…But bids there were. The auction process was fast and furious. With hundreds of items to get through the auctioneer didn’t waste time before moving on. Some of the early items - mainly framed CDs of unfamiliar Quebecois artists - didn’t even sell (not even for $5) but once the gold and platinum records came up for auction things started to heat up a bit.
The first gold record to come up for bids was Steely Dan. It set the bar at $300. Only two others topped this price including Neil Diamond ($350) and U2 ($475). Lionel Richie was had for $175, I-Trooper fpr $150, and Supertramp for $200. Platinum records faired a little better. Bryan Adams went for $300. Styx (!!!) for $450 and a Tears for Fears quadruple-platinum set for $425. Melissa Ethridge ($175), Olivia Newton-John ($250) and Conway Twitty ($85) weren’t as popular.
ed - Sam the Record Man was a Canadian record store chain that, at one time, was the Canada’s largest music recording retailer, with 130 stores. The Internet age, and other factors, forced the chain into bankruptcy on October 30, 2001. It now exists as a two-store chain, with stores in Sarnia and Belleville. Thanks to Scott Catton for the photo - this was displayed in Sam’s store on Yonge St in Toronto.