Do you know what your collection is worth?

[mikelz777]

Do you know what your collection is worth? Determining the worth by scouring the internet for the prevailing price for each disc in a collection would be quite the task and not one that I’d want to undertake. Is there some kind of standard that insurance companies would use in determining the replacement value if one were to lose their collection in a fire or something? I’ve looked for other discussions on this board and the little I did find didn’t reveal much.

Just looking at my own collection, I have over 1100 CDs. Even if I were to assign a $10.00 per disc replacement cost (which I think is pretty conservative considering there are box sets and a lot of OOP stuff) we’re looking at at least $11,000.00 in replacement costs! Does anyone have experience with this or know if this is covered under homeowners insurance or know if they place a limit on something like this?

[Hot Ptah]

I think that you would have to get an appraiser to examine the collection and give you a written report, if you seriously wanted to have a reasonable assurance of getting paid off by an insurance company. A complete list of the albums would be needed too.

I knew a record store owner who often offered to come over and examine my collection for that purpose. I was concerned that my Sun Ra's on Saturn Records would grow wings and fly out the door with him.

[Dave James]

The smartest thing you can do is have your insurance guy add a rider to your policy that specifically addresses your collection. I think it's called a schedule or something like that. As to value, at best that's going to be an estimate, but you would be wise to take pictures of the really valuable stuff and keep them someplace other than your primary residence. That way, should should ever have a claim, you'll have what they call in the insurance game, proof of loss.

[BillF]

Do you know what your collection is worth? Determining the worth by scouring the internet for the prevailing price for each disc in a collection would be quite the task and not one that Id want to undertake. Is there some kind of standard that insurance companies would use in determining the replacement value if one were to lose their collection in a fire or something? Ive looked for other discussions on this board and the little I did find didnt reveal much.

Just looking at my own collection, I have over 1100 CDs. Even if I were to assign a $10.00 per disc replacement cost (which I think is pretty conservative considering there are box sets and a lot of OOP stuff) were looking at at least $11,000.00 in replacement costs! Does anyone have experience with this or know if this is covered under homeowners insurance or know if they place a limit on something like this?

Interesting! If everything went up in smoke, at least I have a list of all my CDs (about half of yours), which would help prove their former existence. Fortunately, I've no experience of loss or claims of this sort. As for burglary, who'd want the stuff? Have to be a pretty cool burglar! I once left a bag of about a dozen jazz LPs (Blue Note, Riverside, etc) on a train which traveled a hundred miles to its terminus, where someone handed it in intact. As they say, you couldn't give it away!

Edited April 23, 2010 by BillF

[A Lark Ascending]

Do you know what your collection is worth? Determining the worth by scouring the internet for the prevailing price for each disc in a collection would be quite the task and not one that Id want to undertake. Is there some kind of standard that insurance companies would use in determining the replacement value if one were to lose their collection in a fire or something? Ive looked for other discussions on this board and the little I did find didnt reveal much.

Just looking at my own collection, I have over 1100 CDs. Even if I were to assign a $10.00 per disc replacement cost (which I think is pretty conservative considering there are box sets and a lot of OOP stuff) were looking at at least $11,000.00 in replacement costs! Does anyone have experience with this or know if this is covered under homeowners insurance or know if they place a limit on something like this?

Interesting! If everything went up in smoke, at least I have a list of all my CDs (about half of yours), which would help prove their former existence. Fortunately, I've no experience of loss or claims of this sort. As for burglary, who'd want the stuff? Have to be a pretty cool burglar! I once left a bag of about a dozen jazz LPs (Blue Note, Riverside, etc) on a train which traveled a hundred miles to its terminus, where someone handed it in intact. As they say, you couldn't give it away!

My thoughts too!

I'd be mortified to lose my collection. But I never think of it in monetary value. It's never been a financial investment (just as well as I tend to dump unnecessary packaging and rely mainly on dl these days).

Edited April 23, 2010 by Bev Stapleton

[David Ayers]

Why not call your insurer and ask them how they would prefer it done? In truth you would be insuring against fire and flood etc at which point you are talking ballpark, right?

