Show us your Thrift and/or yard sale finds

[handlebar bart]

In its new environment:

Fantastic and it looks right at home

 

[PoohBang]

Really? All splattery like that? Interesting. I'll leave this one as-is. Thanks.

The base on yours is the BEST I've ever seen. :eusa_clap :eusa_clap :eusa_clap

here's another close up...

more on my blog of it.

 

[HarpPlayerGene]

Well I'll be danged, PoohBang.

Looks like I'm going to enjoy your blog - thanks for the link!!

 

[Brinybay]

Got these records a few days ago.

This one came from a garage sale, and is a collection of two records.

Now all I need is a record player. lol

They are in great condition though so I know they'll work.

Are the records in the "Welcome Stranger" set 78s? If so, take them out of the album. No matter how well made they are, those 78 albums put stress on the edge of the records and they get "stress breaks" like in the picture below. Plus a lot of times those old albums get moldy and the mold will damage the record also.

 

[tonyb]

Got this one too. It also could've benefited from the use of a drop cloth at some point in its past life. I'm calling '40s on this one. I used to have one like it years ago but the gooseneck broke so I'm glad to have another. I usually see them in antique stores from $35 to $75. You know me; I paid a little less than that.

Just happen to have this one's twin, minus the reflector/shade, so I found a shade that worked OK with it and turned it into a wall sconce for above an old mirror in my shop, so my in-person victims can get a sense of just how significantly a hat improves their looks ...

And then I also have this one, which came my way complete ...

I got 'em both without handing over so much as a nickel, although I did work for them, and a few other items. Ill health had forced a friend's mother to shut down her antiques/collectibles/old junk store, and I, as a reliable old friend with the additional virtue of having a van, spent many an hour and burned quite a few gallons of gasoline and thousands of calories in the effort. But we got 'er done.

 

[Derek WC]

Are the records in the "Welcome Stranger" set 78s? If so, take them out of the album, it puts stress on the edge of the records and they end up like this the picture below. Plus a lot of times those old albums get moldy.

Yes, they are 78's, thanks for the heads up. How do I store them out of their albums?

Nice record there, by the way. One of my most favorite songs, would it be possible to put a very thin bead of Gorilla glue around it and put it back together?

 

[repeatclicks]

True, but they're cheaper at garage sales.

True also, but I never pay what the seller is asking for on etsy anyway. I always bargain them down.

 

[Brinybay]

Yes, they are 78's, thanks for the heads up. How do I store them out of their albums?

Nice record there, by the way. One of my most favorite songs, would it be possible to put a very thin bead of Gorilla glue around it and put it back together?

If you have a lot of them, one way is to get an old-fashioned metal file cabinet. I found a nice 4-drawer one at Value Village for $15. It holds the 10 inch records perfectly. The 12 inch records won't fit however, I had to leave them in the large milk crate, which is the other method if you only have a few and don't plan to build a collection. Problem with the milk crates is they're tacky-as-all-get-out. Or you can look around on Craigslist for better record holders.

You can find modern acid-free paper sleeves online, or clear plastic ones. I've tried both, the plastic ones are cheaper, but they are harder to handle when looking through the records, they keep sliding around.
http://www.sleevetown.com/78-sleeves.shtml

As far as trying to glue the record, I've heard of methods to do that, but IMHO, unless it's a very rare and valuable collectors item, I don't bother. I get all my 78s from thrift store retail outlets or Goodwill Outlet stores. The latter is my first choice, they're only 10 cents a record, and I've found some real keepers. The retail outlets usually sell them for $1.00 to $1.49. Sounds cheap, but even with my eclectic taste in music, my reject ratio is around 50%, which can add up, so I usually try to stick to the Outlet Stores. That being said, if it cracks or breaks, in the garbage it goes.

I'm going beyond what you've asked, but I wanted to share a couple of tips. Check them carefully for cracks and breaks before you buy them. I do that by very gently twisting them in a couple of different positions. If it has a crack that is recent, it's often hard to see just looking at it. And even then, sometimes I found that they break just transporting them home. Often they're in an album like the one you have. I remove them and check them carefully. If it's one of those plain, unmarked albums, I toss it. They are often so old they act like a magnet for silverfish.

Once I get them home, I hand wash them with a sponge and Ivory dishsoap in luke warm water, trying not get the label wet, dry them off with a micro-fiber cloth, then let them dry overnight in a dishrack.

