Hi, folks!

I'm an avid collector of vintage electronics and media. There are very few items in my household newer than, say, 1995. I have close to 30 vintage Casio synthesizers, including rare professional models as well as consumer Casiotone keyboards. I also collect Technics linear tracking turntables and New Class A amplifiers, rotary telephones, vinyl records, assorted analog studio and hi-fi gear, and of course LaserDiscs.

I found my barely-used CLD-D502 at a garage sale for $5 about three years ago. The seller threw in a couple of movies with it. He apparently didn't get into LaserDisc much, presumably due to the high costs involved. Anyway, I never used the machine beyond checking to see if it worked until a couple of months ago. Then I bought Unforgiven at a local record store. I went in there looking for an album, which they didn't have, and bought the movie so it wouldn't be a wasted trip. That set had some bad scratches on side 3, and I've since replaced it. But it got me hooked on LaserDisc!

In the past two months, I've been finding incredible bargains on Ebay, and have quickly built a collection of around 80 movies. It turns out that LaserDiscs are among the few items you can get on Ebay in flawless condition for a very low price. If you ask me, it's an even better deal than used vinyl. Most of the movies I've bought cost around $5 each. Used discs tend to be very well kept, and sellers tend to grade them conservatively. Most of the "very good" discs I've bought have in fact been "excellent" to "near mint." The most I've paid for a movie so far was $50 for The Big Lebowski. Even rare discs like The Cure in Orange and The Craft can be had for $30 or less if you exercise a little patience.

I'll eventually get around to listing my collection on LDDB. I mainly joined to report laser rot on a couple of titles that weren't listed in the rot database.

Regards,
Jim

Hi Jim,

Glad to have you on board with us! It's good to welcome another guy who loves retro stuff to our global community. You're right, there are a lot of great titles that can be had for very little money. In fact, I want to someday add The Big Lebowski to my own collection. A friend recommended that film to me rather highly, and I have made a note to self to try and acquire it at some point in the future. To be very honest, the only reason I don't already have it is that I have so far been unwilling to give what you gave for it. I have noticed that it does seem to be a fairly pricey title, I think in large part to it's having been a later release. I just haven't broken down and paid that much for it yet, because I don't truly believe it is that rare. However, you may rest assured that I will own a copy of it someday. It's just a matter of spotting a copy at a lower price, or finding one at a time when there is nothing else rarer or more desirable to tempt me. In fact, I have just found a copy of what many here refer to as my "holy grail". This was the number one title on my wishlist, an extremely rare disc that I have been chasing for about 8 years. When I say that it was number one on my wishlist, I should say on my informal wishlist. You see, I couldn't add it to my formal wishlist here, because it is a title not yet in the database. I don't have it yet, but it should be on its' way very soon. Once I have it, I will be submitting information about it, and pending Julien's validation, it will become an official part of the database. That's all I'm going to say about it for now. Just think horror and ULTRA RARE, and you'll be in the right ballpark. That's a big part of the fun about collecting these things, the thrill of the hunt! Yes, it's a fascinating hobby, to be sure, and one that you can spend a great deal of time and money on pursuing. Be very careful, or you may wake up a few years from now and find yourself with a collection something like mine! Don't say you weren't warned! In all seriousness, welcome to LDDb and The Forum! You'll find a wealth of information here, and a lot of friendly like-minded people who will be happy to share it with you. You are definitely among friends in this place!

Best Regards,
David

David, I think you're wise to refrain from discussing your "holy grail" until after you acquire it. There's a film I want to get on LaserDisc that I don't want to mention for fear of driving up the price.

Unfortunately, you may have little choice but to pay a premium for The Big Lebowski. From what I understand, only 1,000 copies were pressed, so the price will probably keep going up. I balked at paying $50 for it myself, but I figured I'd better get it before it became even scarcer.