The Talking Machine Forum — For All Antique Phonographs & Recordings

Do any collectors here keep a record of what they have paid for machines and records? I started keeping a record of every machine, part and record that I have acquired. I never kept a record for business purposes, but when it came time to sell stuff or trade, it is nice to see what I have invested, and any gains or losses.

Yes, I have a yearly log of transactions but only for my own interests. Jerry B.

Considering that I do this as a hobby, No, I don't keep accurate records, (I wouldn't want my wife to know how many $'s I've shelled out!).

But when I sell or trade, I usually go by memory.

The only problem is that as I get older it's getting hard to remember what I paid for items several years back.

I have left explicit instructions for my wife to call Stantons if I kick the bucket, at least then she will get fair market value.

Cheers, Bob S.

Every machine I have owned for the last 20 odd years is listed with the purchase price and the cost of repairs, if any. If a machine is ever sold, I note the sale price and the resulting profit or loss.

I started doing this to try as far as possible to make the hobby self financing at a time when I was raising a family and paying a mortgage. The family is now financially independent and the mortgage was paid off many years ago, but old habits die hard.

I began keeping a detailed account of my acquisitions in 1973. Not just items and prices, but the stories that go along with them. Names, dates, ups, downs, and a number of stories that will not see the light of day. These are for my own amusement and my anticipated failing memory. At this point, it's 180 single-spaced pages.

Like Bob, I have left instructions in several places for my family in case of my untimely end. Those aren't nearly as much fun to read.

George P.

I do. As a pro chef of 25 years (left the biz 19 years ago to become a toolmaker), I used to rely completely on memory for literally 1000's of recipes. I had total recall, until a mishap with my heart, and some very dicey near-death experiences (several heart stoppages - up to and exceeding a minute at a time) which obliterated some very important memories. Randomly.

I lost some very important data, forever.

After that, the pencil and paper became my memory.

Best,
Fran

George- thank you in advance as I'm sure you remembered Fran and myself in those instructions you left.

I used the Time Sheath, another of the many less-known benefits of APS membership, to check up on Bob S.

Considering that I do this as a hobby, No, I don't keep accurate records, (I wouldn't want my wife to know how many $'s I've shelled out!).

But when I sell or trade, I usually go by memory.

The only problem is that as I get older it's getting hard to remember what I paid for items several years back.

I have left explicit instructions for my wife to call Stantons if I kick the bucket, at least then she will get fair market value.

Cheers, Bob S.

Luckily my iPhone remained functional during travel in the Temporal Vortex, and I was thus able to capture the exact moment of the prophesied pedal-driven propulsion of said metallic container:

https://youtu.be/uFBNjWrXF1I

rodpickett wrote:George- thank you in advance as I'm sure you remembered Fran and myself in those instructions you left.

Naw. He left it all to Tim F.

rodpickett wrote:George- thank you in advance as I'm sure you remembered Fran and myself in those instructions you left.

Yeah, you two were mentioned when I warned Barbie about jackals circling the house.

PeterF wrote: Naw. He left it all to Tim F.

And he was mentioned in conjunction with locking the doors and electrifying the hardware. It's a mad, mad world.

George P.