Most 78 rpm records are worth approximately $1-5 each, and large boxes of them often sell for well under $1 per disc. Between about 1900 and the late 1950s, record companies pressed hundreds of millions of 78s, and the ones that survive in family closets are mostly the big sellers: classical recordings, dance bands, crooners, Bing Crosby, show tunes and Christmas albums. The records that are worth real money are a small and specific group, mostly pre-war blues, gospel and old-time country on labels such as Paramount, Vocalion, Okeh and Gennett, early jazz, and 1950s rockabilly and rhythm and blues on small independent labels. A few of those sell for hundreds or thousands. The label, the catalog number, the matrix number in the runout and the condition of the grooves decide which group yours belongs to.
Quick answer
- Classical, dance band, crooner and pop 78s usually sell for $1-5 each, often less in bulk.
- Read the label name, the catalog number and the artist, and check for cracks, chips and gray worn grooves.
- Value rises for pre-war blues and country, early jazz, rockabilly on small labels, and clean copies of scarce records.
How to check yours, step by step
- Confirm it is a 78. Shellac 78s are heavy, stiff and brittle, usually 10 or 12 inches across, with wider grooves than a vinyl LP. Most have grooves on both sides and a paper label in the center. A thick disc about a quarter inch deep with "Edison" molded in the surface is an Edison Diamond Disc, discussed below.
- Read the label name. Look at the top of the paper label. Victor, Columbia, Decca, Brunswick, Bluebird and Capitol are the big labels. Paramount, Gennett, Vocalion, Okeh, Black Patti, Champion, Herwin, QRS, Sun, Chess, Modern and many small regional labels are the ones collectors look for first.
- Find the catalog number. This is the main number printed on the label, such as "Victor 23250" or "Paramount 12880". It identifies the release. Some label series are specifically collected, such as the Paramount 12000 and 13000 series, the Columbia 14000-D series and the Okeh 8000 series, which were marketed to Black listeners and include most of the important blues and gospel records.
- Find the matrix number. Look in the smooth area between the last groove and the label, using a raking light. You are looking for a small stamped or hand etched number, sometimes with letters and a take number. This identifies the recording session and helps separate originals from later pressings. Some labels also print it on the label.
- Read the artist and genre. Labels often say "Vocal Blues", "Race Record", "Old Familiar Tunes", "Hillbilly", "Fox Trot" or "Red Seal". Dance band fox trots and Red Seal classical are common. Blues, gospel, string band and early jazz are where the value is.
- Check the condition. Tilt the record under a bright lamp. You are looking for cracks, chips on the edge, and the color of the grooves. Shiny black grooves are good. Gray, dull grooves mean the record was worn by old steel needles.
- Check the sleeve and album. Original company sleeves and albums (the bound books of sleeves that gave the word "album" its meaning) add a little, more for scarce records.
What 78s are worth
The tables give typical ranges for records in clean, playable condition, which collectors call Very Good or better. Badly worn or cracked copies sell for a fraction.
| Type of 78 | Typical labels and examples | Typical value |
|---|---|---|
| Classical and opera | Victor Red Seal, Columbia Masterworks, Caruso and other famous singers | $1-5, albums $5-20 |
| Dance bands and pop, 1920s to 1940s | Fox trots, big bands, Paul Whiteman, Glenn Miller, Guy Lombardo | $1-5 |
| Crooners and pop singers | Bing Crosby, Perry Como, Frank Sinatra, Patti Page | $1-5 |
| Country and western, 1940s and 1950s | Hank Williams, Eddy Arnold, Gene Autry on major labels | $3-15 |
| Mainstream rhythm and blues and rock and roll, 1950s | Fats Domino, Bill Haley on Decca, early hits on major labels | $5-30 |
| Children's and novelty records | Yellow and colored plastic children's records, Disney | $2-10 |
| V-Discs, 1943 to 1949 | 12 inch records made for the armed forces, marked V-Disc | $10-50 |
| Edison Diamond Discs, 1912 to 1929 | Thick discs, played only on an Edison machine | $3-15, scarce artists more |
| Picture discs, 1940s | Vogue picture records with printed images in the playing surface | $30-150, rare titles more |
| Records collectors pay for | What to look for | Typical value |
|---|---|---|
| Pre-war blues and gospel | Paramount, Vocalion, Okeh, Gennett, Columbia 14000-D, Victor 23000 series; artists such as Charley Patton, Blind Lemon Jefferson, Skip James, Son House | $50-1,000, the rarest several thousand and up |
| Old-time country and string bands, 1920s and early 1930s | Gennett, Okeh, Columbia 15000-D, Vocalion, Champion; fiddle bands and lesser known singers | $20-500 |
| Early jazz, 1920s | King Oliver, Jelly Roll Morton, Bix Beiderbecke, early Louis Armstrong on Gennett, Okeh, Paramount | $25-500 |
| Depression era pressings, 1930 to 1933 | Small pressing runs on Victor, Bluebird and others | $20-300 for blues, jazz and country |
| Rockabilly and early rock on small labels | Sun, Meteor and other independent labels, 1954 to 1958 | $50-1,000 |
| Elvis Presley on Sun | Sun 209, 210, 215, 217 and 223 on 78 | Hundreds to a few thousand, depending on condition |
| Doo-wop and rhythm and blues on small labels | Independent labels from the early to mid 1950s | $30-500 |
| Late 78s, 1957 to 1960 | Rock and roll pressed on 78 when 45s had taken over, especially outside the US | $20-300 |
The late 78s deserve a note. By 1958 most American buyers had switched to 45s, so 78 pressings of hits from those years were made in small numbers. A 78 of a well known late 1950s rock and roll single can be worth more than the same song on 45.
