When Record Rama owner Paul Mawhinney put his 3 million LPs, 45s, CDs, cassettes and 8-tracks on eBay, he was hoping he'd get a buyer willing to pay $50 million for his sound archive.

Instead, the winning bid from a collector in Ireland came in at $3,002,150, roughly $1 for every product in the Ross-based store. The deal also includes the sale of a vinyl cleaning system, six publishing companies and eight indie record imprints. The bid fell far short of a $28 million offer he turned down just a few years ago.

However, what was thought to be the second-highest bid in eBay history turned out to be a fraud, an apparent case of identity theft. The setback should only be temporary, as the entire collection will now be re-listed for an auction with screened bidders.

Mr. Mawhinney, 68, has been a fixture on the retail music scene for decades. His decision to sell his store and retire will affect local collectors who often turned to Record Rama to fill holes in their collections.

With the passing of Record Rama, Pittsburgh is bereft of one of the few stores in the region where it is still possible to buy vinyl records. Fortunately, Paul's CDs in Bloomfield, Stedeford's on the North Side and Jerry's Records in Squirrel Hill are still open for business.

But the mighty Record Rama will no longer be part of the Saturday circuit of aficionados in search of rarities and vinyl editions. When the store closes its doors permanently, the Pittsburgh music scene will be poorer for it -- but Paul Mawhinney will be a lot richer.

It's the sound of music for him.