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

[rshirer at neb.rr.com]

Hi all,
I've been lurking in Berlin since January; this time I didn't unsubscribe.

There have been, over the years, quite a few comments here on Les Docks' book and its value or lack thereof.  I agree with Glenn, it has its uses, basically as one dealer's opinion of what things are worth.  He cares a great deal about very scarce blues and early jazz, and, while I wouldn't trust the prices, I think he gives a good sense of relative scarcity of some of these discs most of us will never see.  He knows or cares little or nothing about postwar jazz 78s, which are a particular interest of mine.  One would never know from his book that bebop Blue Notes and Dials are very desirable and scarce or that other regional labels can offer up treasures.  His interest in old rural white music from the twenties and thirties is reflected in ample listings, which, again, may be useful as guides to relative scarcity.

Most here will tell you, properly, that the value is what one collector will pay for a given disc on a given day.  I just came to the email after looking at my usual searches on Oboy.  There I saw that the Almanac Singers Union album has 10 bids on it for $55.00; I sold one on the same venue three or four years ago for about 20 bucks.  My unscientific sense is that prices for records on Ebay have gone down over the last few years, although I stopped selling there 2 years ago or so. (Except of course for the ones people keep outbidding me on).  So, ultimately, all you can do is get a good idea of what is out there, what people seem to be paying, and collect your experience along with your records.
Good luck,
Bob Shirer (from a very soggy Berlin)

---- Glenn Longwell <glongwell at snet.net> 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
> 
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