Reading the label and matrix
The label tells you what the record is. The matrix tells you when and how it was made.
On the label, look for the company name, the catalog number, the artist, the song title, the composer and a genre line. Paramount labels from the 1920s often say "The Popular Race Record" and name the town of Port Washington, Wisconsin, where the company was based, while the records were pressed in nearby Grafton. Gennett labels name the Starr Piano Company of Richmond, Indiana. Vocalion and Okeh labels changed design several times, and the design helps date a pressing.
The matrix number in the runout is the session number. Collectors use it to confirm which take is on the disc, to tell an original from a later reissue on a different label, and to check discographies. A matrix that does not match the catalog number for an original pressing is a sign of a reissue or a bootleg. Rare blues and Sun records have been counterfeited, so the matrix and the label printing are worth checking against reference photos before anyone pays a premium.
Condition grading for shellac
Shellac collectors use their own grading scale, often written as N (new), E (excellent), V (very good) and G (good), with plus and minus steps, for example E- or V+. In practice:
- E and above. Glossy grooves, little surface noise, no cracks. The prices above assume this.
- V. Light wear, some gray in the grooves, plays with moderate surface noise. Still a good copy.
- G. Heavy wear, gray grooves, loud surface noise. Common records in this condition are nearly worthless. Rare ones still sell.
- Cracks. A hairline crack that clicks once per turn cuts value sharply, often by half or more. A crack that runs through the label usually makes a common record unsellable.
- Chips. A small edge chip that does not touch the grooves is a minor flaw. A chip into the grooves stops the record playing that far.
- Other faults. Label writing, water stains, warps, and lamination cracks on laminated Columbia records all lower value.
The most valuable blues records are so rare that worn copies still sell for serious money. For everything else, condition is what separates a $5 record from a $1 one.
Shipping and storage reality
78s are heavy and fragile. A 10 inch shellac disc weighs about half a pound, so a box of 50 weighs around 25 pounds. Shipping is expensive and records break easily, which is one reason common 78s sell for so little. Sellers who ship them wrap each record, sandwich them between stiff cardboard, and double box them so the records stand upright and cannot shift.
At home, store 78s upright, like books, in paper sleeves, in a dry room away from heat. Stacks lying flat crack the records on the bottom. Attics and damp basements cause warping, mold on labels and brittle shellac. If the collection also includes vinyl, our guide to old vinyl records covers LPs and 45s. Families clearing a house often find records alongside old comic books and National Geographic magazines, and those guides show how the same supply and demand logic applies there.
Common mistakes
- Assuming age equals value. A 1925 dance band record is usually worth less than a 1956 rockabilly 78.
- Pricing from famous names. Caruso, Crosby and Glenn Miller sold in such numbers that their 78s are common.
- Stacking records flat or in hot storage. Cracks and warps destroy value.
- Playing rare 78s on a modern turntable or with a worn stylus. Shellac needs a proper 78 stylus.
- Cleaning shellac with alcohol based record cleaners. Alcohol can damage shellac.
- Dumping a whole collection as one lot before checking labels. One Paramount or Gennett blues record can be worth more than the rest of the box.
- Overlooking late 1950s rock and roll on 78. These are scarcer than they look.
What to photograph
- Both labels, straight on, sharp and evenly lit.
- The runout area of each side under raking light, so the matrix number is readable.
- The playing surface at an angle, showing groove shine or gray wear.
- Any cracks, chips or label damage close up.
- The sleeve or album, front and back.
- For a large collection, the spines or a spread of labels so the mix of labels is visible.
When to get it looked at in person
- A specialist 78 dealer or collector can go through boxes quickly and pick out blues, jazz, country and rockabilly. Many will look at a collection without charge if they can make an offer, typically at 20 to 40 percent of resale.
- A record appraiser charges roughly $50-150 per hour. Worth it for estate division, insurance, or a collection with many pre-war records on the labels named above.
- An auction house or specialist 78 auction is the right place for rare blues, early jazz and Sun records. Collectors of these records bid through dedicated auctions, and commissions usually run 10 to 25 percent.
- Collector groups and discographies can confirm a matrix, take and label variation from photos.
WorthPic reads the label and runout from your photos, names the record and pressing, and estimates a value range, so you can see which discs to set aside before the rest go to a bulk sale.