you might want to check out the Record Collector's Guild
http://www.recordcollectorsguild.org/
people there should know - sounds like you could have some valuable
platters. It all depends on how many were produced. Blues 78s are, of
course, worth more generally because there weren't a lot produced and not
many survived. Jazz records tended to be produced at a higher rate,
especially swing and big band. It was the pop music of the day. Also,
depending on where you live they might be worth more. The records don't
travel well as they are FRAGILE. Meaning if you're in the US and you have
78s from the UK (and vise versa) you might find people willing to pay more
because they don't want to risk shipping overseas.
also, condition is an utmost concern - collectors are anal about it (see
the movie Ghost World for a funny example)
http://www.garlic.com/~tgracyk/assess.htm
My parents used to have a good size 78 collection but they were stored very
poorly (stacked flat like pancakes in a wood chest) and most have broken.
Not to upset since they were mostly pop tunes like Judy Garland and such.
Still, I love the old boxy sound of them. I think I fell in love with
records & music through that collection.
MEK
"[EMAIL PROTECTED]
ingthing"
<[EMAIL PROTECTED] To
ingthing.com> <313@hyperreal.org>
cc
03/01/06 08:26 AM
Subject
RE: (313) late again.
Please respond to
<[EMAIL PROTECTED]
ingthing.com>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: J.T. [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> Sent: 22 February 2006 17:18
>
> they work very well.
> this is what my father uses in his warehouse (50,000+ 78's)
Hey JT
Coincidence you posting that - I'm just looking into 78s at the moment,
prompted by just coming back from a visit to my dad where we were looking
at
some of his old 78s.
Does he have a site for this collection? I have no idea whether some of
them are worth money or are mostly just junk.
Any more ideas for info on such old recordings anyone (dealers, sites
showing prices or info, forums etc.)?
How about playing them? My sister recently bought my dad some awful retro
radio style music centre with built in turntable off a shopping channel (!)
but although it does 78 speed there's absolutely no info on it or in it's
manual giving make / model or the same info for the (horrendous looking)
cartridge that would help in locating a suitable stylus, if such a thing is
available, which I doubt. A better bet might be the B&O Beogram 1000
turntable which he has upstairs and can also spin at 78 but the stylus
looks
a very individual affair (kind of 70s equivalent of an Ortofon Condorde but
with the cartridge and stylus one unit plugging in to the arm with 4 pins).
Some of the new DJ turtables (Vestax?) spin at 78 - does this mean Ortofon
or Stanton do 78 styli for their DJ cartridges?
For interest here's a couple of the artists who's records we were looking
at, which my dad fondly and (surprisingly to me) credibly by the looks of
things remembers going to see in London in the late 1930s / early 40s.
Lauderic Caton:
http://www.jazzhouse.org/gone/lastpost2.php3?edit=920645614
http://www.nalis.gov.tt/Biography%5Cbio_LaudericCaton.html
Ken "Snakehips" Johnson
http://www.swingtime.co.uk/Reviews/kenjohns/kenhome.html
http://www.guyfolkfest.org/celebrating3.htm
- being blown up by a bomb during an air raid while performing at the
height of your powers has got to be a heck of way to go!