If you keep an open mind when 78 hunting, you'll be surprised at what you find that you thought you wouldn't like. Here's a good example of one I almost left behind, but turned out to be one of my favorites. Finnish Gypsy music from the 30s. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VePjZktLdnQ

 

[Derek WC]

Hey, thanks for the advice, Next time I'm in town I'm gonna look for a file cabinet like that.

And actually, the Christmas one is a Long Play 33 1/3, what do I do with that one?

 

[HHISIII]

This is my most recent thrift shop/auction find. It's a one off Hugh Mesibov etching-aquatint. Paid $5, similar work in galleries at $2000+

I can't find the pics and they're long gone, but I snagged a pair of 1779 copper plate map prints by Antonio Zatta for $10. Sold 'em to a dealer for $300.

 

[vitanola]

If you have a lot of them, best way is to get an old-fashioned metal file cabinet. I found a nice 4-drawer one at Value Village for $15. It holds the 10 inch records perfectly. The 12 inch records won't fit however, I had to leave them in the large milk crate, which is the other method if you only have a few and don't plan to build a collection. Problem with the milk crates is they're tacky-as-all-get-out. Or you can look around on Craigslist for better record holders.

You can find modern acid-free paper sleeves online, or clear plastic ones. I've tried both, the plastic ones are cheaper, but they are harder to handle when looking through the records, they keep sliding around.
http://www.sleevetown.com/78-sleeves.shtml

As far as trying to glue the record, I've heard of methods to do that, but IMHO, unless it's a very rare and valuable collectors item, I don't bother. I get all my 78s from thrift store retail outlets or Goodwill Outlet stores. The latter is my first choice, they're only 10 cents a record, and I've found some real keepers. The retail outlets usually sell them for $1.00 to $1.49. Sounds cheap, but even with my eclectic taste in music, my reject ratio is around 50%, which can add up, so I usually try to stick to the Outlet Stores. That being said, if it cracks or breaks, in the garbage it goes.

I'm going beyond what you've asked, but I wanted to share a couple of tips. Check them carefully for cracks and breaks before you buy them. I do that by very gently twisting them in a couple of different positions. If it has a crack that is recent, it's often hard to see just looking at it. And even then, sometimes I found that they break just transporting them home. Often they're in an album like the one you have. I remove them and check them carefully. If it's one of those plain, unmarked albums, I toss it. They are often so old they act like a magnet for silverfish.

Once I get them home, I hand wash them with a sponge and Ivory dishsoap in luke warm water, trying not get the label wet, dry them off with a micro-fiber cloth, then let them dry overnight in a dishrack.

If you keep an open mind when 78 hunting, you'll be surprised at what you find that you thought you wouldn't like. Here's a good example of one I almost left behind, but turned out to be one of my favorites. Finnish Gypsy music from the 30s. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VePjZktLdnQ

Twisting a record? I would think that a dealer would be liable to throw you out of his shop!

If it is a solid pressing ('most anything other than a 1908-1950's Columbia or an early 1930's Brunswick disc) just balance the center of the disc on the tip of your index finger and gently tap it. Even the tiniest crack will buzz just a bit.

I know of one serious collector who stores his records in filing cabinets, but then he collects Edison Diamond Discs (which are not subject to the development of half-moon cracks after the inevitable drawer slam, as are shellac pressings) and has nearly unlimited space to store his treasures.

Most advanced collectors have shelves built to store their discs, generally with Masonite dividers every six inches or so. I must myself build another group of shelves to fit my new record room, as i've run out of space, for I've been rapidly rebuilding my collection after my late fire, in which nearly 40 cubic yards of choice 78's were destroyed.

I use the Antique Green sleeves from Bags Unlimited ($187.00/thousand). A good product which has the added advantage of not showing the odd finger mark.

Be careful of cleaning all records with soap and water. Of course this is absolutely fatal to Edison Diamond Discs, but the water can greatly increase the surface noise of shellac records which use wood flour as a filler, particularly some early Berliner and Zonophone pressings, Columbia pressings made between 1910 and about 1923, Grey Gull/Radiex/Madison discs, some early 'twenties Scranton Button Works pressings, red-label Gennett discs, and some other brands on which are occasionally found items of Jazz or Blues interest.interest

 

[vitanola]

Duplicate post

 

[HarpPlayerGene]

This is my most recent thrift shop/auction find. It's a one off Hugh Mesibov etching-aquatint. Paid $5, similar work in galleries at $2000+

I can't find the pics and they're long gone, but I snagged a pair of 1779 copper plate map prints by Antonio Zatta for $10. Sold 'em to a dealer for $300.

