Old one sided 78rpm records

[Tpapp54321]

Hey I just went to a garage sale not that long ago and this guy had a HUGE bin of old acoustic victor and columbia records (about 150 ) so I bought it and when I got home and started looking through them I found a couple one sided records (which I know nothing about) and I have no idea what they are worth. One is a eagle record and the others are part of a weight loss program called Wallace reducing records and there moto is Get fit to music there are 5 records five panflets to tell you what to do as your exercise and a book which is only a couple pages that tells you all about the program with a recording sheet to track how much weight you have lost and I know the set is complete. Could you please tell me something about the Wallace or the eagle record or tell me what there worth please. P.S I will include some pictures if you tell me how to post them.

[victorIIvictor]

Hello, Tpapp,

Generally speaking, almost all disc records produced in the United States in the first decade of the 20th century were single-sided. I assume producers conceptualized the disc around the sound carrier that had reached the market earlier, i.e. the cylinder, which only had one selection. Victor marketed a double sided, Christmas-themed children's record very early in the decade, but thereafter limited itself to single-sided releases. The patent-violating producers (Hawthorne and Sheble, Leeds and Catlin, and the International Record Co.) mostly followed suit. Columbia unsuccessfully offered double sided records mid-decade, but then "boldly stunned the industry" (in Mike Sherman's words) by converting their entire disc line to double sided, with the exception of certain Symphony Series offerings.

Columbia's action amounted to a price cut, and Victor and its subsidiary Zon-o-phone were forced to follow suit, grumbling in the press that "we deplore the sale of double sided records at any price" while conveniently forgetting to mention that they had produced and sold the first commercially available double sided records. The patent-violating producers, too, issued a handful of double sided discs before litigation between them and Columbia and/or Victor drove them out of business.

Note that the Germany-based International Talking Machine Co. had been offering double sided records on its Odeon label since 1904 in Europe and likely elsewhere. Pathé's first disc offerings (those now-unplayable discs where a shellac coating was applied to a concrete-like substrate) were single-sided, but their discs thereafter were all double sided, to the best of my knowledge.

Columbia's move in 1908 was not the end of single-sided records in the USA, however. Following Victor's lead, both Columbia (Symphony Series) and newcomer Brunswick (on green label) issued at least some single-sided classical discs into the early 1920s. Victor's Red Seal Records were exclusively single-sided until (I think) 1923, apparently owing to requirements in the contracts Victor had with their classical artist roster. I think Edison issued some recordings of classical music that lasted over three Diamond Disc sides, and so the fourth side was left blank. Even after 1923, even into the LP era, some Victor and HMV classical sets filled odd numbers of sides with the final side left blank, creating a single-sided record. Columbia, as a rule, was more generous with its customers, filling out such classical sets with an unrelated short classical piece extending over a single side.

Your single-sided Eagle record is not ringing a bell with me, especially as there have been many brands of Eagle records, both within and without the United States, during the years in which 78 RPM records were produced. My guess would be that it is a pre-1908 product of one of the patent-violating producers mentioned above. It seems that everybody lists a minimum price of $9.99 for 78s on eBay now days for offerings other than prewar blues, some prewar jazz, some prewar "hillbilly," and some prewar opera discs. Why not start there with your Eagle record?

I have a Wallace Reducing Record in a thick paper pamphlet, and it is obviously a Columbia pressing from the late 1920s, with the telltale patent notices at the bottom. I do not believe mine is single-sided, however. I think the Wallace records had a long life in the catalogue. In the late teens and early 20s, several companies put out exercise records. Victor put out a set of three 10 inch double sided discs in a trifold album, the Elizabeth Arden Company bested Victor with a set of three 12 inch double sided discs in a trifold album, and there was a series of Musical Health Builder Reducing Exercises ("One two down up one two down up one two down up one two down up one two down up one two down up one two down up one two one and HOLD!"), with gold on red labels and also double sided. I don't know if there are dedicated collectors of these; I have picked up the ones I have for novelty's sake. Why not list your complete set at a dollar or two per disk and see what happens?

Best wishes, Mark

[Tpapp54321]

Thank you

[52089]

Pathé's first disc offerings (those now-unplayable discs where a shellac coating was applied to a concrete-like substrate) were single-sided, but their discs thereafter were all double sided, to the best of my knowledge.

IIRC, some of the center start Pathés were first issued single sided and later coupled to make double sided discs. There are also later (sapphire era) classical titles that were single sided. I am aware of a couple of Tito Schipa records on the single sided grey label. I don't recall seeing any Pathé laterals that were single sided.

[victorIIvictor]

Tpapp, you are welcome.

52089, thanks for this info!