# What to do with 78s **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [April 2, 2012, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-do-with-78s/617603 "2012-04-02T17:23:11Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![jsc1953](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/5daacb/32.png) [@jsc1953](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jsc1953)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2012, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-do-with-78s/617603/1 "2012-04-02T17:23:11Z")
While cleaning out the garage yesterday, preparatory to Moving Day: I discovered that I’d been storing (and moving) my late father-in-law’s collection of 78 rpm records. A few dozen, mostly big band (Benny Goodman “Stompin’ at the Savoy” among them) and Bing Crosby (including “White Christmas”) and others of that ilk. Neatly organized into albums – like photo albums, with a sleeve for each record. There’s one album that would be an “album” by the modern definition – it’s all recordings of Eddy Duchin playing Cole Porter. Seems cool, but completely not useful – I can’t remember the last time I saw a turntable that had “78” as a speed option…much less currently own one of my own. Any suggestions as to what to do with them? ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2012, 5:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-do-with-78s/617603/2 "2012-04-02T17:31:00Z")
Sell them on eBay. Bing Crosby’s “White Christmas” is currently selling at $35. Obviously, condition is a factor here, but there are plenty of collectors who’d love to have these. ---
**Author:** ![jsc1953](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/5daacb/32.png) [@jsc1953](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jsc1953)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2012, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-do-with-78s/617603/3 "2012-04-02T17:36:10Z")
I can’t believe I didn’t think of eBay. :smack: ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2012, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-do-with-78s/617603/4 "2012-04-02T17:39:18Z")
I was going to say “send them to me” until **Reality** ruined it all. I can tell you, though, from bitter experience, that unless the record is truly a scarcity, you won’t get diddly for it. I sold some collectible 33s on ebay, and the only ones that got any real interest were the Mosaic collections and a few scarce single albums. And these were in like-new condition. The other three boxes have been donated to the local jazz station. ---
**Author:** ![bup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/6bbea6/32.png) [@bup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bup)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2012, 5:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-do-with-78s/617603/5 "2012-04-02T17:46:34Z")
“White Christmas” is the best selling record of all time -I have 2 copies on 78. Unless there’s something remarkable about your copy, it’s not worth the shipping. Anyway, if you have country or ‘race’ records you might have real valuable stuff. Swing and crooning, not so much. For a few dozen, your best bet might be to donate them to a local Salvation Army and take the deduction on your taxes. ---
**Author:** ![campp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c5a1d2/32.png) [@campp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/campp)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2012, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-do-with-78s/617603/6 "2012-04-02T17:49:56Z")
Rock, blues, R&B are the winners on 78s. Swing and crooners and sweet bands, not so much, as Chefguy says. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2012, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-do-with-78s/617603/7 "2012-04-02T17:59:38Z")
> [@campp](#): > > Rock, blues, R&B are the winners on 78s. Swing and crooners and sweet bands, not so much, as Chefguy says. I did manage to sell a few of the 45s/extended plays that I have, including Lead Belly and other blues and older jazz artists’ recordings. But most of it was big band and the listing costs were more than the records sold for. Even though the collector’s catalog for LPs lists prices that make your eyes light up, the reality is that the craze is over except for true rarities. ---
**Author:** ![Typo\_Negative](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/typo_negative/32/484_2.png) [@Typo\_Negative](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Typo_Negative)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2012, 6:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-do-with-78s/617603/8 "2012-04-02T18:02:38Z")
Try [http://www.amoeba.com/](http://www.amoeba.com/) ---
**Author:** ![robert\_columbia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e79b87/32.png) [@robert\_columbia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robert_columbia)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2012, 6:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-do-with-78s/617603/9 "2012-04-02T18:34:13Z")
> [@bup](#): > > “White Christmas” is the best selling record of all time -I have 2 copies on 78. Unless there’s something remarkable about your copy, it’s not worth the shipping… I will not buy this record, it is scratched. ---
**Author:** ![jsc1953](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/5daacb/32.png) [@jsc1953](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jsc1953)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2012, 7:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-do-with-78s/617603/10 "2012-04-02T19:26:01Z")
> [@Chefguy](#): > > … the reality is that the craze is over except for true rarities. There was a craze? I missed it! 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Eve](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Eve](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eve)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2012, 7:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-do-with-78s/617603/11 "2012-04-02T19:28:06Z")
