How many LP's do you own? How long did it take?

I have about 5000, I started in the late 60's. I started buying used in the middle 1980's as large numbers of people began dumping their record collections at that time. Once I got my hands on a VPI 16.5, which I still have, my search for used really took off. I had days where I'd find 100+ at a time.

The supply of used records today, at least what I collect, is only a fraction of what it was in the late 1980's. As time went by my efforts began to pay off less and less. Perhaps many of the record collectors from the 1950's and 1960's, the music I focused on, had either passed on or had unloaded their collections as by the late 1990's the search was no longer worth my time.

Today I'll buy some reissues and an occasional title on Ebay. Some of the collectable records that were very expensive in 1990 have dropped in value and are much more affordable.

Like Lewn i have approx. 2000 LP's and that is way too many. Indeed, only a selected 10% (or fewer) get play time. I still buy audiophile LP's here and there but nothing more. I don't do yard sale or estate sale so that i can cram 8000 LP's in my basement that i will never play. I refuse to be a record hoarder. All my 2000 LP's have been played at least once although many have not played in over 30 years. Bought my 1st LP in 1978. It was Deep Purple Made in Japan. What an album. I got into Jazz 15 years ago and this is what i listen to now. I have about 700 Jazz LP's. Also have some Hirez download on my Mac but that is very small in comparison to my LP collection.

For those who knew Jeff Healy (RIP), he was a Jazz fanatic and had amassed a collection of 28,000 78 rpm Jazz album from the 20's to the 40's in just over 20 years. He was an avid trumpet player as well.

I find it interesting nearly everyone has 100's or 1000's of lps they dont listen to at all. If you dont listen to them, why have them? Would you sell or donate the ones not listened to? If not, does it make you a "collector?"

How do you guys with 6,000-18,000 LPs store them? Alphabetically on shelving, prefab racks, crates or boxes? I have about 2,000 and currently am having custom shelving built to hopefully 2,000-3,000.

"If you dont listen to them, why have them?" I keep mine because having them affords me the possibility of listening to them "some day". And it very often does happen that I go delving in to shelves that have not been disturbed in quite a while in order to hear something different from my usual fair. I am my own music server.