[78-L] Collections, lists

[J. E. Knox]

Greetings from FixitLand!

Steven C. Barr wrote:

> ...I have already picked up around 100 78's put out as trash in my
> "boulevard surplus" project (as well as several nice winter coats
> and enough chairs to provide me with seating on my verandah!)
> I have also purchased some 20,000 VERY miscellaneous 78's
> via a local dealer; he knows I collect 78's and thus will help
> anyone out who is "stuck: with a lot of 78's...! I have no idea if the
> owner of the 78's gets paid anything; however I usually wind up
> paying a few cents each for large quantities of 78's...!

All that is cool...It's been my experience, though, that when someone  
finds out you're interested in 78s and offers you a lot of records  
(usually sight unseen), your mind imagines box upon box full of  
gorgeous records, each one sleeved, containing wonderful jazz or rare  
big-band (or whatever your preferred genre of music might be). What  
do you actually end up with? Box upon box full of 1940s-era album  
sets of Bing Crosby and other black-label Decca artists, "well- 
loved," sans booklets, with broken and/or missing records, and water- 
damaged or otherwise scarred album covers; several talking-book or  
learn-a-language records (not even 78 speed); seven V----- copies of  
"Near You"/"Red Rose" on Bullet; and lots of that well-known and well- 
disregarded organ player who claims you can't be true, dear.

But hey...I once found a fairly nice 1963 silver dime in the bottom  
of an album pocket. And someone gave me an album of 78s that had a  
copy of Victor 23008 (Bix Beiderbecke) in it.

Take care,


Joe
--
"It is a matter to gain the affection of a cat. He is a philosophical  
animal, tenacious of his own habits, fond of order and neatness, and  
disinclined to extravagant sentiment. He will be your friend, if he  
finds you worthy of friendship, but not your slave."--Theophile  
Gautier (1811-1872), French poet