wall. Suddenly, competition 
> > for my good-condition dollar covers and novelty covers! The fad seems 
> > to have passed, based on recent success in the dollar bins.
> >
> > -- Tom Fine
> >
> > ----- Original Message ----- From: "Aaron Levinson" 
> > <[log in to unmask]>
> > To: <[log in to unmask]>
> > Sent: Wednesday, August 18, 2010 11:05 AM
> > Subject: Re: [ARSCLIST] music man murray record collection & Murray 
> > Gershenz, music collector extraordinaire, is parting with his entire 
> > music library.
> >
> >
> >> There is a reason why it is such a massive collection in the first 
> >> place-no one wants it for a patently ridiculous price! Does this all 
> >> seem vaguely reminiscent to a guy with a warehouse in 
> >> Pittsburgh?...Someone needs to tell these guys that we are in the 
> >> greatest economic downturn since Black Friday and that whatever you 
> >> thought you had and how much you (wildly) imagined it was worth, 
> >> things ain't what they used to be.
> >>
> >> AA
> >>
> >>
> >> On 8/18/10 1:42 AM, Michael Biel wrote:
> >>> It is interesting that both these postings and the article and TV 
> >>> piece all refer to the stock of a retail store as a "collection". 
> >>> Over on the 78-L there have been comments from several who have been 
> >>> customers and know this shop well that the prices he asked were too 
> >>> high, and even the reduced price he is now asking for the whole 
> >>> stock is still too high considering that it has been pawed thru by 
> >>> thousands of collectors for 50 years. I suppose that if your prices 
> >>> are too high, a store's "stock" becomes a "collection"!
> >>>
> >>>
> >>> On 8/16/2010 7:22 PM, Rod Smear wrote:
> >>>>> This came up in today's LA times article about a local gentleman 
> >>>>> here who is looking to unload his masssive collection. Apparently 
> >>>>> from edison cylinders to LP's. Don't know if anyone might be 
> >>>>> interested or know someone or organization willing to buy 
> >>>>> collection. Sorry i don't have a link. I guess google LA times 
> >>>>> Music Man Murray records? Rod Smear
> >>>>>
> >>> Here's the link.
> >>> http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-music-man-20100816,0,5301372.story 
> >>>
> >>>
> >>>> From: Gerald Segall<[log in to unmask]>
> >>>>
> >>>> Murray Gershenz, (aka "Music Man Murray"), after having amassed a 
> >>>> lifetime of rare and collectible 45s, 78s, vinyl LPs, and CDs, is 
> >>>> sadly selling his entire collection's contents, for any prospective 
> >>>> buyer interested in these hard-to-find musical treasures. As news 
> >>>> anchor Glen Walker of KTLA News remarks, "...building a music 
> >>>> library that attracted those who made the music." If only a public, 
> >>>> college, or university library could acquire such a precious 
> >>>> collection for the benefit of use by all music lovers, patrons, 
> >>>> music students, music scholars, and historians.
> >>>>
> >>>> http://www.ktla.com/videobeta/?watchId=f773a6ed-bf4b-4b32-a437-0a5771774e91 
> >>>>
> >>>
> >>
> >