Old Edison Discs

[Hal Allert]

I recently found some old Edison discs at a record sale. They are very thick 78rpm size discs. I was told they would only play on an Edison disc machine due to the way the grooves were carved.

One of the discs is Infanta March played by Gregory with an orchestra accompaniment. The other side is Dixie Medley with the same accompaniment.

The second disc is A Medley of Scotch Airs played by Fred Bacon. The flip side is Connaught Man and a Medley of Jigs played by John J. Kimmel as an accordion solo.

Are there any collectors out there who would be willing to purchase these from me? I don't know the price but we can negotiate for money or other goods. These 2 discs appear to be in pretty good shape.

As a side note, I was also told that these Edison discs were made of paper or cardboard and would swell up if they got wet. Sort of like those compressed sponges you can buy.

[Jody Stecher]

Who is "Gregory" ?  Is he a banjo player?

[Richard William Ineson]

Wm. Gregory was a banjo player, in the 1890s. He wrote L'Infanta which is one of the best marches ever written for the banjo, and also a few other good things like the University Grand Waltz. Unfortunately much of his work remains in A notation or in Mss. so is inaccessible, except to the really determined.

Jody Stecher said:

Who is "Gregory" ?  Is he a banjo player?

[Richard William Ineson]

I've had  a few of these discs but never had a machine on which to play them. I understand that the groves are made on the 'hill and dale' principle,  i.e the needle goes up and down in the groove, instead of the usual 'side to side' movement, they might also start in the middle, my mind is fading fast and I cannot remember exactly. They are certainly very substantial discs.

[marc dalmasso]

Yes , and " California  dance " which is on   the W Talley ' banjo website in the midi jukebox ( except my mistake ) ;

[Trapdoor2]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edison_Disc_Record

I have one of the Brunswick players with a combination (for either vertical and lateral grooves) attachment (both Edison and Pathe used this process). My wife would kill me if I brought home another 78rpm record...there are nearly 2,000 lying around the house at the moment.

[Hal Allert]

What do you propose to do with your collection? How will you keep them from being tossed away when you are gone?

Trapdoor2 said:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edison_Disc_Record

I have one of the Brunswick players with a combination (for either vertical and lateral grooves) attachment (both Edison and Pathe used this process). My wife would kill me if I brought home another 78rpm record...there are nearly 2,000 lying around the house at the moment.

[Trapdoor2]

Depending on her whim, there may be a serious bonfire in the backyard after I'm gone. Banjos and all! ;-)

The reality is that very, very few of my 78's are worth much at all. I collected tunes I liked...not necessarily rare or collectible stuff. Many of them are just barely playable (a function of my financial situation when I bought 'em...$0.25 ea was a lot!).

You can hardly find 78's for sale in antique stores these days...mainly because they're simply not big sellers (sheet music is in a similar way). Ebay is full of 'em and if the music is good, it is often available on CD or as an mp3. Why keep a heavy, old, scratchy record when you can download a clean copy for $0.99?

I hope that Miz Diane has the sense to come visit sites like this when I'm gone and find someone who wants/appreciates all my stuff. I've had similar discussions with other collectors and find no consensus regarding the disposition of paper and or recordings.