The Talking Machine Forum — For All Antique Phonographs & Recordings

I'm looking to add some more selections to my collection, and I am looking for a pretty broad variety of records. I have it listed for reading convenience. If you have any of the following send me a PM. I am on a young man's budget so I can't do anything super expensive (save for some particular ragtime records.) Pick up is preferable (I am in the Hartford area) but I would happily pay for shipping if it is reasonable to do so. I'd be happy to buy whole boxes.

1. Patent label Victor records of any sort (popular and red seal,) so long as it is not religious, Hawaiian, or along the lines of "The Old Oaken Bucket."

2. Ragtime (these I would happily pay more for) played by Arthur Pryor's Band, Victor Military Band, Prince's Band, or anything along those lines. In particular, I am looking for "The Booster Fox Trot" and "Beets and Turnips" played by the Victor Military Band.

FOUND: 3. Caruso and Red Seal Records, preferably patent label, but would also consider batwings and grand prize label records.

4. Billy Murray.

5. 1910s batwing records (popular, red seal, etc.)

Thanks and Happy New Year!
Stephen

Might want to rethink Batwing records--they sound incredible & wear like iron!

Thanks for the clarification, Stephen.

If you're interested in reproductions then please click the link in my signature to see the titles I currently have available.

VanEpsFan1914 wrote:Might want to rethink Batwing records--they sound incredible & wear like iron!

I agree with this. People who owned these machines often had them in use for decades and did not stop buying/ playing records on them because the label changed from when they were first new.

Buy the music you like regardless of the label, otherwise you'll wind up displaying it and dusting it rather than using it.

I play electrical records on my Victor V all the time, although my early HMV No 4 reproducer is my workhorse and the correct round hole Exhibition is just with the machine as it's the original. The sound is just fine.

I've never allowed "era correct" or label to govern what I play on these. Is everybody out of step but me?

gramophone-georg wrote: I've never allowed "era correct" or label to govern what I play on these. Is everybody out of step but me?

Not at all! I play all of my records on my various machines, regardless of label. My VV-X came with a stack of records including many later 20s records. This makes me think that the original owner used it for many years, and why shouldn't we play the same records he/she did on the same machine many years ago?

GregVTLA wrote:

gramophone-georg wrote: I've never allowed "era correct" or label to govern what I play on these. Is everybody out of step but me?

Not at all! I play all of my records on my various machines, regardless of label. My VV-X came with a stack of records including many later 20s records. This makes me think that the original owner used it for many years, and why shouldn't we play the same records he/she did on the same machine many years ago?

I like playing period records on machines that were made within several years of the machine's manufacture. There isn't anything wrong with playing later records on earlier machines, I do it frequently myself, but I like the idea of hearing music that was new when my machine was new. Playing records in this manner gives off a quality that is somewhat like a time machine. Besides, most of the music I like tends to have been recorded between 1908 and 1916, the years when the patent label and early batwings were being pressed.

Stephen

Stephen, that's actually a really neat point of view. Kind of cool! Go for it if you can find the early ones. I like buying them for the titles and I think the labels really look classy.

I only had one machine for a while and became a phonographic omnivore. That was my 1914 Victrola and if there was a phonograph version of Cash for Clunkers I'd be eating ham and eggs off of ten-inch Monarchs. It was my home town's saddest looking phonograph...Hey, I got it going and it's got at least another century left in it.

My 1914 machine has played the last known copy of a 1950s bluegrass 78, before I knew better . You only live once...

The best way to get clean Batwings is go get Red Seals. They usually look mint. Then play them dropping the needle on the last grooves, to break it in, then restart the machine. When I do that, all my records come out with green fluff on them--from my much-Cellotaped 12" Peerless Brand albums, made of green paper. That's fine, not the dreaded black fuzzies of death.