[78-L] help req on a few 78s (prices or monetary value)

[David Lennick]

A few weeks ago, I took the Louis Armstrong Town Hall Concert and a fair to 
passable copy of the Victor "Hot Piano" set to the CAPS meeting in Toronto. 
Neither is hard to find. Both went for over twenty bucks. Go know.

dl

Glenn Longwell wrote:
> The only book I know about regarding prices of 78s is Les Docks' American Premium Record Guide 1900-1965.
> I've looked at pricing in here as merely a guide.  Many records he says are $5-8 or $8-12 you can get on Ebay for $1-3 and many of them don't even sell for that asking price.  So a price guide is only that - a guide.
> 
> Relevant to this discussion is a small collection of R&B 78's I bought on Ebay.  I paid a little over $2 each for a similar group of artists and labels.  Docks' book had one of the records at $100-150.  A few others were $20-30.  So what is the value of them really?  No one really can hazard a guess except to say they are now worth $2 each since that's what someone (me) paid for them.  I'm sure if they were E+ someone would have bid it up higher, but how much?  So value is exactly what Bill already said - what someone is willing to pay for them.  On any given day who knows what that price may be.  I thought I was "dumping" a small set of 4 records once and found that 2 guys in Japan bid it up to $600. They were the only two bidders and if one of them wasn't taking part they would have sold for $6 and I would have been happy to have them go. You just never know.
>  
> Having said all that I don't want say that Docks' book is useless as I do find it quite useful.  Value is just such a moving target that it's hard to have an authoritative book that can stay up to date. 
>  
> My 2 cents.
> 
> Glenn
> 
> --- On Thu, 2/26/09, P G C <re_p_g_c at yahoo.com> wrote:
> 
> From: P G C <re_p_g_c at yahoo.com>
> Subject: Re: [78-L] help req on a few 78s (prieces or monetary value)
> To: "78-L Mail List" <78-l at klickitat.78online.com>
> Date: Thursday, February 26, 2009, 10:04 AM
> 
> Excuse my English grammar.
> 
> I have noticed that the experts in the list are reluctant to give price
> estimates or any monetary expectations.
> It is understandable, but some newbies like me would like to have  a comment
> with a list of rules, criteria or the like.
> 
> General "finger rules" we call it in Spanish.
> 
> I hope to have passed the concept or idea.
> 
> Also a comment of the more ikely vaue of very common 78rpm bases on the
> condition or preservation.
> 
> As always, a link to some book or article in the web will help.
>  
> Regards, JorgeF. (PGC)
>  __,,,^..^,,,__ 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> ________________________________
> From: William A. Brent <bbrent at pipeline.com>
> To: 78-L Mail List <78-l at klickitat.78online.com>
> Sent: Thursday, February 26, 2009 1:33:27 AM
> Subject: [78-L] help req on a few 78s
> 
> Hi
> 
> A friend dropped off a bunch of 78s and asked the magic question
> "Are these worth anything, they're really old"
> I gave my pat answer - "They're only worth what some one will pay for
> them"
> (at least in terms of dollars)
> 
> 
> Bill