A memoir of 25 years (1975-2000) spent working in the world of records & music in Seattle, with occasional side trips into writings on Led Zeppelin and other adventures from my musical life.
I loved this piece! Roy taught me how to buy to please him... You taught me how to buy to please everyone. We didn't just buy records at Cellophane Square, we made relationships.
Hugh, the butcher cover I obtained for Cellophane in 1987 came over the counter in a stack of very ratty looking standard rock LPs. It was a peel-off (and not a bad one at that), but its condition was about as shabby as the rest of the stack. I believe I offered the seller $15.00 for "Yesterday...and Today" alone, and nickels for the rest. You came to me a little later and said with an embarrassed smile "You kinda ripped that guy off!" I shrugged. The seller had seemed happy.
I remember that one - not sure exactly what it was worth at the time, but even a beat one could fetch $75 - $100 as I recall. Today? Mortgage your house!
Hah! I currently work at a record store on the Ave. And while times have indeed changed greatly between our generations, so many things are eerily similar to what I deal with everyday. The “Art of Buying” truly is an art! Great read, and cool substack!
We had one Butcher Cover (on the wall? in the glass case?) when I worked there and it never sold in the four years I was there. I wonder what happened to it?
The collectible market did slow down in the late '80s/early '90s, at least for stuff like the Butcher Cover. New generations were discovering The Beatles, but they were more focused on the music. Imagine that!
After 13 years at Cellophane I finally found my Butcher peel off when I was supervisor at Value Village. The pricing department put it at 50 bucks and with my discount I got it for around $20.
Really interesting, Hugh. I can't believe how much local stores are selling old vinyl records for now. Wished I held onto them rather than donating them to charity or selling them for a song. Oh well.
Yes, I let go of some LPs I regret in the early '00s. Back in the day, $100 for a butcher cover seemed like a fortune but even with inflation to 2024 prices, that would have been a bargain.
I loved this piece! Roy taught me how to buy to please him... You taught me how to buy to please everyone. We didn't just buy records at Cellophane Square, we made relationships.
Thanks Richard, appreciate the kudos!
Hugh, the butcher cover I obtained for Cellophane in 1987 came over the counter in a stack of very ratty looking standard rock LPs. It was a peel-off (and not a bad one at that), but its condition was about as shabby as the rest of the stack. I believe I offered the seller $15.00 for "Yesterday...and Today" alone, and nickels for the rest. You came to me a little later and said with an embarrassed smile "You kinda ripped that guy off!" I shrugged. The seller had seemed happy.
I remember that one - not sure exactly what it was worth at the time, but even a beat one could fetch $75 - $100 as I recall. Today? Mortgage your house!
Hah! I currently work at a record store on the Ave. And while times have indeed changed greatly between our generations, so many things are eerily similar to what I deal with everyday. The “Art of Buying” truly is an art! Great read, and cool substack!
We had one Butcher Cover (on the wall? in the glass case?) when I worked there and it never sold in the four years I was there. I wonder what happened to it?
The collectible market did slow down in the late '80s/early '90s, at least for stuff like the Butcher Cover. New generations were discovering The Beatles, but they were more focused on the music. Imagine that!
After 13 years at Cellophane I finally found my Butcher peel off when I was supervisor at Value Village. The pricing department put it at 50 bucks and with my discount I got it for around $20.
Really interesting, Hugh. I can't believe how much local stores are selling old vinyl records for now. Wished I held onto them rather than donating them to charity or selling them for a song. Oh well.
Yes, I let go of some LPs I regret in the early '00s. Back in the day, $100 for a butcher cover seemed like a fortune but even with inflation to 2024 prices, that would have been a bargain.
I hear ya!
Oh god, the Phonolog was the bane of my existence!