Ted Lewis - My Mama's In Town / The New St Louis Blues, Columbia Viva-Tonal 697D

$

21

Columbia Viva-Tonal from the late 1920s are known to be among the best sounding 78 RPM records with minimal surface noise. And this one is in near mint condition! I haven't played it but I cannot see anything wrong with it. The "Father of the Blues" played by "Mr Entertainment" recorded on a Viva-Tonal.... Nice! I put a premium price on this for good reason... because if it doesn't sell, It's going in my collection!

Columbia 697D

     Ted Lewis & His Band       

My Mama's In Town

W142275=2      

NM

6/3/26      

Hirsch-Panico-Nuzzo

Columbia 697D

     Ted Lewis & His Band

The New St Louis Blue      s

W142276=2

NM

6/3/26

W.C.Handy

I have a large selection of 78RPM records to sell. I am no expert at grading and have not played any of these records (except when noted). I will try to describe the wear and will mention any flaws but please examine the photos carefully to make your own judgement. As with most 78s, they play better on old style phonographs and could use a good cleaning.

My current grading is as follows, based on an article posted by davesrecordbid another by Tim Gracyk and Goldmine

MINT (M) = Brand new condition. Absolutely perfect in every way. Certainly never been played, possibly even still sealed. It would be very rare for me to list a 78 as mint. At the very best I would grade them as near mint.

NEAR MINT (NM) = A really shiny, nearly perfect record. No obvious signs of wear with hardly a mark on it.

EXCELLENT (EX) = Record shows signs of being played but handled by a previous owner who took good care of it. Possibly a few very minor scuffs or scratches on either side but nothing that would affect play. In general, if not for a couple things wrong with it, this would be Near Mint.

VERY GOOD+ (VG+) = Surfaces may show some signs of wear and may have slight scuffs or very light scratches. The label may have some ring wear or discoloration, but it should be barely noticeable. The center hole will not have been misshapen by repeated play.

VERY GOOD (VG) = Groove wear will start to be noticeable, as with light scratches (deep enough to feel with a fingernail) that will affect the sound. Labels may be marred by writing, or have tape or stickers (or their residue) attached. It will not have all of these problems at the same time, only two or three of them.

GOOD+ (G+) = Record will play through without skipping but it will have significant surface noise and scratches and visible groove wear.

GOOD (G) = Record has been played so much that the sound quality has noticeably deteriorated, perhaps with some distortion and mild scratches.

FAIR = Just playable. Only great rarities are worth buying or selling in this condition.

POOR = Record is cracked, badly warped, and won't play through without skipping or repeating Use for target practice or coaster.

BAD = Record is unplayable or might even be broken. Already used for target practice.

I enjoy getting to know all about different artists and will share the info from time to time. I will try to include my sources but they generally come only a few websites: discogs, wikipedia, 78discography for their awesome list of record labels and musicvf for all the Hits!