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Hi all.I have about 100 or so what I believe are called acetates? The 78s that weigh about 2 lbs and shatter if dropped? These were my great grandfathers and I will pass them down when I croak. :). First of all - is there a way to clean these (I don't have a machine but I have a disc washer. They are a bit dusty. But appear in great shape. How much do you think they are worth? Seems like big band. Bing Crosby. Zip adee doo dah and other songs like this. What you think?? I think they are very cool.
After googling I guess these are 78s - I got my terminology mixed up
Edits: 02/11/17Follow Ups:
Hi Tim,
If these records have commercial labels which are kind of like those on Lps but smaller they are what we call shellac and they will break if dropped. Common sizes are 10" for popular music and 12" for classical.
If the records have a coated core discs and a blank label meant to be written on after recording they are probably acetates. I have no idea how to clean acetates.
Shellac records can be cleaned with water and even dish soap if they are very dirty. Do dry them quickly as the labels can be damaged and water can soften the shellac. Absolutely do not use any alcohol on them. Alcohol is a solvent for shellac and is death to shellac records.
78 RPM records most typically have wider grooves than Lps and require a different stylus.
Phil
I wouldn't think that an acetate would shatter if dropped but I did a quick search for acetate 78 rpm record and found that there was a glass core acetate so they might be studio recordings.
Or, I wonder if you have a bunch of homemade records from radio broadcasts. Home recorders were pretty popular back in the 78 days and I think the blanks were acetate.
Any stamped numbers or writing on any of them?
I think these are the shellac 78s that Phil refers to. I did some reading up and it seems as if the big band ... Crosby ... Doris Day type of recordings really aren't worth that much. But jazz and blues do seem to have value. In any case - I don't really care as I wasn't selling anything. I'm just like that. They have all of the sleeves etc. But I need to dust things off.
I have a nice big space that is becoming my music room. I think I will use these with my other records as hopefully a nice diffusive front wall. I'll put them on display in shelves I'm thinking.
If they have paper labels glued to the center of each side that say Decca, Dot,Columbia,Okeh, etc than they are the common 78's of the day and yes, they will break nicely if dropped on a hard surface or even if dropped on their edge on a softer surface. The value of a a good part of them is sentimental but yes, there are some that are collectible and valuable like the jazz ones you mentioned and there's an uptick in value of some 78's from the early big band era too. Depends on the performers and rarity.
Searching E-Bay is a wealth of information on past sales prices and to get familiar with what you have.
Edits: 02/12/17
Very cool.
Yes they are the ones you mention w the record labels. I have a ton of classical albums as well that my son was given from a collector. These are 33s in beautiful shape. I lost my records in a basement flood about 10 years ago. :(. All I have is a philips 777 now. If u can believe it - I think my dad thru out my thorens td-145. I have been searching for it for years. Grrrrrr. You know....is it in the attic....is it in the garage... I even unscrewed a short wall to see if it was behind it as it hid part of a closet. But - my own stupidity for losing track of it.
On a bit of a tangent...
If you'd like to donate or sell some of the jazz or jazz-oriented records, get in touch with my friend Bill Collins at the Sherman Jazz Museum (www.shermanjazzmuseum.com) in Sherman, TX. (They're in the process of re-doing the website, but contact info and some things are there.) The museum has a large collection of jazz records - many of which are on display and can be gently handled, jazz trumpets such as from Harry James, Dizzy Gillespie, and Maynard Ferguson, and related memorabilia, etc. Tell them Dave in Carrollton sent you.
:)
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