“The Whole Is Greater Than The Sum Of It’s Parts”
Whether it’s a one of a kind Rolls Royce built for British royalty, a unique jewelry ensemble created by Tiffany and Sons for the wife of a Shah or a home designed by Frank Lloyd Wright…as the saying goes “ The Whole is greater than the sum of it’s parts.” As with the Tiffany ensemble, the gemstones from around the world used for the various pieces are precious as are each of the ensemble’s individual pieces, be they earrings, necklace or broach pin. Yet, all are part of something that, as a whole, becomes a unique treasure. Treasured as well are the craftsmen…the designers, gem cutters and workers of gold and platinum, many who have passed away and all who will never duplicate the masterpiece they created together.
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And so it is with The Time Capsule Collection. Although the individual “gemstones”, the records, carry with them the heartbeat and soul of each artist. The craftsmanship includes that of the producers, engineers, arrangers and guest artists. Still, their passion, their music and stories; are in fact, part of something so much bigger and of so much more value…culturally and historically.
When we first discovered the collection in May of 2001 and “lifted the lid” to peer inside, we were stunned. Feeling perhaps like those treasure hunters who discovered the sunken Spanish galleon the Attocha, we too had a “sense”, an expectation of what lay hidden within. Yet, as the cataloging got underway, so did a remarkable adventure that revealed so much more shrouded beneath those layers of shrink-wrap and time.
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Our first contact with Tim Neely, Book Editor and Research Director of Goldmine Magazine, the world’s foremost marketplace for collectable records, created quite a stir. Then, after he and Associate Editor Cathy Bernardy received our photos, video footage and sampling of pristine un-played records and virgin jukebox title strips, they knew this was a story they had to tell. Featured on Goldmine’s cover and inside with a full page and pictures in their December 2001 issue, the story (which was really only the first part, with the final chapter being published over three years later in Goldmine’s September 2004 issue) was published around the world. Calls, letters and e-mails soon followed with requests to purchase all of a particular artist or group of artists. We had to put everyone on hold. The initial cataloguing by the previous owner, who had taken the collection several years prior as payment of a debt from an old friend in the record business, was rife with errors and omissions. Nonetheless, when combined with our physical inspection of 23 shrink-wrapped pallets of boxes of records, we knew we were standing in the midst of a unique and unprecedented “Time Capsule” of recorded music history itself. Traversing virtually every genre and five decades, the collections remarkable roster of artists (over 3000) and titles (over 4000) reads like the “Who’s Who” of music and entertainment’s legendary artists and recordings and is echoed by MS. Bernardy’s section in her article that asks, “Who isn’t in here?”
Three years and 236,000 records later, what Goldmine called “a snapshot of the era” in 2001 and featured again in 2004, has been revealed as a vast and beautiful tapestry; a tapestry woven from the patterns of life itself. Life reflected in the music of five generations and countless dreams. We, its “temporary” owners, have had the privilege of being stewards of this treasure as we purposed with tender care to measure what was within. We are ready now to “pass the torch”. Our work is done.
As you look at this tapestry, this “Time Capsule” you may see many things beyond the records themselves. Perhaps you see a one of a kind investment that will continue to grow in value. Several of our records doubled in value in just the first 24 months we had them. Perhaps you see the collection as a rich resource for framed collectable music memorabilia with a conservative return on investment of 500% as well as the chance to help your favorite charities with auctioned pieces. Maybe you see an opportunity, because of the multiple sets of titles, to create compilation collections to sell very profitably here or abroad where markets for American vinyl bring nearly twice as much in good condition let alone un-played. In addition to all of these, you may see yourself as the proud owner of the largest private collection of un-played records in the world…one who will add his or her chapter to this story, the story of a truly remarkable collection that cannot be recreated ….
“The Time Capsule Collection”…like no other.