I just opened what I thought was an ordinary ‘record request’ email a couple of days ago. They are often from Europeans looking for pretty rare items and I imagine they must contact a lot of shops and only get a handful of replies to say no, sorry, that record is indeed incredibly rare. So I was chuffed to read that this Swede was in search of something else.
“Hello,
I collect 45 rpm record adapters.
I wonder if you happen to have some that I can buy?
I attach some photos of what I am looking for.
All colour variation are welcome.
Please send a photo if possible.
Many thanks & Best regards“
This was a ‘do you have’ request that got me thinking a bit and rummaging around in drawers. A bit like watching Antiques Roadshow and thinking you recognise the line drawings of a Lowrie and are positive you have one in your loft. I’ve definitely got one of those somewhere!
He (for it is almost always thus) was after those odd inner plastic bits that fit into the centre of singles. American singles were made with a large centre hole so Jukebox records could find the spindle more easily (among other reasons) and so these adaptors were made by various companies so that us Europeans could play American singles on our record players. In return, UK singles were made with centres that could be popped out for play on US turntables. Numerous companies patented their own design and some have become design classics in their own right. Many are incredibly elegant. Some are chunky. Some also have sticky-out bits that will ruin any records you store them beside and they usually come in black but can be found in all colours. You can appreciate their appeal.
I had a really good look for one of the ones he was after. Not because I thought I could be in for a fortune but because I had actually started a very wee collection of my own a little while back without really realising it. A good record shop will tend to pop these things out to protect the record sleeves from sticky-out-bit damage as I mentioned -and we keep a bag of them under the VoxBox counter for giving away- but the more interesting ones we come across, I put in my inners box at home.
On close inspection, I was surprised to have 5 different types of a certain style of record inner when I had previously thought they were all the same. To imagine Dara O’Brien’s response if he cared enough: “I was shacked to foind dat dey were all different!”. Sorry, I think Mock the Week must have been on in the background when I started typing this.
My modest inner adaptor collection
So to cut a long story short, I didn’t actually have any of the inner adaptors that the Swede was after but you can see the photos of his wanted inners at the bottom of the post. If you have any of them or come across them and are willing to help a collector out, let me know. If you have a massive collection or some unusual ones and aren’t selling to anyone please let me know too – I’m genuinely interested! I was elated to find out there was someone else with a collection. It makes me feel a bit more normal or, ahem… well-centred.
There are hoarding support groups…
http://www.helpforhoarders.co.uk/resources/
http://www.ocduk.org/edinburgh-hoarding-support-group
Here are the inners he is appealing for. Some have names/manufacturers marks on them: Viny Guru, Riccardo, Raydor, Centratore…
Sought after inner adaptors for 45s
PS Some people call them/sell them as “spiders” but I’ve never heard them called that.
PPS In the next post, in the theme of the nuances of collecting, I’ll show you something that a collector of old singles should never ever see for it will drive them crazy. Be afraid…