The Talking Machine Forum — For All Antique Phonographs & Recordings

(I know, there's no such thing, right?)

I'll admit it, I've got a bit of a problem. 13,000 records, a majority of them 78s, split over my apartment, and some family members' houses. And I think the time is coming to cut that down at least into the four digits. Of course I can eBay and/or list on Yankee Trader any of the good stuff I'm ready to part with, but a decent part of what I have is outright junk (not particularly valuable, and not in my musical interest - things like Mantovani, 1940s symphonic album sets, crooners, 50s easy listening, disco-era 45's). Anyone have any better ways to get rid of these than the same way I got them (which was usually a few hundred to over a thousand at a time, in bulk lots on Craigslist)?

I'd haul it off to an auction. You may be surprised how many people will pore over them. Still you might not get that much for them, but if recovering space is your goal, it may well be worth it.

Another idea is to offer them at a modest cost to new collectors. You may also consider taking some to the next phonograph show.

A collector friend of mine is a volunteer helper in a local charity shop, and finds that our unwanted records sell steadily there. We also benefit by having the first look at any records donated from other sources, before they hit the shelves.

All these are good suggestions. But I left out the main advantage of the auction route in my earlier post: you get rid of everything all at once rather than selling piece by piece. All depends on what you want to do.

I've connected with a couple of new / younger collectors in my area via a few Facebook groups. Everything is new to them, so when I'm sorting and culling out duplicates and / or things I just don't want, I fill up a couple of boxes and tell them to come get 'em. I get rid of stuff, they get new things to discover and everyone is happy. I also gave one of them a Brunswick Seville and a VV-210 that had been languishing in my storage for years. He cleaned them up, glued loose joints and loose veneer and now uses them both.

I only hope they both still want to keep taking my cast-offs, I'd rather do this than Craigslist them.

Sean