The Talking Machine Forum — For All Antique Phonographs & Recordings

The other day on Facebook, I posted a photo of both sides of a Dartmouth College 78 RPM record, "Hail Dartmouth". Within minutes, I received a friends request. I looked at the gentleman's profile, and we were in several of the same groups.

Turns out he is a Grammy nominated professional, who has two other similar records from the same set. And needs this one to complete the set. He plans on using them in a compilation project he's working on.

I reached out to the Library Of Congress. Turns out, this record is indeed rare, and was part of Columbia Records' Personal Series, which received limited regional distribution. The librarian said while they could not assist in ascertaining monetary value, I was provided with a couple of sources to give me an idea.

We settled on a price last night, with the understanding the record will eventually go to the college to be housed in their collection.

Who says 78 RPM records are worthless? It more than paid for the collection of 78's it came in, and has been a very satisfying experience. Now, I face the daunting task of shipping a 78. The hard part!

You will find plenty of suggestions both on this board and on YouTube for how to ship a 78. It's really not all that challenging, it just needs to be done with care.

Just looking at the record, well, it's like I could will it to break. They are so darned fragile. And with all the horror stories of carriers using boxes as frisbees, well, it is somewhat daunting.

Started an accompanying thread on this in "The Parlor".

This has to be "sandwiched" between at least 2-3 pieces of cardboard on each side to keep it from flexing, then wrapped in bubble wrap and packaged in a box which is large enough to leave room on all sides. Pack the box with whatever packing you have - peanuts, shredded paper, newspaper, etc. and it should arrive in one piece.

That's what I did, and thankfully, it arrived at its destination in tact, and in one piece!