The Talking Machine Forum — For All Antique Phonographs & Recordings

In alignment with the post "Phonograph Items we have broken", I was going through my collection skimming out records I have not listened to in a long time or do not enjoy.

Halfway through the stack I was reminded of my copy of Ostrich Walk / At the Jazz Band Ball from the ODJB, a personal favourite! Unfortunately, I got it in my first month of collecting, and did not know how fragile 78's were, and when I dropped the record it left a nice chip on both sides. Still plays, just missing about 5-10~ seconds.

I've also broken a 7" Columbia through carelessness, and my father broke an Edison blank by clamping it with pliers.

What about you?

I cracked a Champion record through a drop. Large chip and a crack at 5 o'clock.

I've broken a few records, only a few, in 47 years. I remember vividly the first one I broke, a 12" of the latest Andre Kostelanetz orchestral arrangements in 78rpm, Tea For Two and Sometimes I'm Happy/I know that you know medley, a very beautiful late Columbia recording (December 1950) issued in Spain in 1952 by the Regal label of Gramófono Odeon, EMI subsidiary. In Spain. These were normal shellac not laminated as the US originals. I was young and inexperienced, and carried the record in a plastic bag hanging from my hand... when a wind whirl waved the bag and the record inside against my knee, and the record broke in two halves. It was a pristine copy, acquired from an old record store that still had 1950s stock of 78s left. I glued the two halves together and played it with the galloping horse... until I found another copy many many years later. I still remember the frustration!

I had an Original Dixieland Jazz Band "Tiger Blues", I don't recall if it was an original pressing or a non-US pressing. I had it stored with other 78's vertically (on it's edge) in a box with other 78's. I gently took it out and it broke in my hands, concentrically following the grooves. The only time a record's broken like that for me. And I didn't do anything out of the norm for it to break! These disks may be relatively common in the US, but are extremely rare over where i am.

My cat jumped onto a very good condition 78 Armstrong "Mack the Knife", and dropped it on the floor. Not a valuable disk, and one I've replaced (but not in as good quality). My cat knew she should have listened to me when I told her not to jump up, and looked guilty afterwards, so she didn't get a scolding.

I know I've broken records in the early to mid double digits, The most recent a Madison label disc just coming apart in two as I reached to grab it! My worst was in one day in June 2016, I put some 78s in a bag that just couldn't handle the weight, the handles ripped and a few were broken or cracked just like that! I still save my broken discs just so I know what to Re-buy and replace.

As a small child I was allowed to play with my father's extensive collection of 78s. I try not to think about how many of them I broke, particularly as most of those I broke were among my favourites.

The only 78 I have broken as an adult collector has been a lovely 12" Beniamino Gigli recording, although, technically, I am not certain that it did not just break itself. I set record down gently on the platter of a Dual turntable. It was fine. I started to change cartridges to one more suitable to the record. There was suddenly a loud crack noise, and the record split on one side from the outside edge to the spindle hole. The two sides of the crack were out of alignment. The crack itself was, however, tight with no gap.

As it was one of my favourite records, I glued and clamped the crack up (using the Weldbond technique I learned here) so that the record was playable again. And it was playable again for at least a couple of years (I think). Then one day the crack spontaneously broke apart again, again just sitting there on the turntable platter.

How rare!