[asaph]

Judging by the condition of the records shown in the picture, and by the description of the records as "late-70's to mid-80's", a not particularly collectible vinyl era that produced mass amounts of low-grade (thin) vinyl, I would bet these records are not worth much. You would be lucky to find any gems in those crates.

[mkaic]

(author) Most of them are in pretty rough shape, too. Covers disintegrating, warping, dust, etc. A couple are even cracked. That's why my current plan is to hang on to them, catalogue them, maybe give a few away to friends and family as birthday presents — and of course, if the rightful owners are ever found, return them. Selling them just seems like a really big hassle, honestly they'd have to be worth a few bucks apiece for me to consider dealing with all the logistics of it.

[trynewideas]

There's a company called Seamzeazy that sells adhesive sleeve repair patches, but they're fundamentally just creased cardstock with double-sided tape.[1]

Discogs is a decent and easy-enough resource for checking if any of them are notable. There are often etchings in the runout (the inner groove near the label) that you can search for on Discogs to identify specific pressings. You can also sell through Discogs, but it sounds like you're leaning toward keeping them and LA is full of local shops that would buy or take them.

A record clamp can mitigate warping without costing a ton, though it won't work miracles.[2]

There's also always using the long-gone ones as wall art.[3]

1: https://www.yoursoundmatters.com/how-to-fix-split-seams-on-r...

2: https://www.turntablelab.com/products/turntable-lab-record-c... - Turntable Lab is just a solid shop in general for new vinyl and accessories.

3: https://mingoaudio.com/product-detail.html?id=733813497923

[asaph]

I would go so far as to say it isn't worth your time to catalog them. If you can find a 2nd-hand record store that will take them, accept whatever they offer. Otherwise, throw them out. Don't hoard them in your home beyond the point where the novelty of it wears off.

[echelon]

Really cool story. Thank you for sharing it with us!

I'm really glad you got your car back, too. Hope the repair costs aren't a big drain.

[chiph]

If you like any of the covers, you can get album-sized frames for them. Instant art for the house, and makes you look like a Man of Culture.