08/06/2023
315 Hundred Years Old Edison Diamond Discs For Sale
Yes, the thick ones. The 1912 Diamond Disc was Edisons answer to Berliners and Victors 78 rpm records. They are about 1/4" (6 mm) thick, consist of a thin coating of condensite (phenolic resin like bakelite) on a core of compressed wood flour, 10" in diameter, and like his earlier wax cylinders vertically cut. They therefore had much less record wear and less distortions and since also the track density was 50% higher lasted 4 1/2 minutes, compared with Victors 3 minutes. Edison called his discs "re-creations" of performances, not just recordings of them.
Content can be classified in series, the most important being:
50000 series: popular music 1912-1922
51000 and 52000 series: popular music 1922-1927, all with paper labels
80000 series: classics 1912-1928
82000 series: premium classics 1913-1928
Artists were Vernon Archibald, George Wilton Ballard, Walter van Brunt, Anna Case, Helen Clark, Glen Ellison, Max Fell's Della Robbia and Harry Raderman's Jazz Orchestras, Frisco Jass Band, Green Bros. Novelty Band, Jaudas' Society Orchestra, Frieda Hempel, Arthur Middleton, Billy Murray, Marie Rappold, Albert Spalding and many many more.
Here is a list of 315 diamond discs for sale. The unique 5-digit record number can be used to search for details like artists, dates, etc. (refs.1,2) and even audio sound clips (youtube).
[b = black condensite engraved, m = same - but only matrix numbers on record, r = number on rim, p = paper label, s = matching sleeve, star = red star on label]. The condition is excellent unless noted otherwise. I could not play them, since I don't have an Edison player right now. An extra of 35 non-matching or generic Edison Diamond Disc sleeves is available on request, too.
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50000 series (Popular Music 1912-1922) (128)
50052 r
50066 r crack
50081 r
50097 m chip
50098 p
50104 r
50127 bs
50141 r
50143 bs
50157 r
50178 r
50181 r
50195 r
50198 r
50216 r
50219 r badrim
50246 r
50248 b
50256 m
50271 r
50288 r
50291 r
50346 r
50351 bs(50722)
50352 r
50354 bs
50397 m
50403 r
50404 p
50409 r
50410 b
50413 bs
50422 r
50428 bs(50596)
50428 m
50428 m
50450 bs
50455 r
50455 m
50455 r
50459 r
50464 p
50478 r
50482 r
50484 r
50485 rs
50486 r
50487 r
50487 r
50489 r
50492 r
50504 m
50507 m
50508 bs
50511 m
50511 ms
50512 m
50514 bs
50514 bs
50528 bs
50534 bs
50544 bs
50554 b
50556 b
50557 b
50557 b
50575 b scratch
50576 b
50582 bs
50583 b
50586 bs
50588 b
50594 b
50598 bs
50600 bs
50608 bs
50614 bs
50648 b
50648 bs
50652 bs
50653 b
50656 bs
50656 b scratches
50658 b
50659 bs
50673 b
50675 b
50675 b
50678 b
50686 b
50689 b
50695 b
50707 b chip
50713 b
50725 b
50732 b
50748 p
50748 p
50766 b
50781 b
50785 b
50793 b
50795 b
50795 b no labels
50805 p
50815 p
50817 b
50827 b
50831 b
50845 b
50845 p
50845 b
50848 b
50851 p
50854 p
50856 p
50860 b
50872 p
50873 p
50874 p
50892 p
50901 p
50913 p
50971 p label: "unfinished sale sample"
50973 p
50980 p
50980 p
50998 p
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51000 series (Popular Music 1922-27) (48, all paper labels)
51004
51012
51035
51049
51049
51049
51074
51077
51079
51087
51106
51111
51126 star
51137
51139
51140
51149
51162 label miss
51169 star
51176 star
51198
51201
51212
51213
51243 star
51245 star
51251
51251
51252
51256 label defect
51279
51284 scratches, label defect
51291 star
51294
51308
51310
51315 star
51372
51453
51459
51500
51500
51540
51564
51624
51634 scratch
51680
52115
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80000 series (Classics, 1912-1928) (93)
80071 m
80071 m
80072 m
80074 r
80084 r
80086 rs
80126 r
80145 p
80162 r
80162 r
80168 p
80171 b
80183 r
80196 m
80207 b
80225 r
80234 r
80253 bs
80258 b
80258 b
80274 p
80277 p
80282 b
80287 r badrim
80290 r
80292 bs
80294 r
80295 r
80297 r
80297 rs
80299 p
80299 r
80299 m
80307 r
80310 r
80313 r
80313 r
80315 b
80322 r
80323 b badrim
80324 r
80326 m
80332 r
80342 p
80343 r
80371 r
80385 r
80385 r
80386 r
80387 r
80390 r
80391 p
80395 r
80396 bs
80410 r
80411 r
80425 m
80434 m
80434 m
80487 b
80499 b
80502 b
80505 b
80506 b
80513 bs
80513 b
80516 b
80544 bs
80547 b
80548 b
80561 p
80579 b
80589 b
80593 b
80623 b
80635 p
80638 b
80650 b
80650 b
80661 p
80677 b
80681 b
80689 p
80700 p
80703 p labels miss
80727 p
80734 pstar
80754 p
80799 p
80771 p
80823 p
80855 p
80871 p
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82000 series (Premium Classics, 1913-1928) (46)
82047 r
82065 rs
82072 m
82132 m
82139 r
82139 rs
82145 r
82145 r
82147 m
82151 m
82152 m
82153 ms
82154 p
82154 b
82155 p
82158 b
82189 b
82190 b
82191 b
82191 b
82191 b
82192 bs
82194 bs
82198 b
82204 p
82204 b
82206 b
82207 b
82207 bs
82219 b
82222 b
82240 b
82249 p
82286 p
82302 p
82307 p
82308 p
82313 p
82316 p
82550 r
82553 r
82553 r
82554 r
82561 bs
82564 p
83063 r
You may cherry-pick a minimum of 20 records for $3 each. Prices are going down, however, the more you buy. Buy them all 315 for $500. Or make me a counter offer. Pickup in Chilliwack is very much recommended. I can ship them too, but one record weighs about 0.9 lbs. Shipping costs are easily estimated with CanadaPost's shipping calculator ( https://www.canadapost-postescanada.ca/cpc/en/tools/find-a-rate.page ): use my postal code V4Z 1K7, your address, length of box = N/4+4 inch (where N is number of records you want), width and height = 12 inch, weight = N lbs. For example to ship 40 records from here to Toronto would cost about $65 (box 14" x 12" x 12", 40 lbs). 8 such boxes would be needed to ship all 315 records.
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ref.1: https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/
ref.2: https://www.discogs.com/
