It runs this year on Sunday, November 25. Among her 70-plus traders offering a big range of vintage including mid-century furniture, silver and stage lighting – and some antiques – is Rudi Staffieri.
A lifelong collector of vinyl, Staffieri, or Bearded Jukebox as he is known, has been dealing in records at the monthly Bath V&A Market since its launch in 2012.
He started collecting records when he was at school, and now also runs his own record fair at the Colston Hall in Bristol, the largest record and CD fair in south-west England.
“Record fairs tend to attract serious vinyl collectors who will spend thousands of pounds on just one album and will seek out original or rare pressings – even well-known albums which have been reissued many times and the music readily available on different formats,” said Staffieri.
Beatles beat the rest
He added that The Beatles remain the biggest-selling artists, closely followed by the Rolling Stones, Pink Floyd and David Bowie, but “we are seeing renewed interest in and an increase in prices for Queen as a result of the recently released film”.
Staffieri has built up “a loyal following at the market”. Prices for his “carefully curated stock” range from £5 to £75 but 75% is priced below £20 and includes music from every genre, from reggae and hip hop to blues and classic rock.
“So there is plenty on offer from mainstream artists such as the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, Pink Floyd, Queen and Led Zeppelin to more unusual artists such as Fuchsia and Spyro Gyra and more recent artists like Dr Dre and Pharrell Williams,” Staffieri added. “Nothing takes you back to a certain place or time like a great piece of music.”
