Jerome Tomko
PO BOX 1686 Plains PA 18705-0686 USA
TEL: 570/472-9137 (noon-10PM eastern [NYC] time)
FAX: 570/472-9489 (24 hours)
email me HERE (This email link should bring up an email from you to me. If not, my email address is shown below: )
(NOTE: if your email bounces or you don't get a reply within 48 hours, please try calling or faxing).
Use the "home" link at end of each page to return here; use the link above or at bottom of this page to get back to the "vinyl" site, if you entered from there!
This part of the site was last updated 2/25/10. IMPORTANT: I have listed a large quantity of mostly sealed old store stock tapes from the mid 1960s to early 1970s which were purchased from a closed retail store. There is some amazing stuff in this load, and it's all been stored away for 35 or more years. These are fresh old full-price store stock tapes, NOT resealed cutout bin tapes! NOTE: I have added a new page of sealed BLANK vintage 8-tracks!
IMPORTANT INFORMATION REGARDING THE SEALED TAPES: Read this first! Then scroll down to "MENU" below to access inventory listings. SEALED tapes are graded "SS", see the grading page (link below) for explanation of grades on used tapes.
Regarding the sealed 8-tracks, as with all 8-tracks, if you are going to open and play them, the ones with foam pads will need those pads replaced, most early Lear Jet, early Ampex and some early GRT carts will need roller replacement, and some tapes (mainly RCA...indestructible carts and cheap splice adhesive!) will need their sensing foil respliced. In other words, even though these are NOS / sealed, most will need some restoration to work properly.
I kept several hundred tapes from this load for my collection and I was amazed how well the splices hold up on tapes that have never been played or exposed to an automotive environment, damp basements, hot attics, etc. RCA's aside, I've only had to replace a handful of splices thus far on the ones I kept. YMMV, etc. (Google "Kate's Track Shack" if you need to buy replacement pads or want to have a pro restore your tapes. Sensing foil can be found via companies that sell analog reel tape supplies for the pro / broadcast studio market, and occasionally can be found on ebay. )
IMPORTANT: you can assume all white cartridge Ampex / LearJet 8-track tapes will need roller replacement, unless I state that I have replaced the roller, even for sealed tapes. I know this from experience. No, I cannot see through the box, and I have not secretly opened the tapes to check them and then resealed them with magic 40-year-old shrinkwrap & pricetags. I know this because they used a rubber compound for the rollers which DETERIORATES OVER TIME. This compound was intended, back in the '60s, to be able to survive the harshest northern winters and the hottest southern summers, in a car environment- but it was NOT designed to last 40+ years. So these tapes (and some GRT's circa 1970-71) will need roller replacement. I know 99.9% of you are aware of this so this note is intended mainly for newcomers to the vintage tape hobby. Have fun replacing the metled rollers :) This info applies to the sealed BLANKS as well! You will have to either learn to replace the rollers AND locate junk tapes with good rollers, OR pay somebody to restore them (again, Google "Kate's Track Shack"; I think some Hemmings Motor News auto-radio service advertisers restore tapes as well). Sorry, while I have replaced pretty much every bad roller on the used tapes offered here, I just do not have the time (or the spare rollers) to fix the sealed tapes with bad rollers. I also do not want to open sealed tapes prior to sale as some buyers purchase them as collectibles (i.e. NOT to play them) and these customers want their tapes in NOS sealed condition.
4-tracks will need any foam pads replaced as well, and occasionally foil splices (not every 4-track even has a foil splice, however). Since 4-tracks have no internal pinch roller, there is no roller to need replacing! Vintage cassettes are their own kettle of worms, see the cassette page for further info on cassettes (although I assume pretty much everybody is familiar with cassettes...)
TAPE SHIPPING RATES: Sorry, no more per-order rates for tape shipment. New postage flat rates for tapes as follows. "N/A" means that rate is not available (or costs more for slower service!) at that weight.
Two-tape sets count as two tapes for shipping. If you are ordering a big quantity or also ordering vinyl, I will figure your order by weight so you are not overcharged.
SPECIAL SHIPPING DEALS: for USA tape orders totalling over $100, I will ship via MEDIA MAIL for FREE. Offer does not apply to first class, priority mail, or any orders shipped outside the USA. See the table below for shipping rates for all other orders. I can also ship priority in the USPS "flat rate" priority boxes if this will save you money (see table below). For overseas orders under four pounds weight it will normally be cheaper to use the individual rates, but the Priority rate will give you a tracking number.
USA shipping rates INCLUDE delivery confirmation; insurance is extra and starts at $1.70 for $50 of coverage. Foreign orders under four pounds weight can be registered (for $10.80 extra) but NOT insured; foreign orders of four pounds weight or higher (also any orders sent in Priority boxes) can be insured but NOT registered.
