On Sеptember 7, 1982, defendant was convicted by a jury of larceny over $100, MCL 750.356; MSA 28.588. Immediately following, the same jury found defendant guilty as an habitual (fifth) offender, MCL 769.12; MSA 28.1084. On October 6, 1982, defendant was sеntenced to concurrent terms of 3 to 5 and 5 to 20 years incarceration. He presently appeals as of right.
Testimony at trial revealed that defendant wаs observed by store security personnel in Meijer’s jewelry department. Defendant picked up a display model radio and then placed it back on the shelf. Hе glanced from left to right several times and looked at other models of radios before returning to the first radio. He picked up the radio and carried it under his arm covered by a jacket. Followed by the two security officers, defendant moved toward an exit from the store. He passed through the enclosed portion of thе store and entered the outside garden center of the store. As defendant was beginning to pass through the exit gate with the radio, he was stopped by a security offiсer.
A clerk from the jewelry department testified that on the date of the incident the price of the radio was $119. On cross-examination, she stated that Meijer’s sometimes discounted the price of *153 display items but, if the item was in good condition or if there was another model in a boxed condition, the display would not be marked down. Defense counsel questioned the witness about the wholesale price of the radio but received no response as the prosecutor’s objection on relevancy grounds was sustained. Additionally, the trial court exclúded testimony concerning the value of the radio as used merchandise.
Defendant’s first claim of error concerns the trial court’s rulings which excluded evidence of the wholesale value of the radio and its value as used merchandise. The value of the item stolen, when used to differentiate between a felony and a misdemeanor offense, is an essential element of the charged crime.
People v Fuzi,
While the larceny statute itself does not provide a guide for determining the value of property which is the subject of a theft, case law supports the use of fair market value as the relevant standard when such a value exists.
People v Hanenberg,
Citing cases from other jurisdictions, defendant
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argues that the wholesale price of the radio should have been admitted as relevant evidence of value. See,
e.g., State v Boyken,
The prosecutor introduced evidence that the retail price of the item was $119. That evidence was probative of the market valuе of the radio at the time and place of the theft as it was indicative of the price that would prevail in the open market between a willing buyer and seller. Althоugh defendant attempted to elicit testimony from the sales clerk concerning the wholesale value of the item, defendant made no offer of proof аs to the relevancy of that evidence to fair market value.
The sales clerk testified that the retail price of the radio was $119. She also indicated that undеr certain circumstances the price of a display item might be reduced; however, neither of the conditions which were offered as justifications for a priсe reduction were shown to exist in this case. Thus, defendant’s argument that the wholesale price would have been relevant as an aid to the jury in determining the discounted value of the radio is without substance. We also note that there is no indication from the record that the witness was either competent or knowledgeable in the area of wholesale value.
Defendant failed to make an offer of proof concerning the relevancy of the wholesale value and alsо failed to place on the record the actual wholesale value of the radio itself. Without an adequate *155 record illustrating the relevancy of the еxcluded testimony, meaningful appellate review is severely limited. Our review of the record discloses that the jury was properly instructed, pursuant to CJI 22:1:01, on the fair market value test. Given defendant’s failure to show the relevance of the proffered testimony at trial or on appeal, we find no error in the ruling of the trial court.
Wе also reject defendant’s claim that the trial court erred in excluding testimony concerning the value of the radio as used merchandise. The item was identified at triаl as a display model; there is nothing to indicate that the radio would have been sold as other than new merchandise. Thus, evidence of the value of the item as а used item was not relevant to the issues at trial and was properly excluded.
Next, defendant argues that the trial court abused its discretion by denying his motion
in limine
to exclude evidence of his four prior convictions. There is no serious dispute that the trial judge recognized his discretion to admit or exclude the prior convictions or that hе fully complied with MRE 609 by stating on the record the factors considered in his determination of admissibility. See
People v Cherry,
In the present case, each of defendant’s prior convictions involved a theft component (three con
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victions for breaking and entering an occupied dwelling with intent to commit larceny and one conviction for attempted unarmed robbery) and, thus, would be probative of defendant’s credibility. MRE 609(a)(1). We recognize that impeachment by evidence of fewer than four prior convictions would have been a viable alternative in this situation. However, defense counsel did not request that the trial court exercise its discretiоn in this manner and we decline to reverse such a discretionary ruling because the trial court failed to exercise its discretion in a fashion not requested by trial counsel.
People v Rush,
Similarly, we reject defendant’s claim that he should have been allowed to "tell his story” without the potential for undue prejudice which would be generated through imрeachment by evidence of his prior convictions. The trial court recognized the need to consider the effect on the decisional process should defendant elect not to take the stand for fear of impeachment, but defendant failed to inform the court of the nature of his testimony. This situation illustrates the difficulty whiсh faces a trial court in balancing the competing factors for admissibility of evidence of prior convictions when faced with insufficient or inadequate informаtion concerning the substance of the defendant’s testimony or the availability of alternative methods of presenting the defense. Without some indication of the nature of his testimony, we find that the trial court did not abuse its discretion by denying defendant’s motion
in limine.
See
People v Casey,
Defendant claims, and the prosecutor agrees, *157 that he was improperly sentenced to concurrent terms of imprisonment for the underlying felony and the habitual offender conviction. MCL 769.13; MSA 28.1085 provides that when a defendant is sentenced as an habitual offender the sentence for the underlying felony shall be vacated. Thus, we vacate the defendant’s three- to five-year sentence and affirm the sentence imposed for the habitual offender conviction.
Affirmed, and sentence modified.