An Expensive Diamond Disc

[Discman]

Don't wait, this one includes free shipping:
http://tinyurl.com/aszw82

Dave

[EdisonSquirrel]

Some people should be banned from selling on Ebay.

[MordEth]

Ouch.

Call me uninformed, but what makes this record worth that kind of money? (And at $1,995, surely the seller could have done better pictures?)

Are the red star Diamond Discs really that rare?

— MordEth

[hr][/hr]

eBay Item #320346964749

EDISON DISC VASA PRIHODA WITCH’S DANCE VIOLIN SOLO

VASA PRIHODA OTTO EISEN EDISON DISC #82318 PAGANINI

EDISON DIAMOND DISC # 82318

side a. (PAGANINI) “WITCH’S DANCE” Violin Solo by VASA PRIHODA Pianoforte by OTTO EISEN side b. Le Coq d'Or (RIMSKY-KORSAKOW-KREISLER) “HYMN TO THE SUN” Violin Solo by VASA PRIHODA Pianoforte by OTTO EISEN. Record is in EXCELLENT condition with NO scratches or marks and will be shipped in deluxe secure packaging.

(Click on any of the images below for the full-sized version.)

[Discman]

The red star is not rare, that's probably what the seller thought. They were records that Edison didn't think would sell very well and could not be returned by dealers.
Dave

[gramophoneshane]

Maybe the seller thinks someone into witchcraft & sun worship will have to have it, to play as background music while they slaughter goats in the cornfields

If you play it backwards you can raise the dead!

[MordEth]

The red star is not rare, that's probably what the seller thought.

Dave,

Thanks for explaining it, although I’ve read up on why Edison did that before...I just wasn’t sure if these ‘order with caution—no returns allowed’ titles were rarer (or perhaps this particular record was rare?)...I can’t say I remember seeing all that many red star Edison Diamond Discs, other than photos or label scans done by other people, so I wondered if perhaps there might have been something special about this particular label.

I guess I thought that because Edison cautioned the dealers to be cautious about ordering these Re-Creations, they might be rarer for it.

I take it that it’s no “Kansas City Kitty”?

— MordEth

[WDC]

I wonder what the seller took before setting the price for this.

Beside the price above, his other DD can be seen as a real bargain:

eBay Item #320347260893

And domestic shipping is free too!

[EdisonSquirrel]

Here's a short article explaining the "red star" issues.

http://www.mainspringpress.com/edison_redstar.html

"Red Star" Edison diamond discs are common, and the red star does not confer any additional value to the disc.



Rocky

[gramophoneshane]

Why is it that some red star records have a star on both sides, and others only on one side?
Could the dealer return one side of the record, but had to keep the other side?

Does anyone know the story behind the "Lilac" star, as found on "Little Grey Sweetheart Of Mine" (50935-R)?

[EdisonSquirrel]

Why is it that some red star records have a star on both sides, and others only on one side?
Could the dealer return one side of the record, but had to keep the other side?

I've heard that Edison switched from placing the red star on one side of the disc to placing it on both sides to eliminate the practice of dealers returning red star discs by having the side without the star face up. In this manner, the discs would not appear to have a red star and a sneaky dealer might be able to return them. Is anyone able to confirm this?



Rocky