The Talking Machine Forum — For All Antique Phonographs & Recordings

I shudder to think. At the age of five, I was given my aunt's old tabletop RCA Victor tube-driven radio/record player. My father had a large collection of 78s which he no longer had time to care about (house, mortgage, business, wife, two kids, etc). I was allowed to (ab)use these records. While I could not read, I could somehow identify my favourites, Oscar Peterson, Louis Armstrong, Ella Fitzgerald, Lionel Hampton, Nellie Lutcher, etc, all things with rhythmic impetus. My favourites suffered badly.

I went to grab this record and it fell apart on me!

Now cut that out!!

Radiex, Van Dyke, Lincoln, Grey Gull and the like: I think they were made of dust and fairy tears . . .

AmberolaAndy wrote: Wed May 21, 2025 7:38 pm I went to grab this record and it fell apart on me!

Oh, that is sad! Looks like a fun one. I think I've maybe broken 2 or 3 records thus far having collected for about 3 years now. One of them actually split into two pieces, the other just got a big crack down to the label, and I can't remember what the third one was but I really thought there was another.

It occurred to me recently that there will only ever be less and less 78rpm records in the world day by day, something that will never be manufactured again. Even when something completely devoid of value is broken, it still feels bad to me.

I try to save cracked or worn records as fodder for certain windups. They can still provide entertainment value and I don’t have to feel bad about feeding good records to lesser machines.

AmberolaAndy wrote: Wed May 21, 2025 7:38 pm I went to grab this record and it fell apart on me!

Ah yes, the curse of the “Madison” label.

One Grays Lake flea market I acquired a batch of 78’s. In that pile was a Madison dance band with an Arthur Fields vocal. “I Can’t Sleep At The Movies Anymore”. Made sure it was snug in the middle of the pile. Actually went immediately out to the car to secure the bag behind the passenger seat, snuggled in a big beach towel and pillow.

When I eventually got home, well you already know “the rest of the story”

FredSugarHall_fan wrote: Thu May 22, 2025 1:20 am

AmberolaAndy wrote: Wed May 21, 2025 7:38 pm I went to grab this record and it fell apart on me!

Oh, that is sad! Looks like a fun one. I think I've maybe broken 2 or 3 records thus far having collected for about 3 years now. One of them actually split into two pieces, the other just got a big crack down to the label, and I can't remember what the third one was but I really thought there was another.

The records I broke are in the early to mid two figures for me and I’ve been collecting for 17 years now. the crash of June 2016 being the worst for me…

Probably 15-20 discs and 4-5 cylinders. I was very clumsy at the start and did not realize the fragility \,
Ohh have I learned my lesson

Recently i dropped a copy of Sid Phillips "Fancy Pants" (Original UK HMV pressing) while at a bookfest and it broke into three...... Really spectacular condition beforehand