The Talking Machine Forum — For All Antique Phonographs & Recordings

Just reading the thread David where you said you used to work in a harware store. Was it anywhere like this?

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xUNVFrRy-cE[/youtube]

RJ

richardh wrote:Just reading the thread David where you said you used to work in a harware store. Was it anywhere like this?

Not even remotely, although that’s now in my YouTube favorites. The closest we ever got to that was someone with Alzheimer’s who wanted us to make him a key (we cut keys), but he’d lost his in the grocery store next door.

Now, anyone who knows anything about how key duplication works will realize, you have to have the original to make a key (or have access to the lock and some locksmith training), so it started to really sound like a British comedy skit. Especially the bit about how he lost the key, when I asked him if he’d checked with their lost and found to see if they’d found it.

(The store I worked in was in a retirement community.)

Certainly, we did not carry any brown foot pumps...or tins of peas!

I think the days of having everything in the front around the counter is long gone, as well—we just had a couple of cash registers, the key machines, key blanks, bags, and the paint mixer, etc. behind ours.

I was going to return to the original topic and comment that there were probably few stores that carry paper sleeves these days, with the decline of vinyl, but from random Google searching, I find at least 3 stores that carry records and may well have sleeves as well. Of course, that’s probably a benefit of living in a larger city.

— MordEth

McIntus wrote:I remembered seeing somewhere online that you could buy a case of 500 of 10" sleeves for $100, but I can't locate it again. And I hate to pay more for the sleeve than I originally paid for the record.

Im wondering if this is it?
http://www.adsnetworld.com/shop/recordsleeves.html

** All Prices subject to change due to economic changes.
updated ⅘/2008

There is an email address on the web page, you maybe want to email and see how prices have changed since then.

- Jim

That's probably it. Thanks!

I have also since contacted APSCO (Antique Phonograph Supply Company) which is in West Davenport, New York - about fifteen minutes from where I work. Who would have thought it? Such a place in my backyard. Anyway - they have a case (500) of heavy duty sleeves for $125 which I can pick up. So with postage on the other, it would work out to about the same thing.

Thanks for the help!

Something else to consider - Two months ago, a few of the local collectors got together and put an order into Bags Unlimited. I believe the order was for around 6000 sleeves and they ended up costing around 15 cents per piece. A group order sure made sense, price wise if you get a few people to go in together.

- Jim

Ah . . . now I have a new "problem" which is actually not a problem but something of a happy circumstance.

I work weekends in my in-law's antique shop. A few years ago, during which time my interest in all things phonograph was lagging, a man who had just moved into an old house in town approached me at the shop about a box of old records he had found in his house. Anticipating a bunch of Vaughn Monroe and Bing Crosby, I told him we were probably not interested, but he insisted that we take them or he would throw them away. I said OK, and put them up on the third floor of the old Victorian hotel which is our shop - and promptly forgot about them. Saturday, while I was searching for my apple crates of 78's, I ran across them again. About 75 Edison DD's in wonderful condition, many with original sleeves.

Here's the question - Are there special storage considerations for these discs? Is there a special type of sleeve I should get for them? I haven't even gone through them yet to see what's there (there's no heat upstairs).

And I also am going to be needing a machine to play them on . . . anybody got an extra for sale? (PM me.)

Those original diamond disc record sleeves can slide right into the larger, 10 ⅝ inch plastic sleeves offered by at least a couple of the sellers noted above. Even if the DD sleeves are in poor condition, I always keep them and it's especially nice to match them up with the correct record. Hopefully the records will be in good condition. Those stacked together out of thier sleeves always stand a high damage rate.

Make sure you have the reproducer properly rebuilt if you want to enjoy the records, or get a new electronic setup. Plenty of people here who can offer advice on either.

Valecnik

McIntus,

Sometimes it’s really impressive what people come across and want to give away. I do agree with the man who gave you the Diamond Discs, though—if possible, it’s better to find a new home for something than throw it away. So often, my old computer hardware finds new owners, often to replace something of theirs that is no longer working properly.

McIntus wrote:Are there special storage considerations for these discs? Is there a special type of sleeve I should get for them?

You should be able to store them exactly as you store your 78s, although the 78s do better with moisture—I’ve heard that DDs will swell up like pillows if they get wet enough, but I’ve never seen it happen.

McIntus wrote:And I also am going to be needing a machine to play them on . . . anybody got an extra for sale? (PM me.)

You may wish to check out the H19 that rvuill has listed in the Yankee Trader section, although you might be able to find something closer to you.

I know we have a few members in your area, and there may well be something decent on Craigslist, also.

— MordEth

McIntus wrote:That's probably it. Thanks!

I have also since contacted APSCO (Antique Phonograph Supply Company) which is in West Davenport, New York - about fifteen minutes from where I work. Who would have thought it? Such a place in my backyard. Anyway - they have a case (500) of heavy duty sleeves for $125 which I can pick up. So with postage on the other, it would work out to about the same thing.

Thanks for the help!

78 RPM Brown Kraft Paper Sleeves w/hole $100 per 500 20lb

I emailed and asked about their current prices. The reply was that this is current, and the quote for shipping to Wisconsin was $15, for a total of $115 shipped to my door.

- Jim

Since I am familiar with that seller, I would recommend checking first that those sleeves are new or at least the better heavy duty sleeves like radio stations used in the 1950s. It just sounds a little "too good to be true". not trying to rain on any parades here, but just offering a caveat so you aren't burned!

Personally, I use Bags Unlimited sleeves and have done so for almost 20 years. They're great, relatively inexpensive when you buy in bulk, and they hold up very well. I also like the fact you can buy them in three different colors which suits my needs very nicely for categorizing. I've got loads of the old radio station type sleeves (heavy green or brown "Recordvelopes") that I keep on hand to sleeve "victrola" copies of records.

Sean