THAT'S the way. :eusa_clap :eusa_clap :eusa_clap

 

[HarpPlayerGene]

This one has the exact same base as the one I had years ago on my desk when I was in the advertising biz.

 

[Brinybay]

Twisting a record? I would think that a dealer would be liable to throw you out of his shop!

Not to worry, I don't buy 78s from dealers. I visited one dealer and he had the same kind of stuff I find in thrift stores for 1/10 the price he was wanting. They're not gold.

Most advanced collectors have shelves built to store their discs, generally with Masonite dividers every six inches or so

Sounds nice, but I don't want to get to the point where I'm spending more on storage than I am for the records. I consider myself a just a "casual" collector. I don't buy them for the labels or rarity. I buy them for my own amusement and listening pleasure. I'm interested in mostly jazz and big band, but I have found some novelty records that were quite interesting. Even if I'm not interested in something, I'll try to find a home for it, e.g. I found a U of C Marching Band 78 recorded in 1918 on an old Vocalion label. To make a long story short, I contacted the U of C marching band director and they were thrilled to have it, so I sent it to them.

Be careful of cleaning all records with soap and water. Of course this is absolutely fatal to Edison Diamond Discs, but the water can greatly increase the surface noise of shellac records which use wood flour as a filler, particularly some early Berliner and Zonophone pressings, Columbia pressings made between 1910 and about 1923, Grey Gull/Radiex/Madison discs, some early 'twenties Scranton Button Works pressings, red-label Gennett discs, and some other brands on which are occasionally found items of Jazz or Blues interest.

What do you recommend to clean them with?

 

[Brinybay]

Hey, thanks for the advice, Next time I'm in town I'm gonna look for a file cabinet like that.

And actually, the Christmas one is a Long Play 33 1/3, what do I do with that one?

Not sure what to tell you on that one, I only collect 78s, but my guess is that it's safe in the sleeve since vinyl LPs are far less fragile than 78s.

 

[tonyb]

This one has the exact same base as the one I had years ago on my desk when I was in the advertising biz.

Yeah, they really cranked out these things, if not quite by the millions, at least by the hundreds of thousands, I'd imagine.

 

[vitanola]

Not to worry, I don't buy 78s from dealers. I visited one dealer and he had the same kind of stuff I find in thrift stores for 1/10 the price he was wanting. They're not gold.

Well, another advantage of checking for cracks by gently tapping the disc and listening for the "ring" is that it is much faster when one is sorting through thousands of records. IN addition, if you do run into something really fine on one of the cheap labels of the 'Twenties you are liable to crack the record by the act of gently trying to flex it.

I often buy discs in bulk ( a pickup load or two at a time). I have found that as a general rule a pickup truck load of discs will yield between fifty and seventy-five "keepers". The other discs are shuttled off to a local antique mall, where I offer them for fifty cents a throw, or three dollars a dozen (customer's choice) or ten dollars a hundred (my choice, pre packed in boxes). Any discs that are not in VG+ condition or better are recycled.

Note that it costs me about fifty dollars for materials and less than two hours time to build a shelf unit that will conveniently store and index eleven-hundred records. I suspect that this is less than the cost of a filing cabinet. I certainly know that the "Better Half" would find a shelf unit of oak plywood to be more attractive than a metal filing cabinet!

What do you recommend to clean them with?

Well, most records can be cleaned safely with your solution, certainly any electrically recorded disc, save perhaps the Paramount and the Grey Gull/Radiex/Madison/VanDyke pressings, which one is unlikely to come across in the "wild" so to speak. The Edison Diamond Discs should be cleaned only with 91% Isopropyl Alcohol (rubbing alcohol from the drug store) which is also the cleaner of choice for vinyl 45's and LP's. The hygroscopic discs should be cleaned only with a soft brush or with a record vac.

 

[Brinybay]

Well, another advantage of checking for cracks by gently tapping the disc and listening for the "ring" is that it is much faster when one is sorting through thousands of records. IN addition, if you do run into something really fine on one of the cheap labels of the 'Twenties you are liable to crack the record by the act of gently trying to flex it.

The only ring I would hear is my tinnitus. I have bad hearing, so that method wouldn't work for me.

I often buy discs in bulk ( a pickup load or two at a time). I have found that as a general rule a pickup truck load of discs will yield between fifty and seventy-five "keepers". The other discs are shuttled off to a local antique mall, where I offer them for fifty cents a throw, or three dollars a dozen (customer's choice) or ten dollars a hundred (my choice, pre packed in boxes). Any discs that are not in VG+ condition or better are recycled.

