Mobile Fidelity Records, Sell, Store, Or Play

Posted by: HiFiKid on 29 November 2012

All

 

I have two Cat Stevens and a Moody blues 180gram Mobile Fidelity pressing from before they went bankrupt.

 

All are still sealed and as new.

 

I also have Familiar to Millions by Oasis triple vinyl unopened and as new.

 

I also have the Ultimat Queen box set still sealed.

 

Plus a view others

 

My work mates think I am mad not to open them and play them.

 

My question therfore is should I?

 

1) Open them and play them

 

2) Store them as an investment possibly?

 

3) Sell them and take the profit.  Always tempting

 

HiFiKid   

 

 

Posted on: 29 November 2012 by Ron Brinsdon

Hello HiFiKid,

 

If you REALLY like the Moody's and Cat Stevens, open them and give them a try to see if they are as good as people claim (the MOFI recordings that is, not the bands) otherwise take the profit to get new stuff that you know you will enjoy.

 

I think that the MOFI's and Queen would still sell well on e-bay after a few plays if listed as Mint-

 

As far as the others go, I too am guilty of buying "bargains" and keeping them shrink wrapped in case their values rocket. Currently taking up space are boxed sets from Oasis, The Coral and The Verve which were bought on Zavvi for less than £20 each and are outside of my usual "taste".

 

I recently went to a record dealer to see what he would give me for three items listed at between £100 to £300 each in Record Collector, the idea being to sell these to part fund an upgrade, He offered me £100 for two of them and did not want the third even though it was probably the rarest of the three. I know he would have to make a profit but I still expected more than that so I still have them.

 

Regards

 

Ron

 

 

 

Posted on: 29 November 2012 by Steve J

HiFiKid,

 

Keep them sealed and keep or sell them. I've yet to hear a decent older MOFI LP. Use the money to buy some decent stuff. You can still buy the original pressings of the albums you've mentioned in mint condition for very little money which will be of better SQ. I don't honestly know why they command such high prices.

 

Steve

Posted on: 29 November 2012 by Kevin-W
Originally Posted by Ron Brinsdon:

Hello HiFiKid,

 

If you REALLY like the Moody's and Cat Stevens, open them and give them a try to see if they are as good as people claim (the MOFI recordings that is, not the bands) otherwise take the profit to get new stuff that you know you will enjoy.

 

I think that the MOFI's and Queen would still sell well on e-bay after a few plays if listed as Mint-

 

As far as the others go, I too am guilty of buying "bargains" and keeping them shrink wrapped in case their values rocket. Currently taking up space are boxed sets from Oasis, The Coral and The Verve which were bought on Zavvi for less than £20 each and are outside of my usual "taste".

 

I recently went to a record dealer to see what he would give me for three items listed at between £100 to £300 each in Record Collector, the idea being to sell these to part fund an upgrade, He offered me £100 for two of them and did not want the third even though it was probably the rarest of the three. I know he would have to make a profit but I still expected more than that so I still have them.

 

Regards

 

Ron

 

 

 

Ron, to be honest, you might be better off listing them on eBay or Discogs rather than going to a dealer. It's more effort but will, if they sell, bring you more dosh.

Posted on: 29 November 2012 by tonym
Originally Posted by Steve J:

HiFiKid,

 

Keep them sealed and keep or sell them. I've yet to hear a decent older MOFI LP. Use the money to buy some decent stuff. You can still buy the original pressings of the albums you've mentioned in mint condition for very little money which will be of better SQ. I don't honestly know why they command such high prices.

 

Steve

+1. Sadly, every MoFi LP I've heard has been inferior to the original pressing. They all possess a "soft", mundane quality.

Posted on: 29 November 2012 by Ron Brinsdon

Kevin-W

 

I have thought about e-bay but I know from my own buying experiences that "Mint-" to a seller can be only VG to a punter. Whilst I would be confident in my own accurate grading for sales purposes, I would not want someone later complaining that there was a 0.05 microsecond "click" on side 2 track 6 or three specks of dust on the run-out. It would not be the money, just the hassle!

 

Have a good one

 

Ron

 

Posted on: 30 November 2012 by Richard Dane
Originally Posted by tonym:
Originally Posted by Steve J:

HiFiKid,

 

Keep them sealed and keep or sell them. I've yet to hear a decent older MOFI LP. Use the money to buy some decent stuff. You can still buy the original pressings of the albums you've mentioned in mint condition for very little money which will be of better SQ. I don't honestly know why they command such high prices.

 

Steve

+1. Sadly, every MoFi LP I've heard has been inferior to the original pressing. They all possess a "soft", mundane quality.

+2.  A strange one.  Back in the early '80s I thought the MoFis were wonderful - so clean and quiet, and beautifully packaged.  However, as my system has improved, I've reached for them less and less.  The revelation was an evening some years back spent with Chris Murphy in NZ where we listened to original issues vs. the MoFis.  The originals were more immediate, alive, and engaging.  The MoFis, by contrast, just sounded flat, and for want of a better word, "slow"...

 

Since then, I've swapped most of them out for other LPs.  Only ones I've kept are the first ones I bought while at school - Floyds DSOTM, Genesis TOTL and Al Stewart's YOTC - mainly because of their sentimental value.