The Talking Machine Forum — For All Antique Phonographs & Recordings

Saw this posted on Facebook. Do you think these records are even salvageable? The records at the bottom surely must be cracked, or a least warped. I'm starting to the thing the grooves are being squished flat Considering the sheer quantity of records, there could be some gems if they are still alive.

Martin

Some are surely broken but warped 78's can easily be flattered. Grooves don't generally get squished.

There's really only one way to find out: go and check them out personally.

-Fran

Yes, absolutely. If this were near me I'd easily pay to $200, maybe $250 for it sight unseen. That looks like about 2000-2250 records, and the of the ones at the top of the stack at least two seem to be early 1900s.

bfinan11 wrote:Yes, absolutely. If this were near me I'd easily pay to $200, maybe $250 for it sight unseen. That looks like about 2000-2250 records, and the of the ones at the top of the stack at least two seem to be early 1900s.

I agree.... there appears to be a early Okeh record on top, and so I get the feeling that there are some good early records in these stacks. When I started collecting 30 years ago, I used to buy stacks and got some really great records like Fire House Blues on Columbia Viva-Tonal, Annette Hanshaw “Singin in the Rain”, and McKinney Cotton Pickers “Zonky”.

Let us know what you find out.

Victrolacollector wrote:

bfinan11 wrote:Yes, absolutely. If this were near me I'd easily pay to $200, maybe $250 for it sight unseen. That looks like about 2000-2250 records, and the of the ones at the top of the stack at least two seem to be early 1900s.

I agree.... there appears to be a early Okeh record on top, and so I get the feeling that there are some good early records in these stacks. When I started collecting 30 years ago, I used to buy stacks and got some really great records like Fire House Blues on Columbia Viva-Tonal, Annette Hanshaw “Singin in the Rain”, and McKinney Cotton Pickers “Zonky”.

Let us know what you find out.

I sure will if I pick it up. Its listed at $25, but I'm guessing its either per stack or a placeholder, but maybe not.

Reminded me of this pic : http://www.peggyleediscography.com/p/LeeMasterCount.php

Peggy Lee gazing at yet to be sleeved new pressings at the Capitol plant.

Shellac is pretty hardy in some ways.

The guy selling these records is Walt Smith, the owner of Record Finder (or these days "Recordsmith", I believe). These are all discs he has listed in previous auctions that haven't sold. While I'm not saying there won't be some nice things in these piles, I can promise you aren't going to find any Ma Rainey Paramounts. It's a great way for a beginning collector to get an instant collection and discover what they do and don't like.

Sean

Martin,

Charles here from SC. If you buy these let me know what records you don't want--there's enough of the old acoustics in that stack for me to m-a-y-b-e make a North Carolina trip!

it would be fun to take stack. if the price is right. I never go by the top record but it looks like some nice thick early records, as noted no great blues but really interesting stuff indeed possible. What a great hobby we have in that, with so many records and artists, you could look through stacks and stacks of records and never even really touch the surface what was actually produced....i literally look up artists and songs daily, and have looked through many many stacks