Going Once, Going Twice... Sold!
The BBC is auctioning thousands of rare vinyl records (including Beatles, Bowie, Pink Floyd, and more), as well as vintage radio equipment and funky memorabilia from its archives... place your bets!
Every now and then, every household will embark on some kind of spring cleaning enterprise with varying degrees of enthusiasm and success.
In my household, spring cleaning happens erratically, if at all. We make a point, throughout the year, of not hoarding stuff we don’t want or need.
So, when the time comes, it’s a relatively quick task: throwing these bits away, rearranging those, and putting these other ones in storage. No pomp and circumstance—the business gets dealt with as quickly and efficiently as possible, so we can focus on other (more exciting) things to do.
If you are the British Broadcasting Corporation, though, and you’ve been hoarding vinyl for decades, you can’t simply get it over and done with in 20 minutes.
You see, for all this uncanny ability of Brits to not make a fuss, when you are an emblematic institution, not only are you expected to make a fuss: it needs to be entertaining. That’s when an equally uncanny ability takes over, and you elevate the fuss into a proper ceremony.
When the BBC decided to slim down its archive of rare vinyl records and radio memorabilia, no one would have forgiven them if they had, you know, played it cool.
So what did they do? They called Omega, specialists in vinyl auctions, to sort things out.
Hat tip to my uncle Alejandro from whom I heard this news first.
What’s being auctioned?
The auction is being touted as a treasure trove for record collectors and BBC fans alike.
On the vinyl side of things, a wide array of rock, blues, jazz, classical, folk, R&B, punk, and indie records, predominantly from the 60s and 70s.
Highlights include pressings of Please Please Me, as well as Pink Floyd’s first two (Columbia) LPs.
Soul and blues fans can get their hands on some William Bell, Albert King and Jean Knight records, among others.
The auction also includes vintage audio equipment, plaques, signs and other radio memorabilia.
The small print
When?
The auction is officially on 30 January, but online bidding has already started.
How to bid
You will need to register and provide payment card details for security reasons.
Can I bid from outside the UK?
Apparently, yes. You can find out more here.
So now you know, folks: if you’re going to do some spring cleaning, follow the BBC’s example and do it in style.
And if you get your hands on one of these records, let us know in the comments!
That’s all for today. Thanks for reading/listening. Happy spinning… and bidding!
My brain:
Don't look at what's available.
Don't look at what's available.
Don't look at what's available.
Dude, seriously; Don't look at what's available.
Also me:
Spending a good two hours looking at what's available.
Very cool!! This is the last thing I need to be doing as I promised myself I wouldn’t start building a vinyl collection until my wife and I relocate to the UK in the next few years. But it’s actually the first thing I will be doing once I finish breakfast!! Even if I don’t bid it’ll be exciting to see what they have available.