Looking at the decreasing value of the CDs - both officials and bootlegs -, would you say we’ve ‘invested’ our money well or not?
As per today, my best acquirments are vinyl albums and, to a lesser degree, some singles. Is mine your experience, too?
Facts say that vinyl is now starting to decrease in value: today, one can buy very colllectible vinyl for cheaper prices than in recent years.
No new hungry Collectors? Are our collections complete? Just a sign of the times?
I’d like to know your point of view...
Thanks, Luca

Only traders care about value

My investments in the Rolling Stones have paid out very, very well! I did and still do enjoy their great music both on records and live for 56 years now. So money as such has only been a way to keep it all alive and running.
Investments in PanAm and other big names??? In retrospect ... a waste of money.

.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2020-02-02 16:33 by colonial.

Surely, digital downloads and streaming let to some decrease in prices for CDs and vinyls. But there is no certain answer. Prices for some things went down while for the others they are stable or increase in time.

And for sure - ebay and discogs (and local flea markets) are always a bit of luck. Once I was a few minutes late in a local record shop and missed a specific pressing of the CD for 5 Euros. That disc appeared on ebay 3 times in 5 yeas and was never listed below 20. The other time I sneaked an ebay lot at hamburger price while usually it is of about 200 Euros. So you know... No certain answer.

Less and less things life give me the enjoyment equal to listening to a Rolling Stones song or watching the greatest Rock and Roll band in the world on a DVD or something. Great Investment in my opinion

Who's counting?

All LP's (studio, live and compilations) from 1964 --> 1989
Singles if the B-sides were different comparing to the LP's
The same stuff on CD from 1964 --> 1989
All CD's (studio, life and compilations)- 1989 --> 1987
CD - singles if the B-sides were different comparing to the LP's
More than 200 bootlegs
About 10 cinematickets (Gimme Shelter movie, Let's spend the noght togheter, IMAX,...)
Some DVD boxes
Even the stupid Voodoo Lounge Game DVD
5 concert tickets
A few years Holland fanclub membership in the seventies
A few official posters for my room
A few tour books
A few biographies
A few other books
About ten T-shirts
Some buttons
Even a stones legging...

This must be the value of a car....

I have the bare minimum of CD albums, CD singles, DVD/Blu-Ray's to have a complete collection of tracks with as little repetition as possible. Have some vinyl and VHS that is unique but at this point it's minimal. The music is the reason we are all in it. I'll break up box sets to keep the unique tracks and eBay the unnecessary stuff that's included with them. I don't want a collection, just a complete library of their music.

Yeah, here's a subject. Tell how much you've spent on The Stones to someone that doesn't share our passion. This is when you can tell friends from passers by. I've spent a fortune and I will not see any or little return on it. That's okay because it wasn't an investment. I did it out of love for the music/culture. I fear some people will get a terrible shock when they try to get "collector" prices for their treasures.

Quote
astmalia
All LP's (studio, live and compilations) from 1964 --> 1989
Singles if the B-sides were different comparing to the LP's
The same stuff on CD from 1964 --> 1989
All CD's (studio, life and compilations)- 1989 --> 1987
CD - singles if the B-sides were different comparing to the LP's
More than 200 bootlegs
About 10 cinematickets (Gimme Shelter movie, Let's spend the noght togheter, IMAX,...)
Some DVD boxes
Even the stupid Voodoo Lounge Game DVD
5 concert tickets
A few years Holland fanclub membership in the seventies
A few official posters for my room
A few tour books
A few biographies
A few other books
About ten T-shirts
Some buttons
Even a stones legging...

This must be the value of a car....

WHAT happened after 1989 ?????

It was time for me to buy a car.
I started to copy CD's, to trade and a bit later to download bootlegs. Only MP3 now (shame on me, I know...)

Got quite a few Promo CDs that I'd like to think would bring some value, but I'd never wanna part with them!

Let's not think of the money invested in tickets and travel to catch a gig... Wow!!

Quote
astmalia
It was time for me to buy a car.
I started to copy CD's, to trade and a bit later to download bootlegs. Only MP3 now (shame on me, I know...)

It's not important how, as long as you keep up enjoying all the great stuff the Stones made even after 1989
And ... you can always sell your car (or something else) to see the Stones live once again

I am sure I am on the low end compared to some of the collectors on this forum but I have spent a fair amount of money on Stones stuff.

- Official CD's and LP's
- Bootleg CD's and LP's
- Concert tee shirts even for shows I never attended but loved the designs
- Ticket stubs mainly from the 1969 tour. My favorite Stones tour for which I hope to get a complete set. Need about 9 more.
- Concert posters most of which are for shows I never attended. Especially the BtB tour which I have a soft spot for.
- Books and Magazines about the band and band members
- And of course the cost tickets for a couple of dozen Stones concerts since 1975 I attended with old girlfriends and my wife.

