That Escalated Quickly (aka Common Records Turned Rare)

[waruv]

It has to be a bubble right? I cant see any reason why its jumped into being so popular all of a sudden

I can't imagine it's anything but. This really took off when some very popular Youtubers found the product and starting breaking open boxes and you could see the prices just keep escalating from there. The new base series Pokemon game also had the fortune of releasing last year and was reasonably popular. I think it's a mixture of nostalgia and people really taking advantage of a market along with the brand still holding major popularity as a general media entity. I would imagine some cards will hold value to some extent but I'd be genuinely stunned if this holds as a long term value. With that said, I think some cards will maintain their value or a lot of it (especially those that aren't artificially scarce: early first editions, perennially popular Pokemon, etc.), but I certainly wouldn't be investing in these long term at this point.

I've been wrong before and people and their money but it feels too escalated with cards that really aren't that extraordinary. Like, the most famous card on this front is probably the original set Charizard. This is the one where the Gem Mint 10, First Edition, Graded, Verified, etc. version was pulling six figures. A standard one (raw, regular edition) is pulling an average of about $400 with a 4x spike over the past calendar year...but it's also down 35% in the last three months from that peak (it was selling near 600 just a few months ago). I spot checked several cards from this first set and this trend of "big spike from last year but down a lot from three months ago" is true.

The newer sets are probably different: people are still buying a ton of packs, trading is very heavy, value can be okay if you hit the right cards, etc. But people who jumped in three months ago are probably taking a bath on this.

 

[Skeletonframes]

Frightened Rabbit - The Midnight Organ Fight

View credits, reviews, tracks and shop for the 2018 Vinyl release of "The Midnight Organ Fight" on Discogs.

www.discogs.com

The reissue of Frightened Rabbit's The Midnight Organ Fight from 2018 is trading pretty high just now.

This one is weird for me. I don't know of anything particularly special about this release. It sounds good, though. Frightened Rabbit was my favorite band for a long time, but an insane jump in price like this makes me seriously consider selling. I picked this up in November of 2019 for $18.99. It seemed pretty readily available around me up until early last year when they all disappeared from my local shops and the price started skyrocketing.

 

[Corycm]

This one is weird for me. I don't know of anything particularly special about this release. It sounds good, though. Frightened Rabbit was my favorite band for a long time, but an insane jump in price like this makes me seriously consider selling. I picked this up in November of 2019 for $18.99. It seemed pretty readily available around me up until early last year when they all disappeared from my local shops and the price started skyrocketing.

Not picking up Pedestrian Verse is one of those things that absolutely haunts me and that one isn’t particularly cheap nowadays either.

 

[djdavedk]

What the hell happened to The Fountain (motion picture soundtrack)?
Stupidly, I passed on a copy for $40 at Princeton Record Exchange a few years back.

Clint Mansell Featuring Kronos Quartet & Mogwai - The Fountain (Music From The Motion Picture)

Explore songs, recommendations, and other album details for The Fountain (Music From The Motion Picture) by Clint Mansell Featuring Kronos Quartet & Mogwai. Compare different versions and buy them all on Discogs.

www.discogs.com

 

[Viking Dan]

Not picking up Pedestrian Verse is one of those things that absolutely haunts me and that one isn’t particularly cheap nowadays either.

Back in 2017, I was crate digging a store in Denver that was going out of business. It was pretty picked over but they had sealed copies of Pedestrian Verse in a buy one get one bin. I picked up a copy of The Sunset Tree and thought...I really like PV & its free, why not add it to the collection.

Despite its value, it still gets regular spins in the house.

 

[Corycm]

What the hell happened to The Fountain (motion picture soundtrack)?
Stupidly, I passed on a copy for $40 at Princeton Record Exchange a few years back.

Clint Mansell Featuring Kronos Quartet & Mogwai - The Fountain (Music From The Motion Picture)

Explore songs, recommendations, and other album details for The Fountain (Music From The Motion Picture) by Clint Mansell Featuring Kronos Quartet & Mogwai. Compare different versions and buy them all on Discogs.

www.discogs.com

Soundtracks are so weird. So natch, I had to see what that dumb CMBYN OST was up to.

Various - Call Me By Your Name (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)

View credits, reviews, tracks and shop for the 2018 Vinyl release of "Call Me By Your Name (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)" on Discogs.

www.discogs.com

Wtf.

 

[wmeugene]

Soundtracks are so weird. So natch, I had to see what that dumb CMBYN OST was up to.

