The Talking Machine Forum — For All Antique Phonographs & Recordings

Thanks, James, for that great label resource...

And, for anyone with a lot of time to look for stuff, try the longest yard sale in America - the 690 mile long 127 Yard Sale... http://www.127yardsale.com
Who knows what you might find... from Michigan to Alabama.

2020 Dates:
The World's
Longest Yard Sale
August 6-9, 2020

Steven C. Barr's 'Almost Complete 78rpm Record Dating Guide' is a cheap book that gives you a complete view on record companies history, and approximate dating guides for many labels, major and minor, by record numbers and matrix numbers. It was one of the first books I bought in the mid nineties, and helped me a lot to see the whole map, albeit mostly in North America. After that you can go for more detailed histories label by label. The stories of Victor and Columbia are pretty intricate!
Edit
Available for free download from archive.org at
https://archive.org/details/almostcomplete7800barr

dzavracky wrote:...I did pick up an Edison B-250 from a thrift shop for on $75 early on in my collection. Although "early on" may be a bad term haha, I have been doing things for a little over 2 years now. That Edison may have been my best deal so far. ...

I neglected to mention this last night, but...well, I'm jealous! A B-250 for $75 is a steal. It would be a bargain for a common C-250, but a B-250? Oh, my word. Any chance you could post some photos? How's your collection of diamond discs?

[Edit] By the way, you asked about opera records in your other thread. Edison recorded a good bit of opera by singers who are not well remembered today--names like Maurio Laurenti or Julia Heinrich. Some Edison artists, like Jacques Urlus or Claudia Muzio, also made records for other labels and are better remembered. Operatic diamond discs can be pricey, but you'll find that many are well worth collecting if you like that kind of music.

This is the definitive site for UK labels. I highly recommend it :

https://early78s.uk/