BLUES WORLD







I am Joel Slotnikoff, publisher of the BLUES WORLD web site. I have been auctioning 78 rpm records since 1995.
During that time I have auctioned tens of thousands of rare records. I buy individual records and entire collections. I also accept records on consignment.

Many people contact me wanting to know the value of their 78 rpm records. The factors that create value are desireablility, rarity and condition. The most desireable categories of valuable 78 rpm records are pre-war blues, pre-war jazz and a few pre-war gospel and hillbilly records. Some of these, especially ones in good condition are worth into the thousands of dollars. There are also quite valuable post-war records of blues and rock and roll. The best publicly available price guide I am aware of is Jerry Osborne's "Rockin' Records." It is available as a book and also as a (paid) weekly internet feed.

Most classical, dance band (1940s) and pop records have very little if any value.

To determine if your records have value you can email me a list. All I need to know is label and artist. If you have a great many records you could start by sending a list of 25 or 50 and that will usually give a good indication if the records have significant value. Of course there can always be on very valuable one in the midst of hundreds of worthless ones. Send your list to joelslot@bluesworld.com and I will be glad to advise you if you are sitting on trash or treasure.

I can assist you in disposing of your collection of blues, jazz and hillbilly 78s, or that of a relative.
I purchase collections outright and also accept records on consignment at favorable rates.

Record sellers who sell their records on eBay have a number of limitations:

1. In any given week (the normal length of an eBay auction) some collectors may be on line,
while others may be busy, tired or otherwise occupied.

2. And some collectors do not have internet or participate in eBay auctions.

3. Many collectors are skeptical of eBay auctions where records are sold by amateur sellers
who do not know how to properly grade the condition of a record.

4. Horror stories abound of records graded "Mint" that turn out to me in much lesser
condition, improperly packaged records that break in transit, and outright rip-offs.

By contrast, my hard copy catalog goes out to hundreds of top collectors in the United States, Europe and Japan.
They have a month to look through the catalog at their leisure and submit their bids.

Buyers are able to view hundreds of records at a time in blues, jazz, hillbilly, gospel and other categories. All their purchases go out in one professionally packed parcel.

My auctions are also featured on my BLUES WORLD web site where tens of thousands of potential buyers can see them.

My grading is highly regarded as accurate, consistent and dependable, so customers know they will get what they paid for, and my grading is unconditionally guaranteed so I have no unhappy customers.

To view a list of the types of records I deal in and the types I do not deal in click here.

Contact me at:

Joel Slotnikoff
Box 21652
St. Louis, MO 63109 USA
Phone (800) 785-5060 (between nine and noon Central Standard Time on weekdays)
Fax (314) 647-2497
E-mail joelslot@bluesworld.com

Please take time to visit the BLUES WORLD website.

When you get there, click on the appropriate square to view the current record auction, including JPEG images of many of the labels from that auction.