Various - Call Me By Your Name (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)

View credits, reviews, tracks and shop for the 2018 Vinyl release of "Call Me By Your Name (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)" on Discogs.

www.discogs.com

Wtf.

They are. There are people who are obsessed with soundtracks. I think I've really gotten into maybe like 10 of them in my entire time collecting music, over 25 years now.

For example, when I met my wife, the majority of her CDs were movie soundtracks and that's how she knows certain songs. It is certainly a different way of listening to music.

 

[Corycm]

They are. There are people who are obsessed with soundtracks. I think I've really gotten into maybe like 10 of them in my entire time collecting music, over 25 years now.

For example, when I met my wife, the majority of her CDs were movie soundtracks and that's how she knows certain songs. It is certainly a different way of listening to music.

For sure - a friend of mine *only* buys vinyl soundtracks (and maybe like one Pearl Jam record) and to be honest, I’m not even sure he has a turntable.

I very rarely buy soundtracks - I happen to have this one because I ran across it when people were having a hard time locating it at the old place, just to potentially help someone out, but no one ended up needing it. So now I have an expensive placemat.

 

[djdavedk]

Soundtracks are so weird. So natch, I had to see what that dumb CMBYN OST was up to.

Various - Call Me By Your Name (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)

View credits, reviews, tracks and shop for the 2018 Vinyl release of "Call Me By Your Name (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)" on Discogs.

www.discogs.com

Wtf.

I looked at those songs, and I wouldn't even buy the CD for $10.

Which is probably where I am at with The Fountain, a compact disc will sound great! (speaking of which, the vinyl pressings by Mondo were uneven according to reviews, which is part of the reason I hesitated at $40)

 

[Skeletonframes]

Not picking up Pedestrian Verse is one of those things that absolutely haunts me and that one isn’t particularly cheap nowadays either.

I don't like paying the exorbitant resale prices, but this is one I might buy myself for my birthday. The only album I don't have and, yes, I passed it up on the shelf multiple times before it just vanished from the retail world one day. Probably my biggest vinyl miss. Since it's an Atlantic Records release I can't really see there being enough demand for a repress anytime soon. Hopefully I'm wrong.

 

[Corycm]

I looked at those songs, and I wouldn't even buy the CD for $10.

Which is probably where I am at with The Fountain, a compact disc will sound great! (speaking of which, the vinyl pressings by Mondo were uneven according to reviews, which is part of the reason I hesitated at $40)

I think the Mondo stuff gets misread a lot. I have yet to come across an anything better than average pressing (sound wise) from them. They’re a collectibles company that focuses on the art and presentation - which they do really well - but I tend to keep my listening bar set pretty low.

 

[Mather]

I think the Mondo stuff gets misread a lot. I have yet to come across an anything better than average pressing (sound wise) from them. They’re a collectibles company that focuses on the art and presentation - which they do really well - but I tend to keep my listening bar set pretty low.

My fight club on pink is one of my favorite packages I own but the pressing is absolute garbage.. I never listen to it. It's easily the worst pressing I own, not even close.

 

[Corycm]

My fight club on pink is one of my favorite packages I own but the pressing is absolute garbage.. I never listen to it. It's easily the worst pressing I own, not even close.

That Twin Peaks OST sounds pretty rough too. I also have the Iron Giant OST with the steel case and the first season of Hannibal OST and they’re no great shakes either, but that Twin Peaks is almost unlistenably bad.

 

[Mather]

That Twin Peaks OST sounds pretty rough too. I also have the Iron Giant OST with the steel case and the first season of Hannibal OST and they’re no great shakes either, but that Twin Peaks is almost unlistenably bad.

Thankfully due to the type of music on the Fight Club Soundtrack it's not as bad as it could be, it's frenetic and dirty sounding so the pops aren't as offensive as they could be. But that and the VMP Joel Ross Kingmaker are probably my worst two..

 

[Melt Face Molly Drop]

I don't like paying the exorbitant resale prices, but this is one I might buy myself for my birthday. The only album I don't have and, yes, I passed it up on the shelf multiple times before it just vanished from the retail world one day. Probably my biggest vinyl miss. Since it's an Atlantic Records release I can't really see there being enough demand for a repress anytime soon. Hopefully I'm wrong.

It never ceases to amaze me how stuff just disappears seemingly over night. Like Aimee Mann's Mental Illness. That thing was a perennial $10 record on Amazon for years it seemed. Now it's slowly disappearing everywhere and slowly going up in cost.

