bookmark_borderPurchasing a large vintage slide collection

I recently purchased this large collection of 2500 35mm slides, mostly Kodachromes but also with some Ektachromes and Agfa specimens included. What kind of content is on these? I don't know everything exactly, but the dates range from the 1950s to the 1990s and the subjects appear to be everything from scenes of everyday life to travel to various random images. One thing that my "Ghosts of DFW Music History" blog series has made crystal clear to me is my need to assemble a collection of stock images from which to draw whenever I need illustrative content for one of my projects. And I can't realistically expect to have examples of everything I might want to use someday in the (admittedly sizable) collection of photos I've taken myself. Dealing with ownership and copyright concerns is a royal pain in the rear when I want to use someone else's material, so the opportunity to acquire a large collection of previously unpublished and unencumbered images at a low cost is something I didn't want to pass up. While I expect that only a small percentage of these will ultimately be of interest to me, even two or three percent will justify the cost of the entire set. big box of slides, mostly Kodachromes big box of slides, mostly Kodachromes

bookmark_borderThrift store and secondhand finds

I like to hit the thrift stores from time to time looking for clothes, older electronics, music, or just the random unexpected item I can't live without. These are some of my best scores to date.

VitaMix 3600

One afternoon in 2013, while the rounds of the K Avenue thrift stores in Plano, I stumbled upon an incredible find. It was the base and motor portion of an old Vitamix 3600, which dates to sometime in the late 1960s. Vitamixes are renowned for their power, longevity, and long-term reliability, and after plugging it into an outlet I was able to confirm that the motor worked as well as ever. Unfortunately, there was no price tag on the base, and the rest of the unit was missing. I took it up to the checkout counter and asked for a price, only to be told that the manager would need to look at it and get back to me. A couple of days later, I was able to finally get a price quote... ten dollars. I sourced a vintage carafe, lid, and Action Dome off eBay (not dirt cheap, but still much better than trying to buy a complete unit) and using them I was able to assemble a completed machine. As I already owned my own high powered Vitamix blender, I gave the thrift store one to Hannah (she of the lemonade post), who I knew would appreciate it. Top notch new Vitamixes can retail for $500 to as much as $1,000.
Hannah showing off the fully reassembled Vita-Mix 3600.  Photo by Corey Geloneck. Hannah showing off the fully reassembled Vita-Mix 3600. Photo by Corey Geloneck.
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bookmark_borderAutographed albums

I've acquired a good number of autographed albums over the years, many from having purchased directly from the artist and having them signed, and some as incredibly lucky finds while shopping secondhand. These are some of the more notable ones.

The Best of LaVern Baker

Bought at Half Price Books in 2021 I bought the disc for the music, casual fan that I am. I paid no attention to the writing scribbled across the front until a day later when I actually took a good look at it, realizing to my surprise that it appeared to be an autograph. After researching and comparing my specimen with examples of her signature found online, it does appear that this one is legit. Continue reading "Autographed albums"

bookmark_borderA guide to avoiding fake oldies compilations (re-recordings, live versions, and fake artists)

Maybe it's happened to you. There's an artist or a song you really like, you come across it on a compilation CD somewhere, excitedly buy the disc, and eagerly pop it into your CD player... only to find that the songs you thought you bought were in fact shadily marketed re-recordings and not the original hits!

Continue reading "A guide to avoiding fake oldies compilations (re-recordings, live versions, and fake artists)"