Buxton couple's appeal for help to find treasured collection of vinyl LPs

Care worker Rohan Mellor, 26, and husband Rob were away on a short honeymoon when Rob’s stepmother Alison accidentally packed up the 16 records with items genuinely intended for sale – and they were snapped up by a buyer for £15.50 on Sunday, June 19.

The couple only realised what had happened on the day they returned, when they stopped in to see Alison and Rob’s dad Mike at the car boot and spotted more of their possessions on sale.

Rohan, who is both autistic and epileptic, said: “It did not really hit me properly until the next day and I was really, really upset. I am a massive record fan. These were a special few my dad had given to us.”

Electrician Rob said: “We just bought our first house a couple of months ago, got married, went on honeymoon, I'm in the middle of moving my business and Ro’s been working long overnight shifts and taking a suicide prevention course – so it's a really bad time to have something like this happen.”

The albums are from classic artists including the Rolling Stones, the Beatles, David Bowie, AC/DC, the Clash, Metallica and the Who, and date back to the original pressings in the 1960s through to ‘80s, but they are not thought to have significant resale value.

They do however hold great sentimental importance for Rohan and her family, as they were collected by her father and his brother, and passed on to her when her uncle died.

Rob, who has been been interviewed by national press and radio since the appeal spread on Facebook, said: “The brothers went through some really difficult times, and somehow through it all they had kept those records safe.

“The buyer bought 16 records in total for less than £1 each. He returned later to look through the records again but fortunately left some of the less valuable ones in the pile.”

The following weekend, Rob went back to the car boot sale with Alison in the hope she might be able to spot the buyer. Alison was immediately forgiven for the error but has been just as upset at a time when she is also dealing with ill health and the loss of her own father.

Rob said: “I’m incredibly grateful to Alison for all of that she does for my dad, and for being so brave amid all the press attention. It was an easy mistake to make.

“We all really hoped that this person would’ve come forward by now. They did nothing wrong and we have insisted from the start that we’d pay generously for the records return.

“We both work hard for what we have, these were the most valuable and treasured items that Rohan had and we weren't looking for charity just some goodwill.

“We've kept all the leads we’ve been given to ourselves and not benefited in any way from any of this. Sadly without the buyer’s help it’s almost impossible. It’s a real shame.”

He added: “If there is any hope of getting these precious items back now it probably lies with local dealers and shops. We’re confident we would recognise the records. So if anyone has acquired albums by those artists in the past three weeks and wouldn't mind meeting us and potentially selling them back, we’d love to hear from you.

“We’re genuinely thankful to every person who shared this story, to all of the great people at the car boot sale and those who have offered supportive comments, they really helped Rohan at the time.”

Anyone who might know the identity of the original buyer, or current whereabouts of the records, can contact Rob on 07816985291.