[AndrewHill]

Do you know what your collection is worth? Determining the worth by scouring the internet for the prevailing price for each disc in a collection would be quite the task and not one that I’d want to undertake. Is there some kind of standard that insurance companies would use in determining the replacement value if one were to lose their collection in a fire or something? I’ve looked for other discussions on this board and the little I did find didn’t reveal much.

Just looking at my own collection, I have over 1100 CDs. Even if I were to assign a $10.00 per disc replacement cost (which I think is pretty conservative considering there are box sets and a lot of OOP stuff) we’re looking at at least $11,000.00 in replacement costs! Does anyone have experience with this or know if this is covered under homeowners insurance or know if they place a limit on something like this?

Interesting! If everything went up in smoke, at least I have a list of all my CDs (about half of yours), which would help prove their former existence. Fortunately, I've no experience of loss or claims of this sort. As for burglary, who'd want the stuff? Have to be a pretty cool burglar! I once left a bag of about a dozen jazz LPs (Blue Note, Riverside, etc) on a train which traveled a hundred miles to its terminus, where someone handed it in intact. As they say, you couldn't give it away!

My thoughts too!

I'd be mortified to lose my collection. But I never think of it in monetary value. It's never been a financial investment (just as well as I tend to dump unnecessary packaging and rely mainly on dl these days).

Funny story Bill.

I'd be mortified if I lost my collection too, but if something happened to it (I do have pictures of my collection) I'd wonder what an appraiser for the insurance company would value it at? I mean, are they really going to give me $150 for the Complete Freddie Hubbard/Woody Shaw set I own, just because that's what someone is asking for it on Amazon? Would they just give me the list price back? Or would they give me what I paid for it ($6 used)? I guess these would be the questions I'd be asking the insurance company.

[relyles]

Do you know what your collection is worth? Determining the worth by scouring the internet for the prevailing price for each disc in a collection would be quite the task and not one that Id want to undertake. Is there some kind of standard that insurance companies would use in determining the replacement value if one were to lose their collection in a fire or something? Ive looked for other discussions on this board and the little I did find didnt reveal much.

Just looking at my own collection, I have over 1100 CDs. Even if I were to assign a $10.00 per disc replacement cost (which I think is pretty conservative considering there are box sets and a lot of OOP stuff) were looking at at least $11,000.00 in replacement costs! Does anyone have experience with this or know if this is covered under homeowners insurance or know if they place a limit on something like this?

Interesting! If everything went up in smoke, at least I have a list of all my CDs (about half of yours), which would help prove their former existence. Fortunately, I've no experience of loss or claims of this sort. As for burglary, who'd want the stuff? Have to be a pretty cool burglar! I once left a bag of about a dozen jazz LPs (Blue Note, Riverside, etc) on a train which traveled a hundred miles to its terminus, where someone handed it in intact. As they say, you couldn't give it away!

Don't be too surprised. Years ago when I was gradually moving in with my girlfriend (now wife), our apartment was burglarized. The only things stolen were my NAD integrated amplifier, a CD player and about 100 of my CDs (somehow the two TVs and other electronics and all of my wife's jewelry were untouched). Luckily, I had not yet formally moved in and the vast majority of my collection was still at my former apartment. I doubt the person (I had my suspicions regarding a possible cuplrit) had even the slightest interest in the music and instead was just looking for something to grab quick and possibly sell some place else.

I have also had the misfortune of having a significant number of CD booklets and LP covers damaged in a flood that occurred shortly after we moved in to our current home. Now that hurts to this day every time I look at all the CDs and LPs on spindles and in sleeves that I had to toss the covers for because of water damage. The flood was nearly five years ago and I still have not had the strength to go into one or two boxes of CDs that were also damaged - booklets still stuck to discs.

Edited April 23, 2010 by relyles

[Ken Dryden]

It depends. Replacement cost policies are available, otherwise you're going to have it deprecitated from the acquisition cost for each item. I doubt many of us have the price we paid for every album and CD (my collection began almost 37 years ago), while replacing out of print Mosaics and the like would get interesting.

I have such coverage, but I've never had to test it for my music.

[The Magnificent Goldberg]

I asked an insurer about my collection about fifteen years ago. Without a detailed list but a ball park value that I kind of made up, a specific rider to a regular home and contents policy was so shocking that I decided not to go into it. Insurance is a bet. You can alter the percentages in your favour by the way you behave and maybe obviate the need for a policy.

