The Talking Machine Forum — For All Antique Phonographs & Recordings

I just came into possession of about 40 single and double sided Enrico Caruso 12" 78s in EX-NM. Any value to them?

Steve

Not particularly, unless you've got his 1902 G & Ts, Zonophones, or Pathés. Play them and enjoy them if you like him, or pass them on. I have a couple boxes of duplicate Carusos that I give away to interested parties when they visit.

Sean

Any 12 inch records, probably not. Maybe some of the (pirate) Opera Disc pressings could have slightly higher value.

The first of his Victors, the piano accompanied selections recorded in 1904 are rarer and higher value due to being withdrawn from the market and replaced with orchestra accompanied versions. But those are 10 inch.

stetam wrote:I just came into possession of about 40 single and double sided Enrico Caruso 12" 78s in EX-NM. Any value to them?

Steve

Most Caruso 12 inch records are pretty low in value. The 2 sided Caruso's are all 1920s re-releases after his death. There are some single sided records that are more rare than others, but most rare records are 10 inch.

The single sided 12 records go for between $3 to $10 on ebay and in auctions. The double sided records have little to no value. Maybe $1 or $2 each if someone wants them.

Among double sided records, it's very common to find the electrical re-recordings / dubbings of the 1930's. Those are worth what, 25 cents ? Or maybe a buck tops.

As aways, thanks for the enlightening me!

Stetam

The value is in the listening pleasure & the incredible sound quality...other than that, they're quite common among collectors. I love my Caruso records!!

Sound quality ? Victor did a crappy job of recording Caruso. A lot of Victor records have crappy sound compared to some other acoustical records. But some of the worse problems come out on Caruso records. This peaky, strident sound that's really irritating to listen to. But because it's Caruso, we struggle along.

With careful attention in execution, my own transfers of some good Caruso pressings I find satisfying, as well as some of Ward Marstons. Still, the whole shebang of Caruso's Victor catalog is a very mixed bag with regards to sound.

if you go to popsike.com, you can get a few free searches, I put in Caruso 12 inch and saw 67 sales hits at 20 bucks or more, but the site archives back quite a few years, so....its possible you have a few sellable 20 dollar ones, etc if you were so inclined

Wolfe wrote:Sound quality ? Victor did a crappy job of recording Caruso. A lot of Victor records have crappy sound compared to some other acoustical records. But some of the worse problems come out on Caruso records. This peaky, strident sound that's really irritating to listen to. But because it's Caruso, we struggle along.

With careful attention in execution, my own transfers of some good Caruso pressings I find satisfying, as well as some of Ward Marstons. Still, the whole shebang of Caruso's Victor catalog is a very mixed bag with regards to sound.

Too bad he was locked into that Victor contract: I wonder what he would have sounded like on Diamond Disc...

Bill