The Talking Machine Forum — For All Antique Phonographs & Recordings

And then there's the rare bird like this,

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Pre-War-Blues-7 ... true&rt=nc

which sold on eBay for $6200.00 last night, the price doubling the previous high bid in the last four seconds. It's clearly beat, but there you go. Interesting reading if you'll scroll down to the end: the seller says he bought this among a box lot of similar issues in similarly poor condition, and didn't want to sell them at all at first because they were so beat up. Seems that he cancelled the first listing because of an unspecified problem with Skip James's name -- a technicality that must have had nothing to do with the fact that by the time the first round reached $3000 he realized what it was he was selling. So it goes.

victorIIvictor wrote:
The main problem with Paramount and other inexpensive makes (e.g., Grey Gull) was that they skimped on the ingredient that is crucial for a smooth surface, shellac, because that was the most expensive ingredient.

Gayle Dean Wardlow says the same thing in the excellent new "Pioneers of the Blues Revival" edited by Steve Cushing. He also claims that Paramount would overuse their stampers in order to cut costs. No surprise, really.

All I have to say is....

Peggy O'Neil is a girl who could steal any heart
Any where, any time
And I'll put you wise how you'll recognize
This wonderful girl of mine



but in reality I'm more partial to Nellie, the daughter of officer Kelly