Discover Unique Vinyl Record Gifts at Your Local Secondhand Store This Holiday Season

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By: Michael Drukarsh - If you are a child of the 70s then you were a teen of the 80s... and chances are, if you are here checking out this site, you were - and perhaps still are - a metal head. And, if you were a teen metal head of the 80s then chances are you owned these four influential albums; British Steel (1980), Blizzard of Ozz (1980), Number of the Beast (1982), Kill 'Em All (1983). And, if you were a teen in the 80s, then you were a young adult in the 90s, and chances are you replaced these influential albums with CDs along with the rest of your vinyl collection that you most likely traded in to get the cash to buy this new music medium.

Which brings us to today… For most, the convenience, and the sound quality of a CD pretty much negated the need for large heavy vinyl collections. By the time the .mp3 format arrived on the scene, followed closely by streaming services, the need for physical copies vanished. However, there is no doubt that vinyl has made a huge resurgence and for some it never truly went away.

When I started to notice that the albums I cherished in the 80s were being reissued for their major milestone anniversaries like 40 or even 45 years, I was intrigued and started checking out the local record stores once more. It wasn’t long before I was buying back my childhood, and upgrading my sound system from my parents’ 1950s stereo cabinet to a new turntable and speakers.

Between rereleases, reissues, new and limited edition vinyl, it is pretty easy to find just about any band and album you can think of. It’s great to have so much physical music once again at your fingertips, but it can be pretty humdrum knowing you can find what you want flipping through the neatly alphabetized bins of your local record store.

That is why I have become a vinyl hunter. While I do frequent my LRS for new vinyl, I find the thrill of the hunt when rummaging through unorganized bins at local pawn shops or thrift stores. It is here that you can stumble across some pretty unique finds that may not have been on your radar but capture your attention and end up in your collection.

I think it is very important to support local businesses and I am lucky to have three independent record stores in my neighbourhood. But even with their extensive stock, I doubt I would have been able to find such treasures as a copy of The Partridge Family Shopping Bag complete with the original shopping bag insert. Another great find at the local hock shop was a Scorpions haul of three titles, Virgin Killer (not the original cover), Lonesome Crow, and Blackout along with Black Sabbath’s Master of Reality with the textured front cover, all for $15. At the same store I stumbled across a first US pressing of David Bowie’s Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust while looking for some camera gear for school. Unfortunately there was no poster or inner sleeve, but still, for ten bucks, it’s quite the find.

With everything getting more expensive and the holidays fast approaching, take a stroll through your local secondhand store if you are looking for a unique vinyl gift for that record collector in your life. It truly is luck of the draw... you never know what you’ll find. Beware of condition though, even for two bucks, a scratched record is no fun to listen to. Also, make sure the record inside matches the cover outside. And finally, don’t be afraid to buy it just because of the cover. Record album covers are works of art in themselves and while the vinyl may not be in good condition, some of those vintage album covers make for fantastically fun gifts, especially when thrown into a frame.

Happy Holidays from all of us here at LoudTO! Let’s make 2026 even LOUDER!

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