1927 Paramount test pressing NORFOLK JUBILEE QUARTETTE

$

362

I'm sorry but I do not ship out of the U.S. However, overseas bidders can participate if they have a U.S. address to which I can ship. You need to email me before bidding. Thanks!

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  I WILL GUIDE THEE (2817-1)   and   SHEPHERD WHERE IS YOUR LITTLE LAMB? (2818-2)   by the Norfolk Jubilee Quartette, no accompaniment   [New York, NY]: Paramount test pressing 12515 with handwritten labels, ca. January 1927.   Beautiful harmonies. Presumably these guys are from Norfolk Virginia. SHEPHERD is more upbeat and rhythmic while GUIDE THEE is slow and mournful.   Paramount test pressing which was a recent antique shop discovery in Birmingham, Alabama. Because of the city in which these test pressings were found, I wonder if there could be some connection between these and the long deceased Birmingham piano dealer HARRY CHARLES who did promo and scouting work for Paramount in the 1920s.   Dixon & Godrich BLUES & GOSPEL RECORDS 1902 -1942, 1963 edition. (2nd edition? blue boards, 765 pages), page 495, wherein they indicate that they had not seen nor heard of an actual copy of this record. They did not even know the master/matrix numbers (much less "takes") which I have supplied above.   The handwritten labels are a little foxed and a lot faded and one cannot read the title on the GUIDE ME side.   The shellac on both sides is somewhat rubbed but both sides still show 60% or more gloss. In addition, both recording jobs are very strong and come across exceedingly well, even with the inherent "hiss" in the New York Recording Laboratories' "B-grade" shellac.   E- on both sides.   This is the last PARAMOUNT TEST PRESSING from my current discovery. I have put out some "feelers" locally to see if any more might be had somewhere but I'm thinking that this might be it for a while.   ++   I grade 78s visually and then aurally, playing them on a decent portable 3 speed mono record player with fairly light weight tone arm, single speaker and with a .3 millimeter 78rpm sapphire stylus. I generally keep the continuous tone control (controls bass to treble with a single knob) tuned about 3/4 of the way away from maximum treble.   I have been packing and shipping valuable 78s since 1962. More expensive 78s will always be double boxed and I try to ship via priority (upgrading to priority at my own expense if the bidding goes way above my minimum) even though ebay makes it impossible to break even on shipping charges when doing so.   That being said, let me go ahead and say that although I realize there is a huge market for blues 78s overseas, I DO NOT SHIP OUT OF THE U.S. under any circumstances (except American military post office boxes) because of severe and expensive (for me) overseas mailing problems from doing so in the past. I just will not do it even though that might mean getting lesser prices for the neat blues & jazz discs I'll be listing during the next week or two (including a decent # of Paramount Test Pressings - mostly in the mid-12000s).   However, if you live outside of the US and can pay via paypal AND have a friend, business associate or re-mail service in the U S to whom these discs could be sent, I will arrange with eBay for you to bid if you will write me ahead of time with the U S recipient's name and address.   ++++++++++++++   (the fine print ... [sigh] ... but please read :-)

WE REGRET WE DON'T SHIP OUT OF USA; SORRY, BUT NO EXCEPTIONS.

SHIPPING is $4.00 via carefully packed, bubblewrap protected media mail. (NOTE THAT MEDIA MAIL CAN BE VERY SLOW - much slower than eBay's thoughtlessly stated 2 to 9 days shipping time - so check the Birmingham postmark upon receipt and you will see that the package was mailed in a timely manner according to stated terms of sale). AT CUSTOMER'S REQUEST AND FOR AN EXTRA CHARGE, shipping may be upgraded to fast boxed priority mail. 

Postal insurance (highly recommended for 78rpm records) is available at my exact cost if wanted by the purchasor.

PAYPAL IS THE MUCH PREFERRED METHOD OF PAYMENT. However, I CAN accept other modes of paying upon local pickup (MON-FRI). Please email me in advance to arrange such payment requests/local pickup or if you have questions. Thanks!

Now that I'm finally offering paypal, please pay promptly:  Winner's payment should reach me within 7 days; eBay wants to be notified of slow- or non-payers soon thereafter so NON-PAYING BIDDER ALERTS ARE FILED ON THE 8th day following the auction IF I'VE HAD NO CONTACT FROM YOU SINCE AUCTION'S END. That gives you just 7 more days to pay without a NPB strike. Delayed? Then email me - I'll try to work with you when necessary but please don't expect me to do so in a vacuum. 

PLACING A BID IS THE ETHICAL EQUIVALENT OF ACCEPTING THESE TERMS. PLEASE DON'T ASK TO ALTER THEM AFTERWARDS. In return, as our feedback clearly shows, we'll get your item(s) to you, as described, in a safe, timely manner. Thanks!

LIMITED LOCAL PICKUP OFFERED: Local pickup (you'll need    C A $ H    in exact change please - there's usually no money on hand with which to make change) available ONLY at my office in the Lakeview area of southside B'ham during office hours Mon-Thursday + Friday mornings. I'm sorry but there is NO WAY to arrange late evening or night time pickups, saturday or sunday pickups, meetings anywhere else, and/or pickups at my home. I need at least one and usually two business days' notice beforehand. Address and other instructions/directions given after you've won an item and contacted me via email. Thanks!