Picked up a box of 78s

[Bill]

Bought these in "The Fifty Cent Room" at Double Decker Records in Allentown. 44 records - Ella Fitzgerald - Chick Webb - Cab Calloway - The Ink Spots - Les Paul - Duke Ellington - and more for only a little over 20 bucks. I've got a lot of cleaning ahead of me. I read online that Spin Clean record cleaning solution is safe for 78s because it's alcohol-free. I hope that's accurate. I already cleaned a couple with it and they sound fine.

[Bill]

Picked up these yesterday dixieland jazz and something called "Unlucky Me" that looked interesting.

[Poppajohn]

Be careful about cleaning 78's. Here's pretty much everything you need to know to get started with 78's:

www.videointerchange.com/vintage_78s.htm

[Bill]

Wrote to the good people at spin clean asking if their spin clean solution was safe for cleaning 78's. This was their email back:

"Hello Bill,

Thanks for you inquiry about the Spin-Clean Record Washer and its effect on 78s. You'll be happy to know that the record washer fluid used with the Spin-Clean Record Washer contains no alcohol or any harmful agents, as it primarily consists of water, a wetting agent, and a mild detergent. Therefore, running your 78s through a Spin-Clean system will result in no harmful effects.

Please let me know if you have any questions or need additional information.

Sincerely,
Tim"

[Scott]

Hello everyone. I have some 78's that I got from my brother-In-Laws Aunt when she passed away but I unfortunately do not have the capability of playing them as my Dual Turntable plays only 45's and 33's. Anyone have any idea what a Turntable would cost in order for me to check them out? These are in the original leather bound jackets so not sure if they would be worth any bucks. I've thought about selling them to a collector and found a guy online who buys collectable vinyl. There is a Duke Ellington 4 disc collection that I'd really like to keep and some classical (i.e. Rimsky-Korsakov) that I wouldn't mind keeping also but I also like to be able to play them to see what kind of condition their in. So, I'm basically asking what would be the cost of a table to play them on and if anyone would have any idea if they are of any value or not seeing that they have the leather bound jackets.

Thanks,

Scott

[Bill]

Hi Scott - I paid about $80 for my dual 1019 turntable from a record shop. Crosley makes turntables that play 78s but they are cheaply made tables that don't sound very good and can potentially damage your records. I would guess that you could get a decent table that plays 78s on ebay for about $100-$200. You can also check craigslist. Because the grooves on 78s are wider you will need to get a special stylus to play the 78s such as a Shure N78S. Playing 78s with a standard stylus can damage them. With a little homework I'm sure you can be spinning those records in no time. If you're considering selling them, the 78s that are worth money are ususally older blues, rock and doo-wop. There were some Beatles 78s pressed at one time in India and they are worth a huge amout of money.