Tape Project Forum
General Category => Prerecorded Tapes => Topic started by: jeri on May 19, 2011, 11:04:06 AM
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There is a lot of 56 Barclay Crocker tapes being auctioned on eBay ending May 23:
http://cgi.ebay.com/LOT-56-BARCLAY-CROCKER-CLASSICAL-REEL-REEL-TAPES-/260786515855
All the tapes are moldy, with the amount of mold varying from a little to a lot. The seller says he played three of them on a friends tape machine and they play fine. (Uh Oh. I suppose his friend will eventually have some moldy tapes to sell, too.)
There seems to be a lot of interest in the auction, and bidding is up to $64 already with four days to go.
Can anyone tell me why these tapes would be worth anything? I would have thrown them away. I don't get it.
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Hey Jeri,
For many folks, these tapes would be less than worthless as you've mentioned.
But, for someone who has the time and gear to properly clean them (or is willing to send them to someone who does, such as the guys at A2DX Labs) they can be saved.
For anyone reading this who isn't familiar with the problems involved with mold on magnetic tape, the reels, boxes/inserts, and the tape will breed spores that can infect other tapes. As Jeri mentioned, playing these tapes will also spread the spores onto the tape machine which can infect other tapes played on this machine. Cleaning them is not for the faint hearted and really requires a room that can be disinfected along with a vacuum with a hepa filter (which collects small enough particles to catch the spores). Also, a proper respirator should be used when cleaning these tapes. There is a post in the "Beginners Guide" which has links to the research done at the U of Texas which stands as a reference on treating moldy tapes.
The bottom line is, I'm sure that these tapes were purchased as a lot without knowing that they were moldy. I believe that this auction is the sellers attempt to retrieve some of what he's invested in them. I have to give him credit though, he could just as easily have not mentioned the mold and sold them for much, much more. Kudos to him.
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Some of the reels I've bought has 'musty' smell. Does this mean presence of mold?
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Hey Red,
If you don't see any signs of mold/mildew, it's probably just the box that smells musty. It's always a good idea to vacuum these old boxes and tapes just to minimize any chance of spores, insect eggs etc before you place them on the shelf (maybe a quick wipe of any slick surfaces with a damp rag).
I also put my old tapes in acid free slip covers to protect the covers. This also prevents cross contamination just in case there is a problem. I get them from a guy on eBay and they're pretty cheap.
http://shop.ebay.com/ramblin-jack/m.html?_nkw=&_armrs=1&_from=&_ipg=&_trksid=p3686
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Great idea, thank you.