Getting older, and with 2 teenage daughters to put through college soon, it may be time to thin the herd and share some of my collection with others here.

Based on an aging fan base with fewer people interested in buying my stuff I am guessing I will never recoup what I spent but then again the collection gave me plenty of pleasure over the years so it all evens out in the end.

the rolling stones has been a hobby of mine since 1987 and will be till im no longer on the planet, it has cost money like all hobbies, buy i never intended to make money out of this, its been worth every penny spent.

The other day I splurged on the Some Girls super deluxe version...because it was all of 60$. Just received it yesterday and must say, it was worth every penny.

It ain't the dollars, its the music, folks. Dollars come and dollars go but the music is eternal.

jb

Quote
Lynd8
Less and less things life give me the enjoyment equal to listening to a Rolling Stones song or watching the greatest Rock and Roll band in the world on a DVD or something. Great Investment in my opinion

How about seeing Stones shows?


plexi

Quote
astmalia
It was time for me to buy a car.
I started to copy CD's, to trade and a bit later to download bootlegs. Only MP3 now (shame on me, I know...)

No, the truth is Bill left the band and you lost interest.


plexi

I've seen what money has done to some
…. Just spend it …..love and laugh



ROCKMAN

I've spent more money on women.

To use the sage words of George Best, “I spent a lot of money on booze, birds and Rolling Stones. The rest I just squandered“

C

To be honest: It was the terrible night of July 13th, 1985 that my love for the Stones died ...

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astmalia
To be honest: It was the terrible night of July 13th, 1985 that my love for the Stones died ...

But did your love for Phil Collins grow on that same day?

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astmalia
To be honest: It was the terrible night of July 13th, 1985 that my love for the Stones died ...

There is a saying: carrying coals to Newcastle ...

A great effort, Live Aid, but also somewhat naïeve. Off course people wanted to help, but in retrospect ... Newcastle.
Not much has changed in Afrika with that respect. Hunger is still massively around ...
The Stones supported victims of other major disasters (Earthquakes, etc.), did major donations to hospitals (condition: no media involvement); Mick sponsoring youth sports in Afrika, etc.

No need to torture yourself with what you said about 13 July 1985 ...

Fans buy this stuff to listen and view .

No, I discoverd Wham! and Duran Duran!

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oldschool

Getting older, and with 2 teenage daughters to put through college soon, it may be time to thin the herd and share some of my collection with others here.

Always happy to buy collections!

This is an interesting question and those outside of the collecting world always just assume you are amassing a fortune. The reality as noted here above is somewhat different. I think the truth is that the stuff that isn't truly rare fades in value as there is more perfect information. You can go on eBay and find several US Promotional Albums for sale so it's price has remained fairly flat over the last 20 years however the UK one when it comes up once in a blue moon fetches much much more as it's truly rare and enough people still need it.

The internet has exposed stuff that isn't truly rare, Fakes, particularly posters and autographs depress the value of real ones in most circumstances because many buyers don't know the difference and they assume they are getting something original or authentic. As I have often said, not every expensive autograph is real but every cheap one is fake.

If one was looking to enjoy their hobby but not look to throw money away the advice would be similar to the classic car market, buy the very best you can afford. Don't buy volume, by quality. Much better to buy a £2,000 item than twenty £100 items, Even better the museum quality pieces, I believe they will always have interest.

I haven't a clue what I have spent because I don't care, it's not an investment it's my passion but it's a frightening amount. My commitment to my passion was tested recently when I turned down $5m for everything. What else would I do? I love this band and I love collecting their stuff. This year my museum will open and my book will come out so I can share my passion with many more people.

Not being a trader my investments were/are relatively moderate. The LPs up to and including DW (no singles), then the CDs (I skipped compilations if they cotained nothing new), a few concert tix, a few T-Shirts (we don't want the the boys to starve in their old age, do we), and two Keith boots on vinyl in the mid-80s. Yes, and a handful of books and mags with Stones content. You might want to add some disc space for torrented boots. All in all, didn't take me anywhere near bankruptcy, and never regretted any. Wasted more money for unnecessary things.

Never went for super deluxe editions, diamond circle VIP packages, or leather jackets for €€€€€€€€€€€€. No airplane travels to other continents to catch a show (couldn't afford that anyway).

Oh, and a certain investment of time for reading posts, and lateron posting myself, on IORR .... don't regret that either.