[78-L] Price's Price

[Steven C. Barr]

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Julian Vein" <julianvein at blueyonder.co.uk>
> Steven C. Barr wrote:
>  > I have NO idea when the frantic desperation of "blues 78 collectors"
>> first appeared...that is a world which I have NO interest in exploring!!
>> Na und...?
> I get the impression that this was related to rock 'n roll collectors,
> who seemed have been the first to hype prices.
>
No...rock ('n'roll) record collectors are/were notorious for being overly 
concerned
about label condition! I once won an original 1935 Billie Holiday Brunswick 
for
$2 + change, simply because the listing (the dealer advertised in Goldmine 
and
sold mostly 45's!) said "paint on label!" The "paint" turned out to be a 
number
placed by a previous owner using white ink or paint...?!

However, serious collectors of original blues 78's (twenties/early thirties) 
are one
TOTALLY obsessed lot...they were known for stuff like going to another
blues-collector's wake, and then smuggling out the best records owned by 
"the
late" other collector; NOT because they wanted to avoid paying for the 
records,
but simply because they wanted to be ABSOLUTELY sure they could own
the disc in question!

These are the folks who bid Robert Johnson originals up in the high 
thousands
on eWotsit...?!

Steven C. Barr