$3 a dozen is about what I sold my reject pile for not to long ago. I had over 300 of them. I don't grade my records. As long as they're still playable, and not cracked or broken, I'll hang on to it if I like it, or try to find a home for it. I never toss them, but I'm careful not to donate them back to the local thrift stores, I try to find a private party to take them. Besides that one Finnish Gypsy music I linked to, I had 5 other Finnish records that I didn't really like, so I looked up the local Finnish-American Society and gave them to the president, she was happy to have them.

I've only come across one or two that were so worn they were not playable, but I've only been collecting them since last March, when I bought my Victrola. I don't have the budget to buy them in the quantity you mentioned, but for a while I was walking out of thrift stores with 20 at a time about once a week. At $1 each and 50% reject ratio, that started to add up, so I quit doing that. I still buy them at thrift stores, but I limit it to just a few.

When you say "recycled", I hope you don't mean they're destroyed. I cringe when I hear of people doing that. Too bad we're not close enough to swap reject piles.

Note that it costs me about fifty dollars for materials and less than two hours time to build a shelf unit that will conveniently store and index eleven-hundred records. I suspect that this is less than the cost of a filing cabinet. I certainly know that the "Better Half" would find a shelf unit of oak plywood to be more attractive than a metal filing cabinet!

I don't have the skills, tools, or shop space to do that. I would have to pay somebody, which would make it cost prohibitive for me. I agree with your "Better Half", I hid my file cabinet in the bedroom closet.

Well, most records can be cleaned safely with your solution, certainly any electrically recorded disc, save perhaps the Paramount and the Grey Gull/Radiex/Madison/VanDyke pressings, which one is unlikely to come across in the "wild" so to speak. The Edison Diamond Discs should be cleaned only with 91% Isopropyl Alcohol (rubbing alcohol from the drug store) which is also the cleaner of choice for vinyl 45's and LP's. The hygroscopic discs should be cleaned only with a soft brush or with a record vac.

Just to be safe, perhaps I'll try the alcohol since it's something that's readily available and I happen to have some on hand.

We've strayed from the thread subject, so just to keep on track, here's a couple thrift store finds I found just last week that I got a kick out of. I may have found another genre of 78s to look for, Children's Records:

The Lone Ranger, Part 1.

The Lone Ranger, Part 2.

 

[vitanola]

The only ring I would hear is my tinnitus. I have bad hearing, so that method wouldn't work for me.



$3 a dozen is about what I sold my reject pile for not to long ago. I had over 300 of them. I don't grade my records. As long as they're still playable, and not cracked or broken, I'll hang on to it if I like it, or try to find a home for it. I never toss them, but I'm careful not to donate them back to the local thrift stores, I try to find a private party to take them. Besides that one Finnish Gypsy music I linked to, I had 5 other Finnish records that I didn't really like, so I looked up the local Finnish-American Society and gave them to the president, she was happy to have them.

I've only come across one or two that were so worn they were not playable, but I've only been collecting them since last March, when I bought my Victrola. I don't have the budget to buy them in the quantity you mentioned, but for a while I was walking out of thrift stores with 20 at a time about once a week. At $1 each and 50% reject ratio, that started to add up, so I quit doing that. I still buy them at thrift stores, but I limit it to just a few.

When you say "recycled", I hope you don't mean they're destroyed. I cringe when I hear of people doing that. Too bad we're not close enough to swap reject piles.



I don't have the skills, tools, or shop space to do that. I would have to pay somebody, which would make it cost prohibitive for me. I agree with your "Better Half", I hid my file cabinet in the bedroom closet.



Just to be safe, perhaps I'll try the alcohol since it's something that's readily available and I happen to have some on hand.

We've strayed from the thread subject, so just to keep on track, here's a couple thrift store finds I found just last week that I got a kick out of. I may have found another genre of 78s to look for, Children's Records:

The Lone Ranger, Part 1.

The Lone Ranger, Part 2.

Brinybay, I fear that I may have not been clear. Alcohol is the cleaner opf choice for vinyl and Condensite (Edison Diamond Discs). It is, however, A SOLVENT FOR SHELLAC, AND WILL DISSOLVE ORDINARY SHELLAC 78'S. PLEASE DON'T ATTEMPT TO CLEAN 78'S WITH ALCOHOL!!!!

Note that VG condition isn't all that good. Shed no tears for my rejected discs!

20 cubic yards of rejects after my fire of March 2009. These were choice discs, gleaned from 2 generations of collecting.