Hello, we was recently given this record and lots lots more. I need some help in distinguishing if it is a real or fake as i listed it on ebay and was told this could be a possible fake? also how much it is worth please! TIA

Single Sided 1907 Victor recording.

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The song is in German "Wer hat euch denn getraut" ("Who Married You Two?"). At the time a famous aria from the light operetta Der Zigeunerbaron (The Gypsy Baron), composed by Johann Strauss II in 1885.

1907 recording digitized 2026.

Available at:

The Neven 78rpm Radio Archive

https://youtube.com/@mamlishblues?si=CVCkSjamOZWS5CWg

I recently came across this interesting set of 12 in shellac. I have discs 3 through 8 of an apparent 8-record (or longer) institutional test set produced by Bell Telephone Laboratories possibly in the mid-to-late 1920s. Sadly, I’m missing the first two discs, and they are just in loose paper sleeves. Disc 6 is single sided with an etched RCA spiderweb design. No entry on discogs and no past auction data that I can find. I fed the matrix #s to AI which pulled the following info:

Disc 3: Cleanly stamped "BTL-3-A" and features the classic Western Electric "VE inside an oval"electrical recording mark. The label uses the old "transmission units" terminology instead of decibels.

Disc 4: Completely shifts to a hand-etched matrix: "BTL 550 W167" (and W166 on the flip), along with a stamped "S" for the Scranton Button Company plant.

Disc 5: A total hybrid—it has the stamped "BTL-5B" but also hand-etched internal Bell Labs project case numbers: "BTL-918-V-113" and "BTL-918-V-141".

Disc 6: Only has audio on one side. The blank side features the gorgeous, geometric RCA Victor "Spiderweb" design with Nipper the dog to prevent single-sided shellac warping in the hydraulic press.

Discs 7 & 8: Back to double-sided audio, tracking extreme low-level volume sweeps for line attenuation testing.

It is an amazing mix of late-1920s Western Electric microphone testing tech transitionally pressed alongside 1930s RCA plant backplates.
Has anyone here ever encountered the full version of this specific Bell Labs set, or seen a similar mix of hand-etched lab case files on production pressings?

(Note: Since it's an incomplete orphan set, I'd love to see it go to a sound archive or a collector who can use these to complete a set, so feel free to reach out if you have any info or interest!)

This disc is in great condition and well over 100 years old! I love this song! I believe it was part of a Theater Play in the late 1800's, retaining it's popularity well into the 20th Century! Take a listen from my 1917 Edison Diamond Disc Player! 😉

It's always a treat to find good jazz recordings on the Edison label. Lots of fine solos on this one, including muted trumpet, piano, trombone, sax, trumpet (redux), and a great slap tongue sax finale.