The Talking Machine Forum — For All Antique Phonographs & Recordings

have you ever found a super good deal on a record you really wanted, and for a very good price? if i ask this question i guess ill have to go first i found four vynils for one dollar each. i think ones a shellac disk from 1947. all are in pretty decent condition. one of the records is a 30s-40s remake of a song i have on cylinder.

Firstly, congratulations on your finds!

Now, to answer the question: I haven't found many fabulous records in thrift stores (granted I've only been seriously collecting for a little over a year now), but I can think of a few experiences that stand out.

I found a few Glenn Miller Bluebirds in a Goodwill in Michigan while I was there for a camp. Each was priced at $1, which was fantastic. I tend to like Miller's Bluebirds even though they aren't exactly my style of music, and I would love someday to complete a collection of his records on that label (probably not my loftiest collecting goal).

Just yesterday, while I was in VA, I found a one-sided 12 inch Vocalion opera record (label image included). I'm no opera fan but I had never seen a 12" Vocalion record and I didn't feel like letting it sit in a thrift store for any time longer while careless customers sort through the other vinyl records it was stashed amongst.

If I expand the category of your question to include antique and record stores, I have plenty of other fantastic stories (as well as some incredibly frustrating ones too) I could tell about things I've found and got a great deal on. But I'll tell those only if there is curiosity - I've talked enough already, and I'd love to hear from you what the 30s/40s remake record was!

Congratulations again, and happy collecting!

I had no clue a comedy opera was a thing! congrats on your find too. I've only had one frustrating experience at an antique store. it was in upstate NY and i found some blue amberol cylinders and one unlabeled black wax-looking one. one tube was empty, one had a good bunch of its plaster missing, and the last blue amberol had expanded and the top did not fit out of the box. i have no idea why i bought the cylinder with a lot of plaster missing, but i can probably find another copy of it cus it was the state song of indiana.

A UK test-pressing shellac 78 of Screaming Jay Hawkins: I Put A Spell On You in nice condition!

Some volunteer helpers in charity shops (as we call them in the UK) are knowledgeable and some are not.
A few years ago I was approached by a local charity shop (my reputation is well known) which had received the donation of a gramophone and a quantity of records. They could not get the gramophone working and asked for my help.
When I arrived, they sat me down with a cup of tea and a biscuit while I got the gramophone working. It was a nondescript cheaply made cabinet machine, but there were some good jazz and swing records with it. I bought a few, and said that I would call again the next day with a collector friend who would probably buy more. When we returned and asked about the records, a different helper told us that they had been thrown away because "there was no call for them".
At least the gramophone was spared. I gave the shop a valuation and they sold it for that sum.

It's not a record, but I got a Victor 3 from ShopGoodwill, with a carrying case that fits the (disassembled) machine except for the horn. That remains my best thrift find ever.

As far as records, I got a copy of "Hallelujah!" from Hit the Deck, on a Victor scroll label. That is a great old tune from 1927. Wasn't a fan of Franklyn Baur's vocals but they grew on me! The other good thrift finds were some records of Irish folk, sung by a lady accompanying herself on zither I think. Trying to figure out where I put them but they're really wonderful records. I can't really find good 78s around here anymore, nor Blue Amberols either, and can forget about wax cylinders or Diamond Discs. So I have to shop very carefully.

Also found this Smith Conservatory Organ from 1858 which I didn't need but I hated the thought of an organ surviving the Civil War, only to die because some boomer housewife watched some HGTV or Pinterest and wanted to make a desk.

the reason to buy the organ is pretty funny! how much did the victor and the the organ cost?

Organs should not cost much for the average instrument. I paid $80 for the organ, which is perhaps too much considering the cost and extreme difficulty of restoring one. (There is a much later organ in the living room that I usually play, and an 1840ish melodeon that also needs overhauled. Both could easily cost too much to restore.) Not many people collect pump organs and they are really only good if you want to learn to play them. I'd get another, but my girlfriend wants to learn the piano so when we get married I'm probably going to have to get rid of an organ and hunt down an old upright. Usually quite a nice one is free.

The Victor was around $324. I needed to get both springs and a few other pieces as well as a horn. It used to have a brass bell type but I like the flower horn better. Shipping it halfway across the country was hard but I got lucky. It's eaten its own winding ratchet and I have not figured out a way to fix it yet.

I remember going to a Salvation Army store where they thought all 78s were 10 inch,and all 12 inch were LPs.edisonplayer.

Two days ago back in a more local area, I found this 1932 George Olsen 24000 block Victor recording of this classic collegiate tune in an antique store. I was rather surprised to see it, and having not heard this recording before, I was even more curious to listen to it. I didn't care for it as much as the Ben Bernie version, but it is still a fun recording nonetheless, and it played well on my Victrola.