My solution has been to share/sell my reel to reel tapes on eBay.  They have all gone on to hopefully a better life than on my dusty shelves. And, I've got quite a bit of extra cash to make my study ring with joyful sounds.  I'll probably do the same with my and my brother's LPs and 45s when I finish this current project.  I get a lot of great feedback from my customers, too, so it is a great to give and get in more ways than one.


________________________________
From: John Haley <[log in to unmask]>
To: [log in to unmask]
Sent: Tuesday, December 3, 2013 7:07 AM
Subject: Re: [ARSCLIST] steven barr


It's a real issue, and we should all mark Tom's words. I have bought
collections and particpated in clean-outs for relatives and others, and
believe me, the real enemy of the great collection is the dumpster.  That
is where a lot of them go.  My goal is to skinny down what I have while I
am alive, and then leave some kind of list or markings of what is really
valuable.  To the non-collectors in our families who have tolerated our
collections for years, it is usually all junk to be got rid of.

Best,
John Haley


On Tue, Dec 3, 2013 at 9:07 AM, eugene hayhoe <[log in to unmask]> wrote:

> I, when I walk into my basement, feel like 'what a lucky guy.' My wife,
> OTOH, goes 'OMG!' and mostly won't even come down here.
>
> The concern I have is finding the spot where 'she gets the most value' and
> 'the recordings, etc. end up in the right places' meet - most dealers have
> personal financial interests, and the moving 'would not be a quick, casual
> job.'  I've suggested more than once that she 'hire someone to open a
> temporary store' as the best way to liquidate, but she doesn't display much
> enthusiasm, despite the quite profitable nature of that idea. One friend
> could be interested in some, but has his own space issues of the same
> nature. As a retired college faculty member, I wouldn't trust much of any
> school to 'use them appropriately.'
>
> I've also told her that 'if Koester is still around when that time comes,
> he'd probably be interested.'
>
> And in NO way is that a dis; only spoke to him once, but 'have been
> appreciating his efforts in preserving American music for over 45 years.'
>
> Gene
>
>
>
>
> --------------------------------------------
> On Tue, 12/3/13, Tom Fine <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
>
>  Subject: Re: [ARSCLIST] steven barr
>  To: [log in to unmask]
>  Date: Tuesday, December 3, 2013, 8:03 AM
>
>  One lesson that can be learned is
>  that we who collect should explore, while we are healthy,
>  vital and with full faculties, who might want to inherit our
>  collections. Is there an institution or archive we trust,
>  and is interested? Another collector? Would we like to
>  pre-arrange an auction with an expert in the topic areas
>  where we focus our collection? Don't assume spouses or
>  children or friends know or care about your collection,
>  unless you have included them in it and they have expressed
>  interest.
>
>  Having inherited a few collections of records and vintage
>  audio gear, I will say that it is never an easy process
>  because of the bulk, logistics, storage and other issues.
>  There is always expense and time-burden put on the person
>  taking over the collection, so make sure that person wants
>  the collection enough to put in the time and put up the
>  money. In my case, it helped very much in the cases where
>  the collection was well-documented. It also helped that two
>  of the collections had been introduced to me gradually, with
>  detailed explaination from the original owners. In fact I
>  treasure those times, with people I respected and cared for
>  explaining something they loved and about which they knew a
>  great deal, more than I treasure the actual items.
>
>  In the other cases, it was "hey I know you like this kind of
>  stuff and we need to clean out XX's house so we can sell it,
>  if you'll come and take it away you can have it." In those
>  cases, I was much more likely to sell off pieces in order to
>  cover my logistics and storage expenses, very soon after
>  taking possession. I do not regret any of those sales,
>  because some very nice items passed into hands that
>  appreciate and use them today. In these cases, I have passed
>  back all other sales proceeds to the people generous enough
>  to call me rather than put stuff in the dumpster or turn it
>  over to an estate-sale hack to get pennies on the dollar of
>  the true values. Net-net, I ended up keeping fewer items
>  from these collections, but it's nice to have those things.
>
>  The final case I've been involved in was my friend, 10 years
>  my junior, who died suddenly earlier this year. His father
>  needed help assessing his house-full of audio gear, tapes
>  and records, and finding buyers for what had monetary value
>  and takers for the rest. We managed to get 90% of it sold
>  and given away, and the rest really was dumpster junk. I
>  bought some equipment items, which I am happy to have, and
>  his father gave me his records and tapes, which I am very
>  pleased to have and will remind me of my good friend gone
>  too soon.
>
>  The point of this is, if you care about what happens to your
>  collection when you're gone, you need to be proactive. The
>  best time to be proactive is when you have the energy and
>  the presence of mind to do it, ie not at the very end. You
>  can't take it with you, and you must assume that no one else
>  values it and nothing good will happen to it unless you make
>  preparations and enlist allies who will outlive you.
>
>  -- Tom Fine
>
>  ----- Original Message ----- From: "eugene hayhoe" <[log in to unmask]
> >
>  To: <[log in to unmask]>
>  Sent: Tuesday, December 03, 2013 7:26 AM
>  Subject: Re: [ARSCLIST] steven barr
>
>
>  > All that work collecting and organizing for naught? A
>  shame. Hope they ended up with 'someone who appreciates what
>  they have.'
>  >
>  >
>  >
>  > --------------------------------------------
>  > On Mon, 12/2/13, Dave Burnham <[log in to unmask]>
>  wrote:
>  >
>  > Subject: Re: [ARSCLIST] steven barr
>  > To: [log in to unmask]
>  > Date: Monday, December 2, 2013, 9:00 PM
>  >
>  > David Lennick is your best bet,
>  > however I'm not sure he has the info either. I don't
>  think
>  > there is an e-mail address because the reason he
>  stopped
>  > posting on 78L was because he didn't have a computer.
>  He may
>  > well be out of reach. I understand his records have
>  been
>  > liquidated to cover debts owing.
>  >
>  > db
>  >
>  > Sent from my iPhone
>  >
>  > > On Dec 2, 2013, at 8:43 PM, David Seubert <[log in to unmask]>
>  > wrote:
>  > >
>  > > Anybody heard from Steve Barr lately and have a
>  current
>  > contact email? The
>  > > email I have for him bounces.
>  > >
>  > >
>  > >
>  > > Thanks,
>  > >
>  > > David
>  > >
>  > >
>  > >
>  > >
>  >
>  >
>  >
>
>