Graeme Bell & His Australian Dixieland Band 2x SIGNED 78rpm Acetates

	£		60
	$		80

£125 Or best offer - (incl. free UK shipping and the CD) - Shipping outside of the UK carries additional costs.

I have recently added some further detail  (provided by an eBay member) to this description - this additional information is highlighted in BLUE in the description below:

This is a listing for two 12", 78rpm metal acetate recordings of Graeme Bell & His Australian Dixieland Band.  All sides are autographed by the band members.
PLEASE READ ALL INFORMATION BELOW, INCLUDING POSTAGE DETAILS BEFORE BIDDING!

The songs on these two records are labelled: Disc one, side one: "Baxter's Folly - played for Derry Stewart-Baxter and John Wheater" - signed by Ade Monsbourgh, Pixie Roberts, Disc one, side two: "Where the BLOODY HELL is Mary? - played for Mary Stewart-Baxter" - signed by Graeme Bell, Lou Silbereisen, Jack Varney and Roger Bell
Disc two, side one: "Since my best gal turned me down - played for John Wheater" - signed by Graeme Bell, Lou Silbereisen and Jack Varney Disc two, side two: "All the wrongs you've done to me - played for John Van Praagh" - signed by Roger Bell, Ade Monsbourgh and Pixie Roberts
All four songs have "recorded 28th April 1948 in Brighton" on the labels.
There is a bit of a story and detail associated with these recordings, so please bear with me, I'm told it's the sort of thing that excites Jazz aficionados! I purchased these two acetates in early 2014 at a local charity store. It transpires that these recordings belonged to the late John Van Praagh (mentioned on the label of disc two).  John Van Praagh's former wife lives in my town, and she was able to verify that she had donated these recordings to the charity store after his death. 
From what I have deduced, there were only a few copies of these recordings made (seemingly just one copy of each disc for Derry & Mary Stewart-Baxter, John Wheater, and John Van Praagh  - i.e. those who were present at the recording session). 
NB. eBay member 'Hulme1256' informs me that these acetates were reproduced from a 'master recording' soon after the recording session - and following the drummer Russ Murphy returning to Australia on family business (which would explain why his signature is not apparent on the labels).  
Further research has revealed that the recordings belonging to either Derry & Mary or John Wheater were used to master and release a CD in 2000 on the Interstate/Harlequin label (catalogue number HQCD 158). I know that it was not these recordings which were used to master the CD as the liner notes state that one of the discs they used was a 10", and in the rear of the CD booklet, there is an image of a label which is unsigned. As detailed above, all four sides of the two acetates I am selling here are signed by the band members.
These four songs feature on the Harlequin CD as tracks 3,4,5 and 6. For verification of these details, I am including a copy of the Harlequin CD with this sale.
Interestingly, the Harlequin CD release has a discographic/printing error suggesting that these recordings were made on 29th April 1948, not the 28th April 1948 (as Graeme Bell himself confirms on the recording). Furthermore, the CD release correctly gives the title "Where The BLOODY HELL's Mary Gone?", which was incorrectly written on this acetate as "Where the BLOODY HELL is Mary?".
One further, and final point of interest is the apparent recording lengths of "Where The BLOODY HELL..." and "Baxter's Folly" on these discs: On the Harlequin CD, Baxter's Folly runs to 4mins 32secs. On my acetate, it is approximately 4mins 53 secs. I am at a loss as to why, because I cannot detect any editing, and I doubt that my electric 78rpm turntable is that much out of sync!  More significantly, and more easily verified, is that the version of Where the BLOODY HELL... on the Harlequin CD has a shorter spoken introduction to the acetate I am selling here. The 19-20 seconds missing from the CD release is a humorous introduction between Graeme and Roger Bell. The approximate running length of the acetate version is therefore 4mins 30secs, as opposed to the CD edit of 3mins 57secs.
I have not cleaned these acetates since I purchased them for fear of causing them damage, except for a light use of an antistatic brush. My guess is that they would require a delicate touch from a professional or restoration/preservation specialist, so please bear this in mind. I have however played these tracks a dozen or so times using a diamond stylus set-up to avoid damaging them. I would absolutely NOT recommend that they be played with a steel needle gramophone or heavy tone-arm!
N.B. I am aware that these recording have some historical significance, particularly in Australia & to Australian Jazz fans. I understand that the National Jazz Awards in Australia are named after Graeme Bell in recognition of his contribution to the genre.
PLEASE READ THE FOLLOWING BEFORE BIDDING ON THIS AUCTION: PLEASE view ALL the pictures before making an offer or buying at the asking price. I am happy to answer any questions, provided they are asked well in advance of the listing end time so that I have time to respond. This is a no-return sale, so please ensure you are 100% satisfied before buying/making an offer. If you have less than 10 feedback, please message me before buying/making an offer - this is purely to distinguish "time wasters" from those with a genuine interest (Having less than 10 feedback will NOT necessarily be grounds for an offer being declined). I will only post to a registered Paypal or eBay address so please ensure your details are correct as I cannot be held liable for any mistakes. Payment will be required by Paypal within 3 days of the auction ending.
Total packed weight is approximately 1.3kg. Packed size is approximately 54cm x 40cm x 10cm.
DOMESTIC POSTAGE: Postage within the UK is free (Sent via Special delivery, very well packed and insured to a value of £500). Estimated delivery is 2/3 days (MAX).
INTERNATIONAL POSTAGE: These records are listed internationally, and will be sent via airmail so that they spend as little time as possible in the postal system. I will be packing these records very carefully, in a record-specific mailer which will then be packed into a box that is sufficiently large enough to minimise the chance of it being stepped-on.  If the postage costs are prohibitively expensive for you and you wish to arrange collection in person, or for these records to be sent to an intermediary, you MUST message me to agree any such arrangement.   As an indication, the following international postage costs apply: Mainland Europe: £54.60 (Parcel Force Global Priority) insured to £500. estimated delivery is approximately 5-7 days (Max). Australia: £86.75 (Parcel Force Global Priority) insured to £500. Estimated delivery is 7-10 days (Max). Quotes for other destinations are available upon request. I do NOT post to Russia or Asia.
If you are buying internationally and wish to use the above options, please WAIT TO BE INVOICED for the final cost payable after the listing has ended.
Many thanks for reading/viewing. Happy bidding!