We decided to put the records left over from our yard sale in a box on Sunday morning, tobe purchased on the honor system. The LP box read, "Records...on the honor system. Take what you want, but replace with item(s) of equal or greater value." Next to it was a box that read, "Box for item(s) of equal or greater value, re: whatever you take out of the record box. Smile...you are on camera! No, really." And we really did have a camera shooting out of the war room as we left for a day of errands.
A partial list of the records:
Fleetwood Mac Tusk (missing one record)
Charlie Pride Greatest Hits
Skeeter Davis Greatest Hits
Patti Smith Horses (sleeve only, defaced with, "I am as confused as you are")
Blue Cheer Vincebus Eruptum
Architecture in Helsinki (Record Store day 12" 2008)
Manfred Mann's Earth Band Glorified Magnified white label promo, cut-out
Crystal Gayle Crystal
Rolling Stones Some Girls
Rolling Stones Hot Rocks
Collette (sleeve only)
We came home to an empty box, full tape of footage and this on our door....
The tape exposed two college-aged individuals as leaving the origami $20 on our door. They were most excited about the Architecture in Helsinki record, purchased by us out of curiosity and as a possible investment opportunity, we couldn't take off our turn table fast enough.
Reviewing the footage was akin to watching a horror movie. This was based on the anticipation in viewing a set frame of reference; not knowing when someone would appear, who they would be and how they would react to our display.
In a twist on Heisenberg's uncertainty principle, we set-up the same boxes and signs with new records a few weeks after this initial experiment, only this time without actual surveillance. We came home to those records seemingly untouched.