But it's another good reason to copy everything onto hard drives (and keep a backup in someone else's house). We want the music, not the money and, if it comes to the crunch, not even the RVG DG Monos, don't we?

MG

[Son-of-a-Weizen]

I think that you would have to get an appraiser to examine the collection and give you a written report, if you seriously wanted to have a reasonable assurance of getting paid off by an insurance company. A complete list of the albums would be needed too.

I asked State Farm about this two weeks ago. They said that the best way to avoid getting the $7.98 Amazon list price for your OOP Return to Forever 'Romantic Warrior' JPN SACD, is to snap digital photos out the wazoo and a have a pic of each item w/catalogue number stashed away in a safe location (office, safe deposit box, etc).

[Big Wheel]

Do you know what your collection is worth? Determining the worth by scouring the internet for the prevailing price for each disc in a collection would be quite the task and not one that I’d want to undertake. Is there some kind of standard that insurance companies would use in determining the replacement value if one were to lose their collection in a fire or something? I’ve looked for other discussions on this board and the little I did find didn’t reveal much.

Just looking at my own collection, I have over 1100 CDs. Even if I were to assign a $10.00 per disc replacement cost (which I think is pretty conservative considering there are box sets and a lot of OOP stuff) we’re looking at at least $11,000.00 in replacement costs! Does anyone have experience with this or know if this is covered under homeowners insurance or know if they place a limit on something like this?

Interesting! If everything went up in smoke, at least I have a list of all my CDs (about half of yours), which would help prove their former existence. Fortunately, I've no experience of loss or claims of this sort. As for burglary, who'd want the stuff? Have to be a pretty cool burglar! I once left a bag of about a dozen jazz LPs (Blue Note, Riverside, etc) on a train which traveled a hundred miles to its terminus, where someone handed it in intact. As they say, you couldn't give it away!

Don't be too surprised. Years ago when I was gradually moving in with my girlfriend (now wife), our apartment was burglarized. The only things stolen were my NAD integrated amplifier, a CD player and about 100 of my CDs (somehow the two TVs and other electronics and all of my wife's jewelry were untouched). Luckily, I had not yet formally moved in and the vast majority of my collection was still at my former apartment. I doubt the person (I had my suspicions regarding a possible cuplrit) had even the slightest interest in the music and instead was just looking for something to grab quick and possibly sell some place else.

I have also had the misfortune of having a significant number of CD booklets and LP covers damaged in a flood that occurred shortly after we moved in to our current home. Now that hurts to this day every time I look at all the CDs and LPs on spindles and in sleeves that I had to toss the covers for because of water damage. The flood was nearly five years ago and I still have not had the strength to go into one or two boxes of CDs that were also damaged - booklets still stuck to discs.

Give it a shot if you can. I bought a copy of Miles in Berlin from J&R 5 years ago and got caught in a downpour that soaked it and did the same thing. Tons of wet paper stuck to the disc. Last year I looked forlornly at it sitting there on the shelf, and said "what the hell, it barely cost anything and it probably won't screw up my computer, let's give it a shot." It ripped flawlessly to my hard drive.

[relyles]

Do you know what your collection is worth? Determining the worth by scouring the internet for the prevailing price for each disc in a collection would be quite the task and not one that I’d want to undertake. Is there some kind of standard that insurance companies would use in determining the replacement value if one were to lose their collection in a fire or something? I’ve looked for other discussions on this board and the little I did find didn’t reveal much.

Just looking at my own collection, I have over 1100 CDs. Even if I were to assign a $10.00 per disc replacement cost (which I think is pretty conservative considering there are box sets and a lot of OOP stuff) we’re looking at at least $11,000.00 in replacement costs! Does anyone have experience with this or know if this is covered under homeowners insurance or know if they place a limit on something like this?

Interesting! If everything went up in smoke, at least I have a list of all my CDs (about half of yours), which would help prove their former existence. Fortunately, I've no experience of loss or claims of this sort. As for burglary, who'd want the stuff? Have to be a pretty cool burglar! I once left a bag of about a dozen jazz LPs (Blue Note, Riverside, etc) on a train which traveled a hundred miles to its terminus, where someone handed it in intact. As they say, you couldn't give it away!

