EXCLUSIVE: Should Taylor Swift’s Limited Vinyl Collection Be? ‘Dirty Luck’ Matt Paxton Explains

Discovery channel star Matt PaxtonA well-developed ability to recognize wealth from trash has helped many families to invest while ridding dirty houses of “Dirty Luck.”

Now, the junk removal expert continues to write about how limited edition vinyl collections, like these Taylor Swift which sell, are rare enough to be kept.

The 50-year-old cleaner has amassed decades of decluttering experience as the owner of the household cleaning company Clutter Cleaner and during her long stint on the A&E show “Hoarders.”

Now on “Filthy Fortunes,” Paxton’s array of assets has sold more than $1 million in jobs he and his team take on during the series’ second season, which began in Feb. 15.

Speaking to Realtor.com® about some of this season’s “crazy finds,” Paxton rattles off surprising items like “self-supporting Nike Mag shoes” from “Back to the Future 2” and a $10,000 “signature Gold Rush 1860s” pair of Levi’s jeans, along with a 1-box vintage, 20-piece pair of jeans.

An Atlanta-based junk removal expert was even able to put a price on the “bat poop” he found piled up in a barn that brought in a willing buyer.

“It turns out he’s a really good fertilizer,” he explained.

However, Paxton is quick to point out that what is often most surprising is that the things that are taken for granted are, unfortunately, insignificant.

One of the most common items that clients think will fetch top dollar are vinyl records, although Paxton emphasizes that not all albums are the best on the resale market.

“People think their vinyl is worth a ton of money—if it’s in mint condition, it is, and if it’s rare, it is,” he says.

Paxton tells Realtor.com that he believes Taylor Swift is a “brilliant” example of an artist who creates real value in rare album drops.

With her latest album, “The Life of a Showgirl,” Swift has released more than 30 versions across all genres of vinyl, CD, cassette, and digital.

However, unlike artists from previous decades who tried to capitalize on rare releases that weren’t limited by size, Paxton says Swift’s approach can benefit fans.

“Taylor Swift did it very well,” he said. “You are actually fighting the issue that we saw, in the 1980s and 90s, they were printing one copy of 20,000 and it said ‘limited edition’ and it wasn’t.

“The Beatles’ ‘White Album’ is a good example,” he points out. “I think there are 80 different copies, different downloads. There’s only one that’s worth $1 million, but the other 88 versions aren’t.”

Paxton cautions that having a certified rare album doesn’t always mean a big payday. He adds that the value of vinyl depends largely on how well it has been maintained over the years.

“Attitude is everything,” asserts Paxton. “If it’s not in a temperature-controlled environment, like, if it was in Tahoe, that’s fine, because it probably never gets above 65. [degrees]so you are right.

“But if you save that collection in Palm Springs, it probably melts. A lot of times, people will think it costs a lot of money but it’s not because the condition isn’t there or it’s not one drop.”

While Paxton cautions that picking up all the limited edition vinyl records will result in a loss of money, he still encourages taking the time to investigate.

“You just can’t imagine being with him all the time [because] the truth is you probably don’t, but what we found out from this show is, you can, so you should check it out,” said Paxton. “Why not check it out? But don’t go out and buy a new car and don’t think about your next vacation until you’ve actually checked it out.”

Thankfully, technology has made authentication and authentication easier than ever. Paxton shares many of the research tools he personally uses in his book, “Save Memories, Lose Things,” but admits that “AI has made it really easy” to research potentially high-value items online.

“You can look at things on Google Lens, you can look at eBay … you have to look at Everything But The House, see if it sells and that will inform you,” he said.

When more help is needed to determine the value of an item, Paxton explains how he does it by recommending a certified professional.

“When I need an expert, I go to an organization called the National Association of Seniors [& Specialty] Move Managers,” he says, “There are approximately 800 of us nationwide who do this. Anyone under NASMM has to go through the ethical standards that our entire industry does and a lot of times, we’re partners, so to me, if they’re NASMM accredited, they’re good.”

Researching, listing, and negotiating a sale is tedious work, so Paxton suggests setting a price on time to avoid overwork.

“You have to value your time,” he instructs. “I value my time at $25 an hour. I would encourage everybody to do that … so if you have a promise that somebody will come and pick up all this stuff now, for one price, they’ll pull it, they’ll do it, that’s probably better than spending another 20 hours.”

“Make sure you don’t spend 20 hours making $100 because in reality, you’ve lost $400,” he adds.

Another gap that Paxton personally avoids is holding on to possessions after the emotional value has diminished. He admits that after years of keeping them, he recently threw out his children’s paintings.

“I have seven children so I have a lot of art that I wasn’t ready to finish when they were in primary school, [but] since they are all in high school and middle school, we found out that we don’t need art,” he said.

Paxton came to the same conclusion about the property he inherited from his father and grandfather, who died within a year of each other and their cluttered homes were the first to be cleaned by Paxton before turning this into a career.

“I ended up getting rid of a lot of my father’s and grandfather’s tools,” he explained. “The truth is that I build businesses, not houses, I had to accept 50 people who don’t even know what these tools are.

“It was my grandfather’s, it was my father’s, I don’t need it, I ended up selling it or donating it to people who need it.”

Letting go of those special items after decades of holding on to them was a journey Paxton had to make, and her experience serves as an important lesson for anyone who values ​​the emotional value over the resale value of so-called clutter.

“Sometimes you’re just not ready, so if it’s hard to let go, give it a pass, don’t worry about it,” Paxton advised.

“What I have found is that you will know when the time comes, I promise you, it doesn’t matter what stage of life you are in [in] if you’re not ready, your body will tell you when it’s time to take it out.”

“Filthy Fortunes” airs Sundays at 10 p.m. on the Discovery Channel.