(edit) no longer Need HELP knowledge on old 78's

[J-Dub]

just picked up about 100 or more 78's as old as 1904 some possibly older and some appear newer. 1 gramophone 12", 2 Edison discs and about 40-50 12" vinyls.

I am visiting Portland Oregon will be here for about 2 more days and need to try and sell them for a friend before I go but I need your help!!!! I have no clue what they are worth and I don't know if I can trust taking them down to the local record shop.

I tried to google as much info as possible but now I'm just more confused. From what I have found, some could be worth as much as $500 and the rest could be worth a couple of bucks. I need to know what to look for so that I don't get jipped if there are some rare or desirable tracks in the collection.

What do I look for? Is there someone I can talk to who will give me an honest appraisal for the collection? Are there some tracks that I should be aware of that are valuable enough to go digging for.

if you know anything at all about this matter, Please, PLEASE respond as time is of the essence.

I know I can count on the wealth of knowledge here!

Thanks,

Wayne aka J-Dub

[J-Dub]

alright guys and gals,

I have successfully obtained the knowledge necessary to move these recordings.

To those of you curious, I have come to find out that compared to the demand for such items, 78's are relatively common. There are select tracks, labels and genera that MAY have significant demand but it depends entirely on the collector.

I have deduced that it is not worth the trouble to sell the lot of them, as anyone willing to purchase them in that manner will usually be willing to pay 25-50 cents per record. I have also determined that in order to gain any real value, I will have to sort through the entire lot, make a list and let the collectors decide if there is anything interesting enough for them to purchase.

I am happy to say that I have learned a lot through this little endeavor. Although it did surprise me. Being an audiophile, I was astonished at how little I knew about old recordings. My blinders have been keenly concentrated toward high quality recordings on CD and 180g vinyl, not much else.

I think I have now only increased my love of music by learning a little bit more about its history and how far we have come in the evolution of trying to bring a live experience home.

To all of you who enjoy audio and have not had your hands on 100+ year old recordings. Do it! at least once. Wow, what an experience! To imagine what these things have gone through and what trials they have encountered, to survive the brutality of time and eventually make it into your own hands. It's amazing! I immediately had visions of our audiophile ancestors sitting around the house, having conversations with guests, dancing and just flat out enjoying the information printed on these discs. The appreciation of the technological breakthroughs necessary to listen to their favorite track at home. I think we take these ground breaking steps for granted sometimes and now I can only appreciate audio that much more.

Thanks to all of you who have read this thread. I appreciate you taking the time to at least take a step in answering my call for help. I also appreciate that even though no one responded, it just means that the forum here has proved to be that much more respectful and legitimate. I would rather someone be silent than post inaccurate information.

Thanks again, and moderators please feel free to remove this thread if you feel it has no value to our community. Ultimately, it just ended up being a documentation of a milestone in the past, present and future of my experience and love of audio.

Wayne

[ShadowZA]

Kudo's, Wayne! :T

I recall my folks having a few 78's. Thanks for sharing.

[Kevin P]

Cool stuff! I think my Dad used to have a few 78s, not many. Mostly he had LPs of classical music.

I wonder if there are any "modern" turntables that can play 78s.

I remember growing up, phonographs had 4 speeds, 16, 33 1/3, 45, and 78. Soon, 16 disappeared, and a few years later (early-mid 80s), 78 was becoming increasingly rare on TTs. Now most TTs only play LPs and 45s.

[David Meek]

There are some dedicated 78 rpm 'tables out there along with cartridges designed specifically for the faster speed and wider grooves (IIRC). This isn't a complete list, just some I'm aware of.

Turntables:
Project's Xtension
Rega (had one, not sure about current availability)
Thorens TD240

Cartriges:
Grado has several
Rega RB78

[gimpy]

I believe the Audio Technica AT 120(?) will play 78's and the 1200 mk (both relatively inexpensive tt's) Technics (?) can be modded to play them.

And, for what it's worth, I just bought an old (1962) Voice of Music record changer along with about 60 or so, 78's at a local garage sale. I'm waiting on a new stylus and literature for the changer (should be here this next week).

Sorry, J-Dub, that you didn't get any responses before you found out the answers for yourself. But, like you, I am finding out that most records, even real old ones, don't seem to be worth a whole lot on the norm.