Good luck. I had about 1,000 78s, dating from ca. 1900 through the late '40s, and I literally could not give them away. I finally found a collector last year who agreed to come by and pick them up to resell at conventions. My LPs? I have no hope of getting rid of them and will probably–as much as it pains me–put them out with the recycling. ---
**Author:** ![gotpasswords](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c57346/32.png) [@gotpasswords](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gotpasswords)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2012, 8:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-do-with-78s/617603/12 "2012-04-02T20:44:27Z")
The last time I looked, 78s were more often than not being sold by the pound for the usual sort of swing/crooner/foxtrot etc. records that have been stashed away and helping hold houses to their foundations for the past few decades. The number of people who have something to play 78s on along with a desire to acquire more 78s is steadily decreasing. As it happens, I’ve got a Victrola, and we’re getting tired of the same five records. 😛 **Eve** - Hate to say this, but I don’t know of anyone that’s recycling vinyl at curbside. They’re gonna be trash, but you could put them in a box at the curb with FREE written on it, and someone will probably take them. ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2012, 8:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-do-with-78s/617603/13 "2012-04-02T20:49:59Z")
Or if there are still no takers, label it “$10”. ---
**Author:** ![Kim\_o\_the\_Concrete\_Jungle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ee7513/32.png) [@Kim\_o\_the\_Concrete\_Jungle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kim_o_the_Concrete_Jungle)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2012, 9:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-do-with-78s/617603/14 "2012-04-02T21:50:52Z")
It doesn’t matter so much if you can’t find a turntable that does 78rpm. If you want to record them onto your computer, a program like [Audacity](http://audacity.sourceforge.net/) can easily convert between the different speeds, and even clean up some of the noise for you. So really, the only tricky thing is finding a cartridge for the turntable appropriate for mono 78s. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2012, 9:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-do-with-78s/617603/15 "2012-04-02T21:59:09Z")
My father left me a ton of classical 78s, including complete Tchaikovsky ballets. Man, that’s when albums were really _albums._ I have no use for the records, but some of the album covers are really beautiful, and in great shape. So I removed some of the covers and framed them. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2012, 10:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-do-with-78s/617603/16 "2012-04-02T22:30:29Z")
> [@jsc1953](#): > > There was a craze? I missed it! 🙂 There was a revived interest in vinyl by audiophiles, but the market got flooded almost immediately. As I mentioned, some things still sell well. There were bidding wars over the Mosaic sets like [this one](http://www.shop.moneyblows.com/Clifford-Brown-Mosaic-Box-Set-01051101.htm), but that’s partly because they were a limited issue. I recorded it all to digital before selling, of course. ---
**Author:** ![Beware\_of\_Doug](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/278dde/32.png) [@Beware\_of\_Doug](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beware_of_Doug)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2012, 11:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-do-with-78s/617603/17 "2012-04-02T23:19:11Z")
There is a market in 78s, but it’s almost impossible to track. I would guess that it’s probably too small - a couple thousand guys worldwide. (78 collectors are essentially all male.) Besides stuff known to be incredibly rare - classically, Delta blues - the focus seems to be 1920s and '30s jazz and pop stuff that is too obscure to be reissued. Typically the good stuff is sold at mail-order auction, with many of the bigger auctions listing on the internet, and others in specialty magazines. Once WW2 comes along and lots of records start selling again, the stuff isn’t worth so much - it usually sells by the dozen or pound. ---
**Author:** ![jasg](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f0a364/32.png) [@jasg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jasg)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2012, 11:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-do-with-78s/617603/18 "2012-04-02T23:49:43Z")
Anybody want to buy some laserdiscs…☹ ---
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2012, 11:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-do-with-78s/617603/19 "2012-04-02T23:55:45Z")
I saw on a TV program a while ago that there are some incredibly rare and thus valuable records, so it might be worth a check. Which ones are valuable, I could not tell you. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2012, 12:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-do-with-78s/617603/20 "2012-04-03T00:03:02Z")
You might try [Music Stack](http://www.musicstack.com/) to see an approximate value. Make sure you change the parameter box to read “78 RPM”. Also, searching the “completed” items on ebay will give you a really good idea of what you can expect to get. And learn what the grading system is. You can have VG, VG+, VG++, EX, etc. for both the covers and the vinyl. A bad description will get you instant hate in your feedback. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-do-with-78s/617603.md?page=2)