The Talking Machine Forum — For All Antique Phonographs & Recordings

I recently came by a number of Victor single-sided records in their original paper sleeves. Most all are classical; and apparently have had little or no play. I don't know enough about them to say their condition is excellent, but they appear to me as if they are new. If anyone is interested, I'll post pics of them; and list titles.

I like the ones with the big VICTOR on the one side !!

Are they 10"or 7"? The 10" single sided are common, so any value would be dependent on condition and desirability.

They are 10 inch. See photos.

I agree with you that those are very nice looking records! What they are worth is definitely kicked up a notch due to their new looking condition! If they are mostly instrumental, they are probably worth less than if they have opera singers performing on them.

Most of them are classical pieces, circa 1905. Most all are in this "like-new" condition, in the paper sleeves. I'm just trying to determine if they are worth listing for sale or trade. Most of my other records are in the popular vein; and most have been played nearly to death, especially the real "toe-tappers". The best thing about these, is that they really show off the fidelity and quality of sound that my machines are capable of; without the scratching and popping I'm used to hearing from my well used favorites.
Would anyone care to hazard a guess as to their value?

Incidentally, this lot also contained one "scheme" record with the larger hole. (not in paper sleeve).

ldelin wrote:Most of them are classical pieces, circa 1905. Most all are in this "like-new" condition, in the paper sleeves. I'm just trying to determine if they are worth listing for sale or trade. Most of my other records are in the popular vein; and most have been played nearly to death, especially the real "toe-tappers". The best thing about these, is that they really show off the fidelity and quality of sound that my machines are capable of; without the scratching and popping I'm used to hearing from my well used favorites.
Would anyone care to hazard a guess as to their value?

Incidentally, this lot also contained one "scheme" record with the larger hole. (not in paper sleeve).

While some of them may have been recorded as early as 1905, that style of label and the stopping groove point more towards the late Teens, and so anything recorded previous to that on these issues are repressings or even possibly dubs. These sorts of records are actually quite common with little value BUT the condition is certainly intriguing. How many of these do you have?

ldelin wrote:Most of them are classical pieces, circa 1905. ....

Here's a handy Victor Record label guide to give you an approximate time-frame for when the records were pressed:

http://majesticrecord.com/labelsvictor.htm

Along this line, to see when a record was recorded, this site offers a pretty comprehensive list -- http://adp.library.ucsb.edu/ (I normally just enter the record number in the basic search box.)

As George noted, above, many recordings were listed in the catalogs for years, so you might find a 1920 pressing of a record that was actually recorded in 1910, for instance.

HTH,
OrthoFan

ldelin wrote:Most of them are classical pieces, circa 1905. Most all are in this "like-new" condition, in the paper sleeves. ... they really show off the fidelity and quality of sound that my machines are capable of; without the scratching and popping I'm used to hearing from my well used favorites.
Would anyone care to hazard a guess as to their value?

First off, it they are in really beautiful shape as you say (no hints of greying, for instance), I would play them only on modern equipment, not with steel needles. Following the lead of a collector friend, I keep a pile of what he calls "steel needle records," common issues in good but less than pristine condition for playback on my clockwork machines.

Now, with that out of the way, the value depends on what is on the record. If it's Caruso singing "O Sole Mio," you're looking at maybe a buck; that thing sold in the gazillions, and everyone, and I do mean everyone, who ever bought a copy seems to have thought, "This is Caruso. This record is valuable. Someday I'll sell it for enough to finance my next trip to Bermuda." If it's John McCormack singing "Mother Machree," probably ditto. If it's John McCormack singing opera, on the other hand, it might well be worth a few dollars; his Irish ditties sold like hotcakes, but the "serious" literature not as much. If it's, say, Caruso singing "Di Quella Pira" from Verdi's Il Trovatore, in excellent condition, and without an "s/8" stamp in the deadwax (meaning it isn't a dubbed issue, as nearly all of this record seem to be), it might be worth quite a bit more, although by no means enough to finance that trip to Bermuda.

Does that help? Hope so! For better info, post us a list.

Graying is usually caused by reusing needles. A well aligned phonograph and a fresh needle won't wear out records. I play brand new records on my Brunswick. They sound fantastic. If I only played beaters on it, I wouldn't be able to appreciate what my machine can do.