The Talking Machine Forum — For All Antique Phonographs & Recordings

Why is there a popular belief that Caruso records are extremely valuable?

Some are valuable. Just not the ones with a red label that say VICTOR on them.

I don't know why people tend to overvalue them.

Probably the same reason that drives people to severely overvalue old Bing Crosby 78's and Beatles LP's.
It's something old that they recognize. And they're not aware of the record collector mentality of an items popularity generally being the inverse of it's dollar value. Ir was big in it's day, must be worth something now.

(J.M.J.)

I would sell you all the Caruso's you want at my booth at Union for $2 to $4 depending on condition and Grand Prize or Patents labels, a little more collectable. The only red Victor of Caruso that brings more is "Over There", thats one that doesn't show up much, and could maybe be worth $20 to $40 depending on condition. The G & T and some othe early European Caruso recordings are valuable, however, but like hen's teeth, also.

I think the only ones that are extremely valuable are the earliest recordings on the Zonophone label, before G&T/Victor snapped him up as an exclusive artist.

gramophoneshane wrote:I think the only ones that are extremely valuable are the earliest recordings on the Zonophone label, before G&T/Victor snapped him up as an exclusive artist.

Probably:

Zonophone
Pathé
G & T
Victor

In that order of value.

I've have heard before about there being a high demand for Over There. It's a currently popular title. A bit like the Edison (not Caruso) disc of A Cup Of Coffee And Sandwich And You. Otherwise, no other reason for the price to be driven up. It doesn't seem to me like a particularly rare disc. Not even the rarest of his Victor records. by a long shot.

I have a couple of copies of "Over There" (sounds fantastic on my Radiola 47 by the way); I don't think I paid more than $15 each a bit over 5 years ago. Maybe I was lucky.

(J.M.J.)
Yes, that was a good price, depending on condition and if they were the first issue on the single sided Victor red seals, they would bring $35.+ each in E- grade conservative condition.

I've got a couple copies of Over There that I don't think I paid more than about 50 cents for. And they play very well.
Rummage through the Red Seal stacks and they're bound to turn up.

(J.M.J.)
The first edition takes are the valuable ones from circa. 1918, and then condition is more important usually to the opera type collector than most general jazz and blues collectors. They are more apt to pay good money for it if they don't have it, and it includes a Victor Opera nice crickly sleeve with no tears or tape, etc.. It depends on what you want to get but 50 cents is low for this particular Caruso, not some of the others, however, or other singers on red seals.

jnorman111 wrote:(J.M.J.)
Yes, that was a good price, depending on condition and if they were the first issue on the single sided Victor red seals, they would bring $35.+ each in E- grade conservative condition.

Yes, these are the earlier single-side issues and are in E- condition, probably. In my collecting radar, these are equivalent in desirability and value to Paul Whiteman's "Charleston" I think (have a nice copy of that one too! )