what nobody wants those records......

Discussions on Records, Recording, & Artists
Victrolacollector
Victor V
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Re: what nobody wants those records......

Post by Victrolacollector »

Several years ago there was someone on Craigslist placing ads to buy Diamond Discs because they used them for target practice. They sounded like the records are worthless and that they should be used for clay pigeons. I thought it was crazy. I wonder how many 52,000 series Edison Discs were destroyed like that.

http://forum.talkingmachine.info/viewto ... ons#p69898

EMGfan
Victor Jr
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Re: what nobody wants those records......

Post by EMGfan »

I remember seeing a propaganda film of WW2 in Britain which was asking for unwanted shellac records. They were then crushed, melted down, and reformed into new shellac disks. Would anyone know how to re-cut shellac these days if they had the recycled material from old disks?

epigramophone
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Re: what nobody wants those records......

Post by epigramophone »

Only solid stock shellac records were suitable for recycling, so laminated records such as pre-EMI Columbia and Regal were excluded.

When the scheme began in 1942 it was estimated that there were 10 million old unwanted records in British homes, and by 1944 almost all new records were being made with 100% recycled material. Unfortunately for today's collectors, the only check on the records was to establish whether they were suitable for recycling. Content and value were not considered.

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Big Beat
Victor O
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Re: what nobody wants those records......

Post by Big Beat »

About a year ago I went through my collection and pulled out about 200 78s to get rid of, just to gain some shelf space for new finds. Some 1910s & 1920s foxtrots, 1940s hillbilly, jazz and R&B stuff, all clean and in sleeves - nothing super rare or valuable, but not typical thrift store type junk. I advertised them on Craigslist as a lot for $150 or $1 to $5 each, thinking some other collector might pick them up or at least cherry-pick a few. I put up a nice ad with a description of what's in the lot, pictures of a representative selection of labels, etc. I received exactly TWO inquiries within that year. One was from a collector who lived too far to make the trip and just wanted to talk about records, and one young girl showed up and bought a dozen 78s for an art project (I pulled out a dozen of the least interesting titles and gave them to her for ten bucks). That's IT. I obviously didn't expect high demand, but none at all? If my experience is typical, no wonder the record shops don't want them.

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Wolfe
Victor V
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Re: what nobody wants those records......

Post by Wolfe »

I never want those records I find on my local Craigslist. Usually just a few people (at most) selling stuff like cracked Guy Lombardo and Bing Crosby records or vastly overpriced classical sets. Some of those listings get relisted over and over too. :x

I'm actually not that motivated to check CL for records anymore. I used to try to be.

bfinan11
Victor I
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Re: what nobody wants those records......

Post by bfinan11 »

I've had decent luck selling, but only in lots bigger than 1000. And a few specific valuable duplicates one at a time here.

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Wolfe
Victor V
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Re: what nobody wants those records......

Post by Wolfe »

A few years ago I was talking to someone who said he had like 4,000 78's in a storage unit. Except he wasn't entertaining offers to come cherry pick, he wanted someone to make an offer and take them all.

Tempted, I was. But finding space for 4,000 records is challenging enough, let alone the prospect of many that I may not even want and wind up saddled with.

78recordpicker
Victor I
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Re: what nobody wants those records......

Post by 78recordpicker »

4000 78s is a hernia waiting to happen (several thousand pounds of fun)

vansteem78
Victor II
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Re: what nobody wants those records......

Post by vansteem78 »

I love my LPs but admit the best ones are of 78s transferred to LP. So old music on LPs. I seem to like it all at times. Neil

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