"I want to retire. I'm legally blind and I had a cple strokes four years ago. My vision is really getting to be a problem. And the record industry....

North Hills treasure trove of music goes up for sale on eBay

It started with a 1951 Frankie Laine single called "Jezebel." From there, Paul Mawhinney's obsession grew into the 3 million records that now fill the Record Rama archives.

When the clock strikes 6 p.m. tomorrow, it may be out of his hands and on the way out of Pittsburgh.

Mr. Mawhinney has put what he calls "The World's Greatest Music Collection" -- bigger than the one at the Library of Congress -- up for auction on eBay. He is selling the collection, housed in his store below a strip mall in Ross, as one unit with a starting bid of $3 million.

Mr. Mawhinney estimates the value at $50 million and said that CD Now nearly bought it for $28.5 million earlier in the decade, just before stock in the online Web site plummeted. He added that over the years, the Library of Congress and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Museum have both expressed interest in the collection.

But, between the digital revolution and the shrinking population of oldies collectors, the retail record industry is dying fast and a lot of the old-timers just want out.

Mr. Mawhinney, 68, said he's more determined than ever now to sell....