 

[waruv]

I admittedly love me some soundtracks, the good ones are like a really well curated mix tape to associate with a positive experience. I think in terms of vinyl prices that it has compounding effect too

• Emotional connection to the Movie and Music
• Often the only place where some songs can be found pressed (either uniquely made for the film or from digital/disc only albums)
• Low quantities since most soundtracks aren't really bought
• Often they'll feature a lot of songs in the vein of "I like this song by x but don't care for the rest of their stuff" so it can be the cheapest way to pick up 8 songs you want by 8 different artists.

I didn't really love CMBYN as a movie but some people were and are obsessed with it and the music intertwined really well with the narrative. Add in the Sufjan obsessives who want those two songs and well here we are. It's also my pet theory to why the soundtracks with weird price increases tend to be linked to movies with that emotional feeling behind it. Like the Home Alone soundtrack is literally just a handful of classic Christmas songs, a John Williams score, and film clips you could probably re-create for a few bucks via dollar bin Xmas records but people scooped up those Mondo pressings dang quick at $40+ because Home Alone is a holiday comfort movie. Elf is a more interesting soundtrack but finding a copy of that this year at retail was really dang challenging and that had numerous pressings.

Unrelated but if they ever get the rights to press Boyhood's soundtrack I'll be really quick in that line...

 

[Viking Dan]

It never ceases to amaze me how stuff just disappears seemingly over night. Like Aimee Mann's Mental Illness. That thing was a perennial $10 record on Amazon for years it seemed. Now it's slowly disappearing everywhere and slowly going up in cost.

Not picking up Pedestrian Verse is one of those things that absolutely haunts me and that one isn’t particularly cheap nowadays either.

Its an underrated & great album and I'm worried its going to become my Pedestrian Verse.

 

[djdavedk]

It never ceases to amaze me how stuff just disappears seemingly over night. Like Aimee Mann's Mental Illness. That thing was a perennial $10 record on Amazon for years it seemed. Now it's slowly disappearing everywhere and slowly going up in cost.

Mental Illness was at my local B&N during the famous 50% off sale, alas I didn't grab it.

 

[djdavedk]

I admittedly love me some soundtracks, the good ones are like a really well curated mix tape to associate with a positive experience. I think in terms of vinyl prices that it has compounding effect too

• Emotional connection to the Movie and Music
• Often the only place where some songs can be found pressed (either uniquely made for the film or from digital/disc only albums)
• Low quantities since most soundtracks aren't really bought
• Often they'll feature a lot of songs in the vein of "I like this song by x but don't care for the rest of their stuff" so it can be the cheapest way to pick up 8 songs you want by 8 different artists.

I didn't really love CMBYN as a movie but some people were and are obsessed with it and the music intertwined really well with the narrative. Add in the Sufjan obsessives who want those two songs and well here we are. It's also my pet theory to why the soundtracks with weird price increases tend to be linked to movies with that emotional feeling behind it. Like the Home Alone soundtrack is literally just a handful of classic Christmas songs, a John Williams score, and film clips you could probably re-create for a few bucks via dollar bin Xmas records but people scooped up those Mondo pressings dang quick at $40+ because Home Alone is a holiday comfort movie. Elf is a more interesting soundtrack but finding a copy of that this year at retail was really dang challenging and that had numerous pressings.

Unrelated but if they ever get the rights to press Boyhood's soundtrack I'll be really quick in that line...

I agree completely. Another good example is Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure. Fun movie, shit soundtrack songs.
Look up what the Mondo pressings are selling for. It's a $3 budget album at best.

 

[nolalady]

It has to be a bubble right? I cant see any reason why its jumped into being so popular all of a sudden

Yes and no.
Pokemon never really went away. My 8 y/o son got into when he was about 6 because other kids brought the cards to summer camp. I grabbed some cards off of ebay and would use them as an inexpensive bribe for doing what he's supposed to do. My daughter has become extremely interested in Pokemon in the last few months. I think it's a combo of the shows being available, the new card series like the GX, and the new and old Pokemon video games. It doesn't hurt that most of these characters are incredibly cute. I'm not sure what is behind the resurgence other than continued interest. My daughter says that several of her friends collect Pokemon cards.

Before Covid happened, my local comic book shop was going to start a Sunday Pokemon kids' league. I'm hoping that eventually after Covid that we can get this started up.