[78-L] Collections, lists

[Steven C. Barr]

From: "J. E. Knox" <rojoknox at metroeast.org>
> 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.
> 
Well, at this point my main consideration is "do I already own this/these 
record(s)...?! So far the answer has been "no" (or more accurately
"I don't THINK so...!). Keep in mind that the main reason I accumulate
all these 78's is "discography"...I just started my edit/correct/update
of the Abrams Files...which will keep me occupied for a while!

Steven C. Barr