If you are ordering a mix of formats, start with the base rate for the heaviest format (reel > 8-track > cassette) then add items at the "each additional" rates for that specific tape's format. If you want Priority Mail you may also use the available Flat Rate boxes for the quantity indicated if it saves you money. The maximum quantity shown is the most that will fit into the USPS priority boxes (36 8-tracks, 8 reel tapes, 84 cassettes); below the minimum shown, my individual rates are lower.
| Format & quantity | One 8-track | Two 8-tracks | Each additional 8-track | One reel tape | Two reel tapes | Each additional reel tape | One cassette | Two cassettes | Each additional cassette | Priority Flat Rate box, 7-36 8-tracks | Priority Flat Rate box, 6-8 reels | Priority Flat Rate box, 15-84 cassettes |
| To USA, 1st class | $3.25 | N/A | N/A | $3.50 | N/A | N/A | $2.26 | $2.76 | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| To USA, priority mail | $5.85 | $5.85 | $1.00 | $5.85 | $8.25 | $1.50 | $5.55 | $5.55 | $0.50 | $13.95 flat rate | $13.95 flat rate | $13.95 flat rate |
| To USA, media mail | N/A | $2.98 | $0.75 | N/A | $3.33 | $0.75 | N/A | $2.98 | $0.25 | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| To Canada | $2.88 | $5.76 | $2.00 | $4.76 | $8.56 | $2.75 | $1.66 | $2.38 | $1.00 | $29.95 flat rate | $29.95 flat rate | $29.95 flat rare |
| To UK / Europe | $6.40 | $12.30 | $3.00 | $10.30 | $13.90 | $3.75 | $3.00 | $5.40 | $2.00 | $55.95 flat rate | $55.95 flat rate | $55.95 flat rate |
| To Japan / Australia | $6.40 | $12.30 | $3.00 | $10.30 | $13.90 | $3.75 | $3.00 | $5.40 | $2.00 | $55.95 flat rate | $55.95 flat rate | $55.95 flat rate |
I also may be interested in TRADING the tapes listed here and / or BUYING tapes from you. Check the wantlist links below if you have anything to sell to me. I'm pretty much only buying & trading for tapes for my own collection these days so don't get mad if I turn down any of your trade / sale items. I still take vinyl in for resale, of course :)
MENU:
A) ORDERING / TRADING INFORMATION
B) GUIDE TO GRADING & DESCRIPTIONS
C) ITEMS FOR SALE & TRADE (separate links for each category below)
1) Stereo 8-Track Tapes (broken into sub-categories below. Note the new categories for C&W, Easy Listening, Classical, Soundtracks/Original Casts)
Rare Psychedelia /
Garage / Collectibles (rarer rock tapes are found on this page)
Rock
Oldies
Soul & Jazz
Blues
Dollar Tapes
Country & Easy
Listening
Classical, Soundtrack
and Original Cast
3) 4-Track Tapes (carts, not reels)
4) BLANK 8-Track Tapes (also some 4-Track blanks!)
7) Prerecorded Open-Reel Tapes
7) Vintage Hi-Fi (Old tape players, amps, turntables etc for sale. I generally DO NOT buy or trade for gear, except certain turntables, tonearms & cartridges, 4-Track cartridge decks and possibly some Quad items)
D) WANTLISTS (for trades & purchases)
1) Tapes wantlist (generally applies to EVERY format, cassette, 8T, 4T, reels)
2) Records wanted (This
is part of my vinyl site. After entering undergroundalbums.com, scroll down
and cick on the "buy / trade" link on the left-hand menu.)
IMPORTANT: BOOKMARK this page or click on "tapes" link on left-hand menu
to return here from there!
I am a SERIOUS buyer of obscure '60s psych / folk / hardrock vinyl, in case you are selling any. I will pay high prices for many items, but I buy almost exclusively "obscure" groups / artists, imports (i.e., bands who did not get any US releases), etc, NO top-40 '70s "album rock", actually very little of anything after 1972 or so (except weird prog / heavy UK / Euro stuff), NO popular late '70s-1980s artists or "common" used records wanted, sorry. Longwindedness aside, if any of you have access to any large lots of promo records, sealed old store or distributor stock, cutouts, used records etc featuring "unknown" / non-charting artists from 1965-1972 or so, I'm VERY interested.
UNDERGROUNDALBUMS.COM (My main site featuring vinyl LP's, 45's, and a handful of CD's). If you entered this "tapes" site from there, use this link to return. To return to this site from there, BOOKMARK this page OR click on "tapes" link on the left-hand menu.