A friend of mine who does record shows in Europe told me that dealers there can never leave their tables even for a short while because of theft. He was amazed that dealers at our shows can visit with each other and leave their tables with little risk. But there is risk anywhere there is something of value left unattended.

I did an out of town show last year and a buddy of mine went with me. He took four 45s he wanted to sell and we put them in my box. They were all local records that were worth about $50 each. One dealer who has been at shows in Birmingham showed some interest. I'll call this dealer Scum. He asked if he could take one of the records back to his table and listen to it. My buddy, who I'll call Phil, said OK. He walked off with what looked like one record to play. At the end of the show, there were two records missing. We checked all the boxes and finally confronted Scum, who said he only took one and brought it back. His word against ours, right? So he got away with $100 worth of records. But that's not the whole story. Scum sometimes travels with another dealer I'll call Dundee. We told Dundee what happened and he said he couldn't vouch for Scum, that Scum lived close to the edge all the time. Dundee said he would keep his eyes open. And when Dundee and Scum got back home, Scum starts shopping these 2 45s aroung town. One of them was in a sleeve with some distinctive writing on it. Scum wasn't even smart enough to switch sleeves. Dundee, being a stand-up, honest dealer got the records back to Phil in a short while and said Scum would not be traveling with him anymore.

Here's my point. All our friendships start with a mutual interest. But real friends need to be able to trust each other. If a record disappears at a meeting, or a show, we have all lost something bigger than a $20 record. There's something pretty pathetic about a grown man stealing a record. I hope everyone will watch out for me and others who bring records to sell. It's a hobby but it's a business too. I keep my son Ross in the University of Alabama with what I make off selling records.