[78-L] Darren Harte "valuing" 78's tonight on BBC

[Steven C. Barr]

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Andrea Walsh" <petquality1 at gmail.com>
> Sorry guys!  I recorded it online- let me convert it and upload it to my
> box.net account then you can hear it.  I was disappointed, they talked 
> about
> 45's, LP's and Cd's as well as 78s.  But still it was an interesting hour.
>
To make things worse, this seems to exemplify two of the MOST common
fallacies about "collecting" hobbies...ESPECIALLY 78 collecting!

The first is the common myth that 78's (or ANY sorts of phonorecords?!)
have specific and unchanging values which can be looked up somewhere!
This fallacy is based to some extent on collecting coins and stamps; both
have quasi-official "values" which can be looked up in quasi-official guides
(Scott for stamps, and standard works on coins...!). In the current day
and age, as soon as things become widely collected some fundamental
orifice immediately releases the "Official" guide to the supposed "value"
of each and every known example/variety...even freakin' Beanie Babies (TM 
Reg!).
Inevitably, ALL the dommed things rapidly acquire values of $0.00 once the
fad has expired (anybody want "Billy" beer cans cheap...?!)...and some poor
suckers wind up with a basement/attic full of worthless "junque!!"

The second related fallacy is that one "SHOULD" collect only the most
"officially valuable" phonorecords! In 30-odd (some VERY odd) years
of 78 collecting, I have always intentionally avoided "valuable" records...I
think the most I EVER paid for one 78 was $20 (for a c.1930 or so
Brunswick 12" disc with an all-star cast, including the 
Boswells...favourites
of mine!!)!

In fact, the "rarest" 78 I own is a special Radiex disc which seems to have
been issued to promote the fact they are "now electrically recorded!"
Neither the record or its matrices are numbered in existing sequences...and
I have NO idea from whence they emanated! No one I know has ever
seen this record, nor knows SFA about it...?! Cost me $5 from the late
Jim Hadfield...!!

...stevenc