A MiniDisc-atastrophe: Misread or Misled?
Surprise! It’s a MiniDisc Mystery Box (Just Not the One I Expected)
It was supposed to be the MiniDisc haul of dreams… but did I just get played?
I started out with a casual browse on eBay—just looking, not buying (or so I told myself). But then I spotted it: a 'job lot' of MiniDiscs going for a great rate.
The listing felt a bit vague, but the title and photos suggested I was about to score 74 discs—a mix of albums and blanks, a (damaged) plastic case—but overall, it seemed to be a proper treasure trove for £37...
So, naturally, I hit 'buy now' without hesitation.
Fast forward to delivery day, and I ripped open the rather light package only to find... 20 MiniDiscs. Twenty. Not 74. Not even close. Cue a mix of confusion, frustration, and a strong desire to message the seller with some choice words.
But after calming down and re-reading the listing, and closer inspection of the photographs, I had to admit—this one’s on me. Damn it.
Luckily, after my initial disappointment, I realised I hadn't totally lost out. At just over £2 per disc, there were some gems in the mix. And the blanks? Well, that’s where the real fun begins—because who knows what hidden recordings might be on them?
The MiniDisc Haul: What’s Inside?
Among the 20 discs, a few stood out immediately:
🎵 Green Day
🎵 The Beatles
🎵 Nirvana
🎵 Matchbox 20
🎵 Jimi Hendrix
🎵 Pink Floyd
…And a whole bunch of unlabeled blanks—aka mystery discs.
That’s the magic of MiniDiscs. Unlike cassettes or CDs, they’re endlessly reusable*, which means these blanks could have anything on them. Are they mixtapes? Live bootlegs? Someone’s old radio recordings? The only way to find out is to press play…
Your Turn: What Would You Play First?
So, here’s my question to you, fellow retro tech nerds: If this was your MD haul, what would you reach for first? Would you go straight for a classic like The Beatles, or would you roll the dice on a mystery disc? And if you’ve ever bought a job lot of MiniDiscs (or anything vintage tech-related), did you get lucky—or did you end up just as baffled as I was?
Drop your guesses below—what do you think is hiding on these blank MiniDiscs? Let’s have some fun with this one.
Stream this week’s MiniDisc mix on Mixcloud. It’s a turn of the century comp. If you’re a lover of MiniDiscs too, then you might enjoy this Totally Content MD Blog Post for some MD posts and the TC shop has one or two too.
*Sony claims a blank MD can handle up to 1 million recordings!