Don't be too surprised. Years ago when I was gradually moving in with my girlfriend (now wife), our apartment was burglarized. The only things stolen were my NAD integrated amplifier, a CD player and about 100 of my CDs (somehow the two TVs and other electronics and all of my wife's jewelry were untouched). Luckily, I had not yet formally moved in and the vast majority of my collection was still at my former apartment. I doubt the person (I had my suspicions regarding a possible cuplrit) had even the slightest interest in the music and instead was just looking for something to grab quick and possibly sell some place else.

I have also had the misfortune of having a significant number of CD booklets and LP covers damaged in a flood that occurred shortly after we moved in to our current home. Now that hurts to this day every time I look at all the CDs and LPs on spindles and in sleeves that I had to toss the covers for because of water damage. The flood was nearly five years ago and I still have not had the strength to go into one or two boxes of CDs that were also damaged - booklets still stuck to discs.

Give it a shot if you can. I bought a copy of Miles in Berlin from J&R 5 years ago and got caught in a downpour that soaked it and did the same thing. Tons of wet paper stuck to the disc. Last year I looked forlornly at it sitting there on the shelf, and said "what the hell, it barely cost anything and it probably won't screw up my computer, let's give it a shot." It ripped flawlessly to my hard drive.

I have no problems playing them once I clean them off. It is just the "collectibility" of the CD is eliminated when you do not have the cover art.

[jeffcrom]

Do you know what your collection is worth?

Just looking at my own collection, I have over 1100 CDs.

Jeez - I don't even know how many CDs and LPs (let alone 45s and 78s) that I have. I've been scared to count for years. Maybe I'll do that this weekend.

[B. Goren.]

My collection is priceless.

[king ubu]

Do you know what your collection is worth?

Just looking at my own collection, I have over 1100 CDs.

Jeez - I don't even know how many CDs and LPs (let alone 45s and 78s) that I have. I've been scared to count for years. Maybe I'll do that this weekend.

I'm in the same boat there... I guess the CDs would be around 6000 or so, just a very rough guess... might be 5000, might be 7000. Add to that about 250 LPs or so. No clue what it would be worth, and no idea how to insure it here, but I don't have much trust in insurances anyway.

[AllenLowe]

well, I have some idea what it's worth - but I'm not sure, guys, that a public forum visible to the entire world (including the occupants of San Quentin) is the best place to post a figure.

Edited April 24, 2010 by AllenLowe

[sidewinder]

well, I have some idea what it's worth - but I'm not sure, guys, that a public forum visible to the entire world (including the occupants of San Quentin) is the best place to post a figure.

Indeed !

[mikelz777]

I guess it would be more accurate for me to say that I have over 1100 titles which would translate to many more actual discs. I can't say I purchased any discs for their collectability, it's always been for the music but many become collectables as they go OOP. In that sense, some of these discs are appreciating assets while others probably never will be. If I had to replace my whole collection I'd have a heck of a time finding some titles and if I ever did, they certainly wouldn't come cheap. Of my jazz titles, I'd probably want to replace at least 90% of them. I guess I'd like to know that if some household tragedy ever happened that I'd be getting close to the collections value rather than just a couple of thousand dollars. I guess I'd better check with the insurance guy.

Edited April 24, 2010 by mikelz777

[Guest Hoistin' Henry]

I spent some time with the jazz aficionado Chris Albertson when I was commencing my research on blues genius Henry Benson. Mr. Albertson told me that he once left his apartment in the hands of a "cat sitter" friend who, unbeknown to him, was chemically dependent. Upon his return he found that the "cat sitter" had virtually cleaned him out. He even took the CDs out of their Mosaic Boxes and fenced them. He would be the man to ask if anyone knows how to contact him. If he got nothing then that would be the answer to your queries.

HOOOO......raaahhh!

HENRY BENSON LIVES!!

[jeffcrom]

I spent some time with the jazz aficionado Chris Albertson when I was commencing my research on blues genius Henry Benson.

You know, Henry, I kind of thought that you might know Chris....