its late and i really dont feel like separating the cylinders and disks into the different types but cylinders are blue amberol, 4 min indestructibles, and a 2 min indestructible. disks are 33 1/3s and 78s. disks may be off by 1 or 2, i don't count good past 9 o'clock
Attachments
the chart
Screenshot 2024-06-09 10.25.11 PM.png (14.25 KiB) Viewed 788 times
Overwhelmingly classical/operatic, in recent years focusing on vertical cut. Everything is keyed to a computer catalogue. Because the records are listed by performance, not by number of records--that is, Artur Schnabel playing Beethoven's Fur Elise, on one 78, generates one entry, and the Columbia set of Boito's Mefistofele, on 17 records, also generates one entry--I can't readily come up with percentages of different formats.
Antique records:
Album sets are shelved by label and album number if they have their original albums or are in a replacement.
Diamond discs are mostly in 7 drawers of a pair of commercial grade file cabinets, in order by catalogue number, each in a paper cover (original or replacement).
Single "standard" 78s and sets lacking their own album are in generic albums designated in the catalogue by what amount to 5- or 9-digit ZIP codes (because the database software I used for years could sort entries by ZIP code, although I don't think I ever once used that feature in practice). Thus, 12" records are in sequentially numbered albums in the 12xxx series; for example, Arensky's Trio in d, performed by Eileen Joyce, Henri Temianka, and Antoni Sala on Parlophone SW 8055-8057, carries the locator code 12151-0103, indicating the records are in 12" album no. 151, sleeves 1 to 3. 10" records have their own series of albums, 10xxx. Being a size that doesn't fit well in 12" albums, and often being in their original paper covers, 11.25" Pathé records are in clamshell cases numbered in their own series, 11xxx. 14" Pathés are in larger clamshells, again in a separate series (1400x--I have only 7 of these). Cylinder storage cabinets have their own separate numbers; for instance, cylinders in the Amberola 75 get 75001, 75002, or 75003 depending on the drawer in which they're stored. A second, 7-drawer storage cabinet for cylinders has 7600x codes. And so it goes.
LPs:
All are in one bank of shelves across the end of my listening room, organized by label and catalogue number.
Last edited by drh on Sun Jun 09, 2024 10:41 pm, edited 2 times in total.
The following is a good estimate of 1000 78 rpm discs.
1898 to 1919 comprises about 10% of my collection.
Of these about 8% are Classical, and 2% Popular and Marches.
1920 to 1939 comprises about 85%.
Of these about 50% are Jazzy Dance and Jazz, 22% Popular Vocal, 10% Blues, 6% Foreign Ethnic, 6% Mountain William, and 6% Classical.
1940 to 1949 comprises about 5%.
These are a Big Band Jazz and Popular Vocal split
I keep all of my 78 rpm discs in record albums. So when I’m in the mood to listen to a particular type of music, I simply pull an album. Once upon a time I made a list to prevent buying duplicates. I abandoned that once I found that it only happened two or three times.
Well... Hmmm.
The main collection is ⅔ Jazz/ early Swing to ⅓ classical/ opera. Sub collections include Pathé splatters, Royal Blue Columbias, American Parlophone/ Odeon issues, Gennett "GE" and New Electrobeams, QRS, Gem (Crown) issues, 12" popular series 1923-35, Victor Batwing blue and red label symphonic sets, Columbia Flag symphonic sets, and Columbia Flag electrics.
The early 7" Euro collection is probably ⅔ band selections and ⅓ vocal
The early Victor Monarch and Deluxe collection is likely ⅞ opera ⅛ band
The German Collection consists mainly of classical selections and is mostly Parlophon with some Odeon and Beka and a few Columbia German/ Austria Red Cross issues thrown in. All are the colorful pre WW1 labels.
Oh, then there is the Victor 8" collection to feed my Victor O. Mostly vocal stuff but some good Sousa and Pryor issues.
The picture disc/ splatter collection is on my wall.
Then there is my LP collection- I have almost all the Victor Program Transcriptions which belong here; the post 1948 LPs do not.
"He who dies with the most shellac wins"- some nutty record geek
My records are filed in the following categories, and in artist order unless otherwise stated.
Being pre-digital I have them listed on paper in ring binders for each category.
Opera and Classical Vocal (Mostly acoustic and my main collecting interest).
Jazz and Dance Band (Mostly pre-1930).
Comedy and Novelty.
Historic (Mostly WW1 and WW2).
Military Band (My son is a military musician).
Unusual Labels (Filed A-Z).
Vertical Cut (Filed in order of diameter).
Blue Amberols (The only cylinders I collect).
My wife collects childrens records listed in title order and French cafe singers listed in artist order.
I guess I separate my collection by the era they came out,
I have my earliest (pre and early dog, Climax) records in one box,
my client machine large spindle (Standards, Uniteds, ect) With my Pathé sapphire and other vertical groove records in a another case
Victor Batwing, Columbia “Notes” to Flag label records in a few boxes (this is the majority of my collection and the ones I mostly play on my machines)
Early electrical records (1925-1935) that are “safe” to play on my later acoustic machines like my Credenza.
Cream of the crop 78s, Blues, Hot Jazz, Hillbilly, Doo Wop, the really good and valuable stuff the high end collectors look for those I only play on my Garrard turntable.
Later 30s to 1950s 78s, (Red Columbias, RCA Victor, black Deccas) for my radio phono combos of the 1940s-1960s
I do the same thing with cylinders with blue amberols making the majority of what I have.
![[The Talking Machine Forum - For All Antique Phonographs & Recordings]](/styles/we_universal/theme/images/the_talking_machine_forum.png)
