The Talking Machine Forum — For All Antique Phonographs & Recordings

I've been looking at some records on ebay. Some people are asking some wild dollars for them. Is there a way to check their value or someone who could confirm/deny their value?

With some of the prices some sell for, I'd like to go through my small collection and see if there's any worth selling for a good buck. Thanks.

Mike

Hello Mike. Remember that they can ask what they like. The easiest way is to just check the completed ebay list to see what actually sold. The higher priced discs in the same condition usually remain. Every one hopes to get the most and sometimes a buyer just has to have it and will buy it. There are not enough of those buyers to buy them all. So check the recent sold list and decide what you will accept for it.

James.

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There have been several discussions about this topic, a quick search in the database will show them. Summary is that records are not like stamps, where you buy a catalogue and find the prices. As a rule of thumb is that famous artists usually sell for higher prices, irrespective of rarity of the disc. As example, Caruso discs abound, but they will normally sell for higher prices than other tenors, just because most people recognize his name, while only aficionados will recognize names like Pertile or Maurel. There are niche markets for specific labels (e.g. Fonotipia or Paramount) or recordings (like jazz from the 20s) but otherwise prices are more or less random.

I was spoiled in my initial acoustic-era record buying as, from the age of 17-22, I purchased them for 25 cents each from an elderly gentleman who had tens of thousands in his shed and garage. Thus, anything else has paled in comparison.

That said, I'm grateful to find a few at a weekly antique market, and recently obtained twenty-five at an antique center, included several single-sided and early double-sided discs--and Will Thomas' 1916 ragtime disc on Victor (Victor 18229) for far less than what I'd pay on eBay.

But, if I want to work on my early dance band or acoustic vocals collection, fill in gaps or get anywhere near to completeness with my niche interests, eBay does the trick, and if that means $15-$40 for one record, so be it. I live two hours west of Philadelphia, but I see the same old records "in person" over and over. Nothing earth-shattering, and I'm not waiting for decades when I've been plugging away already for twenty years trying to "complete" something. A little instant gratification isn't all that horrible if one has been at it that long.

Besides, that well-kept record for a slightly higher price belongs with us; we'll take good care of it.

I don't much care to splash around in the e-bay pool, personally. I glance at it once in awhile.

But maybe this'll be instructional : http://www.ebay.com/gds/How-to-Sell-78- ... 957/g.html

After looking through a stack of 12" albums, I came across this which I had never seen before (Doesn't mean it's special, I've just never seen this before)

1 on a Victor record, the other a Victrola record (Not sure there's a difference) Both are obviously single sided records, and this is on the back of the record. Can anyone comment on these for me? Is there anything special about these? Thanks.

Mike

PHONOMIKE wrote:After looking through a stack of 12" albums, I came across this which I had never seen before (Doesn't mean it's special, I've just never seen this before)

1 on a Victor record, the other a Victrola record (Not sure there's a difference) Both are obviously single sided records, and this is on the back of the record. Can anyone comment on these for me? Is there anything special about these? Thanks.

Mike

Both labels are relatively common. Victor put the text on the back of many opera selections for a few years. There are several variations of the license label. I think Mike Sherman's "Collectors Guide to Victor Records" talks about these briefly.

Some rare Edison records are highly collected so that on Ebay the prices can go crazy on these. People usually say the price of Diamond Discs depends on the music. but the exception to that rule are the rare 12" Sample records and Long Play Edisons where prices go into the hundreds sometimes for clean examples. There are a lot deep pockets in the Edison collector crowd!

I always liked the analogy that the seller finds them for say 50 cents a piece or less at a garage sale, he puts them up on ebay or other venues and people pay as has been discussed anywhere from a dollar to 100 or more dollars for rare items. then one day you pass on and leave them to your relatives who sell them again for 50 cents at a garage sale or auction. Around me where there are boxes of 78s at a sale its not too unusual for them to sell for a dollar box if no one is there that particularly wants them. I recall about 10 years back a sale that listed cylinder records. I didn't and still don't have a cylinder player so I was just curious. At that time they had probably several hundred cylinders a collector had bought and passed on. They were in flat cartons with at least 25 to 50 a tray. They could't get any bidders and most went for less than five dollars a box. When I tired once to buy a few on ebay they tended to go for prices from 10 to 40 dollars each! I wish I had bought them now..

Larry