[78-L] Olde-timmers

[Michael Biel]

When I returned from Moscow I had to pay $100 for an extra bag, but I
figured it only added 25 cents or so to each of the several hundred LPs,
CDs, and 78s I was returning with -- most of which had cost only a few
kopecks or roubles.  But one day in Budapest, Leah and I went apes**t at
my favorite record store and bought at least 150 LPs for only a few
forints each.  We had hoped that the store -- an old established music
store with over a century of history -- could arrange shipping.  But
instead we had to figure out how to get them halfway across Budapest. 
We hoped Peter Fulop might be in his shop or that his workers might be
able to help, but surprisingly nobody there that morning spoke English. 
So we had to fabricate two crude boxes and mail them back.  Only cost
$40 for both boxes, and they arrived in Kentucky safe and quickly.  But
the same stuff would have cost hundreds of dollars to ship from Germany
which seems to have the most expensive postage in the world.  But I
don't really have the energy or stamina for such excursions any more. 
We're hoping the dollar will get stronger again.  I probably will sooner
than it will.

Since I know a lot of you deal with Peter at Mikrokosmos in Canada, let
me mention that almost ever record in his Budapest shop was North
American or British!  He sends all his European records back to Canada
to sell to us, and send all his American finds to Hungary!  And I bet
that most of them got to their destinations in his luggage!

Mike Biel  mbiel at mbiel.com


-------- Original Message --------

From: "Taylor Bowie" <bowiebks at isomedia.com>

Ken Matheson wrote:

>I don’t know how “Olde-timers” evolved from stupid entertainers politics, 
>to Baker, to airline carryon of 78s, but it is for the better. The last 
>time I went to Japan, in 08 a person could carry on 2 items. A computer and 
>one other item. 30 or a few more 78s could be carried on this way. If you 
>could get by with 20 or so 78s in a computer case. That would make 50. If 
>you had 5 pounds of clothing, you could get 100 or so in your luggage. For 
>an extra 50 dollars you could bring an extra 50 pounds. A friend brought 
>back some wooden bowl blanks on a domestic flight. He paid in advance over 
>the internet, and it cost him only 25 dollars for the extra 50 pounds. I 
>don’t know if international flights will allow you to get the online 
>discount, or a person can bring multiple 50 pound packages extra. But That’s 
>still 250 records more or less. A person should research this to see just 
>what it will cost and how to go about it first. There may be even better
> ways. Steven Barr has a good idea.


Well, I'd say "good idea" might be a little bit of an
overstatement...but 
it is an idea. That said, I'll continue to buy records from overseas and

let them get to me on their own, without any thought of flying over to 
wherever to fetch them. No one seems to have taken into account the
other 
expenses of traveling, not to mention the time involved. If cost is the 
issue(as it seems, as always to be, with Mr. Barr) there is no way that 
anyone is going to "save" much money by flying around and picking up
small 
collections of 78s in far-flung places.

Taylor