Hi!
My name's Rob and I'm a private collector of mostly classical CDs and records. I set up this website in the hope of buying complete collections of CDs. You can visit my CDs wanted page here.
If you have a collection of classical CDs you want to sell or value, I can help. I will outline more details as what I do and don't want to buy below, but if you have a large collection (300 or more) please email me - I'd rather just buy the lot than be choosy!
My email address is rgodridge1@gmail.com
If you want to contact me by phone, my number is 07500422090
SPECIAL NOTE! I am also looking for jazz cds in bulk. I have written a hopefully helpful page about them here: jazz cds wanted in the UK, large collections bought for good prices!
This page is mostly written for the person who has acquired a collection from a friend, relative, etc., rather than for the serious collector who has built their collection themselves. If you're a serious collector please get in touch as your collection will doubtless be of interest to me!
Because the classical music industry was the first to adopt CDs widely, it was also the first to issue budget titles. It is mostly full price or obscure CDs I'm looking for.
Labels like these are signs of a good collection:
Deutsche Grammophon
Decca
EMI
Phillips
Harmonia Mundi
Chandos
Mercury
One of the best collections of classical CDs I've ever seen consisted of hundreds of different versions of major works (Beethoven and Brahms symphonies etc). If you have inherited a collection that has loads of different versions of the same stuff, this could be a good not a bad thing. Don't worry, they are not duplicates!
Personally speaking, rare repertoire especially from the Romantic era is of great interest to me. Labels like CPO, BIS, Vox, Marco Polo and Melodiya spring to mind here.
Opera is not really my cup of tea unless it's historical recordings, usually from 78s. If your collection is large I will buy it opera included as complete operas always sell! Specialist collections, for example a large collection of organ CDs or a serious collection of one particular work are really interesting!
Early music: yes please! I can hardly have enough of it!
Jazz: this is definitely of interest to me and is often included in classical collections.
If you have a collection consisting of 500 classical titles and 1000 everything else I'd like to hear from you, though we may have to slim it down a bit.
As with most things, some CDs are now old enough to be collectables in their own right. It's actually fairly easy to tell an early CD because the case does not have ridged edges - they are smooth to the touch. If you have many of these then you may well have a collection from the dawn of CDs!
Here are a few things to look out for:
Phillips label with blue face CDs
large runs of EMI label CDs with CDM catalog numbers and smooth cases
early Decca CDs with smooth cases
early violin CDs, solo violin rather than concertos
boxed sets, especially "the complete recordings of" someone or other. These have generally held close to retail value and some are now out of print and hard to find.
Super Audio CDs (SACDs) are always and I mean always good!
Japanese remastered CDs, especially the cardboard sleeve replica types
The answer to this is fairly simple! Magazine CDs (BBC, Gramophone mag, Classic FM etc). I'll take them in a large collection but they will only end up in my local charity shop!
Super budget CDs (the best of Beethoven, etc)
Compilations (classical gold etc)
Everything else I am interested in!
Some collectors don't like Naxos as everything they ever put out stayed in print. I do not feel this way and will happily buy collections of only Naxos titles. However, do keep in mind they're not worth a lot of money!
I hope this page has been helpful and that I don't seem to abrupt! There is a vinyl revival going on and I'd like to hope I'm ahead of the curve with an upcoming CD revival, so I'd love to buy your collection in its entirety!