Best reference(s) for record / label context (and value)?

Discussions on Records, Recording, & Artists
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CPBarnum
Victor Jr
Posts: 26
Joined: Sun May 06, 2018 1:04 pm
Personal Text: Longtime music lover, Grafonola newbie

Best reference(s) for record / label context (and value)?

Post by CPBarnum »

As a newbie to this hobby, my driving forces are mainly twofold: The exploration of music that I've heard about but never heard (as well as new music I may never have heard of before), and the thrill of the hunt (finding the needles of cool in the haystack of ubiquitous blandness).

I don't want to put too strong a focus on record value. While I've been a lifelong comic book enthusiast, I fell out of the collecting side of the hobby back in the '70s when it became more about values, investments and grading rare books than it did about actually reading and enjoying them for the artwork and stories.

That said, though, I wouldn't want to discard the 78 version of, say, Wolverine's first appearance in X-Men simply out of a lack of knowledge of the basics. And so the question: Aside from eBay (which is an uneven yardstick for values at best), what are the go-to sources for information about a record's value and, more importantly, its significance? As one example: Viva-voce's response to my post on the "78s you always find thread" referencing info about the Victor V-38000 series. Great stuff (and I know this forum is jam-packed with that sort of info; I've spent hours clicking and reading and learning. As enjoyable as that is, it's a little different than having two or three go-to historical resources for quick reference.)

I've seen https://78rpmcommunity.com/valuations/search.php -- but their database, while not insignificant, is already showing up blank on some of the records that have crossed my path (and 99% of their valuations are $4-$10 -- which may be true, but it feels like *everything* is defaulting to that). Plus it's just value, no additional context. I suppose I could cobble together a patchwork of sources -- various Wikipedia links for artist, song and label info -- but I have to think there are a bunch of solid resources there of which I'm simply not aware yet. This one isn't too bad for labels (http://majesticrecord.com/labels.htm) -- a good start, though too many of the labels have zero write-ups.

Enlighten me! :D

Thanks, gang ... and my apologies if I'm asking a Q that's been answered to death.

52089
Victor VI
Posts: 3745
Joined: Mon Oct 03, 2011 7:54 pm

Re: Best reference(s) for record / label context (and value)

Post by 52089 »

Short answer - for value, there isn't one, at least not one that's anywhere near complete.

Some previous threads:

http://forum.talkingmachine.info/viewto ... it=popsike

http://forum.talkingmachine.info/viewto ... =les+docks

There are good reference books for Edison, Victor, Columbia, etc., but these are history and discography, not valuation. You can also search the board to see if similar things have been offered or sold here.

donniej
Victor III
Posts: 904
Joined: Thu May 26, 2016 3:46 pm
Location: Philadelphia, PA

Re: Best reference(s) for record / label context (and value)

Post by donniej »

popsike.com is a database of all records sold on ebay, so it gives an idea as to what a disc is worth. It only lists discs that sell for over $10 (or something around there). The site is free for a limited number of queries, beyond that, there is a fee to use it ($15 for 6 months, IIRC).

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