78 rpm Records
 

We've been cleaning out our storage area and I came across many 78 rpm records that had belonged to my father. There are many well-known names such as Tommy Dorsey, Benny Goodman, some Al Jolson, even a Gene Autry. I want to keep a few but really want to get rid of most of them. I've been carting these things around for over 30 years!

Has anyone had any experience in selling these? The little bit of research I've done it looks like they aren't worth that much.

I think the easiest way to price them is to go to eBay, search on "78 rpm records", and then click on "completed listings". That way you can see what individual records have actually sold for. Aside from condition, individual records vary widely in price depending on what exactly they are. For example, a 78 rpm Johnny Cash record sold for $38 on eBay recently.

Condition is everything with records. If these have been stored in a non-climated-controlled area for years, they may be warped or scratched, in which case they will have little or no value. If they are in mint condition, then the research on eBay is worthwhile; you may have a few rare ones that are worth selling individually.

I think you will find the ones with the well known names are not worth much. Rare R&B discs are more what collectors are looking for.

I would do some research before you get rid of anything. My son is always searching for vinyls, especially of jazz players.
Don't just dump them. Try to make some money OR art. If you find they aren't worth much, you can put them on the wall for decoration. Or use the album covers for art.

I was in a flea market today and there was a great big box of 78s marked $1 each. I didn't look through them to see what they were.

I had hundreds from my father's home and called in a collector to see if they were of value. Most are not. If the jacket is perfect or unopened then more value. Because of the volume of records produced they are not scarce. Thus they don't hold value. Often they hold more value to the owner because of memories associated with them rather than the item itself. Be selective, have several collectors look them over and don't feel bad about just getting rid of the "common" low value items. Beatles, excellent condition Elvis and obscure performers in the country, folk and jazz categories do have value. Sometimes the search for the perfect buyer is more time consuming and costly than the sale value of the record. On the other hand I sure learned a lot about the record collecting. :)

My brother sells on Ebay all the time

I bought some from goodwill and used them for party bowls. You put them in the oven and they get hot and then you put them on abowl and shape them and use it for a bowl. Get hit.

My dad owns an antique shop and he has several records that he buys and sells. If you want to get rid of them give me a price and I'll see if daddy wants them.

Good luck. I haven't been able to get rid of the 33's that I have, so I just play them and enjoy.