MORTON DOWNEY ON HIT-OF-THE-WEEK/DURIUM- 78 RPM FLEXIBLE CARDBOARD DISC & SLEEVE

$

25

FOREIGN BIDDERS:  Please refer to the information regarding shipping at the end of the Auction Description!

PLEASE NOTE: 78 RPM RECORDS ARE VERY FRAGILE!  THEY MUST BE PACKED AND SHIPPED WITH GREATER CARE THAN LP’s OR 45’s. I TAKE GREAT CARE IN PACKING AND SHIPPING 78’s, USING PLENTY OF CUSHIONING MATERIALS AND STRONG CARTONS TO PROTECT YOUR INVESTMENT AND ASSURE YOUR SATISFACTION. I HAVE NEVER LOST ONE TO DAMAGE IN TRANSIT.

John Morton Downey was born 11-14-1901 and died 10-25-1985 (aged 83). He was always known by his middle name since so many of his near relatives were also named John. Downey's signature sound was a very creamy and very high-timbred Irish tenor from the early 1920’s. He appeared on many national radio broadcasts and recorded for ARC, Hit-Of-The-Week, Decca & Columbia. He owned the Delmonico nightclub in New York.  Television personality Morton Downey, Jr. (John Morton Downey, Jr.) is one of his 5 children.

While the Durium Corporation started in 1929, the first release was not until 1930.  Hit of the Week (HOW) records were sold as periodicals at newsstands alongside newspapers and magazines.  The records featured currently hot songs performed by top artists at a relatively inexpensive price.  The sound quality is surprisingly good: while surface noise is higher than average, the fidelity matches almost anything of the period.  By 1931 it became apparent that even this was too much of an expenditure for most Americans.  The price was raised by 5 cents and an additional song was added, making Durium a pioneer in the long play record attempts.  This second song rarely lasted more than a minute, but it brought total playing time to greater than four minutes.  This effort also failed and Durium Products Company issued its last record in 1932. 

Here I offer an unusual combination of a one-sided Hit of the Week record accompanied by a specially issued “picture sleeve” that matches the record and refers to the title of the record. The title is “Two Loves”. The record # is C-2-3.

The record is a typical “HOW” type record except for the fact it also has a pix of Downey on the paper backing as well as a short blurb. The record can only be described as Near Mint and beautiful. The only possible negative is a slight “dishing” of the record which is all too typical of these paper backed records. I found I could not play test this record as it would not keep spinning on my t/t. It either slipped on the t/t or slowed it to a crawl. The picture sleeve is in generally good to VG condition. The back flap is almost entirely torn away from the sleeve, hanging on by only about 2 inches of paper at the right side of the back. The upper edge is torn, broken and brittle. That being said, keep in mind that it is probably about 90 years old. This record has been stored in an entirely different sleeve to preserve the original. The record and sleeve are maintained in a plastic storage envelope and both will be shipped carefully packed. 

PLEASE READ THE FOLLOWING CAREFULLY! 

PAYMENT:

I only accept payment through PayPal, unless you have made other arrangements with me prior to bidding.

Payment should be made promptly on “Buy It Now” items and should be made soon after your receipt of an Invoice following the end of a regular Auction. However, see below if you are buying more than one item.

SHIPPING:

Domestic (USA) bidders: I will combine items purchased within one week for shipping savings. In the event you are bidding on more than one item or plan to do a “Buy It Now” on more than one item, please do not pay for any single item until I have sent you a combined Invoice for all of your purchases. Letting me know the reason for any delay would be appreciated.

Foreign bidders: I’m sorry, but eBay’s present “Global Shipping Program" rules do not provide for combined shipping. If you want to buy more than 1 item, message me with specifics and I will list them together as a “Buy It Now” and alert you so you can then complete the transaction and all items can then be invoiced and shipped together.