Most recordings you own by a single artist, group, or composer

Fleschler, I’m with you on buying those jazz complete sets on CD. They are a great bargain if you can find those that are well done like on the labels you mentioned. Thanks for mentioning which lablels are good in that regard. That’’s a valuable piece of information. It must have been fun picking through the Tom Null collection of 20,000 albums. You must have found some real gems there. That’s an impressive number of books too, another interest we share. You must have a large library room.

I’m a bit older than you at 68, and have fortunately reached a point in my life where I have most everything I want and need paid for. So after a couple more purchases of tractor implements, I plan to focus my disposable income on acquiring CD’s, books, and maybe a little more artwork. I’ve about 1200 books, so am much closer to catching up with you in that category. Some traveling and maybe learning to play a tenor sax purchased forty years ago also come to mind. Might as well enjoy retirement.

Thanks for sharing how you do your purchasing. I’ve go to find out how to locate sales like the Tom Null one you mentioned. I tried purchasing a large classical collection found at an antique mall locally once. After seeing it, I went back the next day to make an offer at a price my late wife and I discussed and thought was reasonable. The whole collection was gone. Day late and a dollar short I guess.   

Mike

The biggest collections I missed (and couldn’t have stored anyway) were Tom Chandler with 1.5 million, Music Man Murray with 1 million (both collections purchased by the Brasillian collector Zero Freitas ( https://thevinylfactory.com/features/inside-the-worlds-biggest-record-collection-an-interview-with-zero-freitas/) and Michael Lane with 250,000 mint condition classical 78s. I live in the Los Angeles area and have had access to garage sales and collections over the years. I stopped looking for at least a decade and built up my CD collection because they now sound like great analog (especially the Living Presence, Living Stereo and Jazz CDs I’ve purchased). I don’t read books as much as periodicals such as Films of the Golden Age, Chocolatier in Desserts, Moment, Fortune, Westways, Smithsonian, Absolute Sound and Stereophile as well as two daily and one weekly paper. I also still work about 25-30 hours weekly, do the shopping, financials, etc. The LPs worth $50+ in the Tom Null collection were pre-purchased by a local rare record dealer in a package deal although I still found some which he didn’t know about among the 200,000 remaining.  I read that Freitas now has at least 8.5 million records.

Interesting article on Zero Freitas. That's one pile of records. Imagine trying to sort through that many albums. I wonder if he has them catalogued to know what he has.  

Mike

About a toss-up between Van Morrison, Neil Diamond (wife's favorite) Mark Knopfler and Pink Floyd. A mix of everything else from R&B to Irish Folk (Celtic) to Classical. One of my favorite newer artists is Amos Lee...a real story teller....Jim

Qobuz and Primephonic have liberated me from the buying bug.  In particular, I often go to Primephonic simply hear yet another performance of a piece I already have several copies of.  I listen to new artists.  Composers I've never heard of.  Ain't the 21st Century grand...