RARE 1940s Stephen Foster 78RPM Set – Black Americana Plantation Melodies for Sale

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RARE 1940s Stephen Foster 78RPM Set – Black Americana Plantation Melodies For Sale

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RARE 1940s Stephen Foster 78RPM Set – Black Americana Plantation Melodies:
$4500.00

Museum-Worthy 78RPM Box Set – The Only Known Complete Original on the Market

Discovered in Louisiana and preserved in remarkable condition, this is an authentic first edition 1940s “Plantation Melodies” 78RPM record book set featuring orchestral renditions of Stephen Foster’s most iconic and controversial works, performed by Continental’s Symphonette and arranged by S. Levitch, under the Electric Process of Continental Records (New York City).

This is not the 1970s 33RPM LP reissue listed on Discogs. This is the original 3-disc, 6-side shellac set (C-5025 to C-5027), housed in its original illustrated hardback record book with all sleeves intact. To our knowledge, no other complete copy is currently available for sale worldwide.

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🎼 Track List (Verified from Original Discs):

Disc 1 – C-5025

• Side A: My Old Kentucky Home / Some Folks

• Side B: Gentle Annie / Angelina Baker

Disc 2 – C-5026

• Side A: Come Where My Love Lies Dreaming / Nellie Bly

• Side B: Old Folks at Home (Swanee River) / Oh! Susanna

Disc 3 – C-5027

• Side A: Old Black Joe / O Lemuel

• Side B: I Dream of Jeanie with the Light Brown Hair / Ring the Banjo

All tracks are instrumental orchestral interpretations, arranged and conducted for mid-century release.

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🖤 Historical & Cultural Significance:

Stephen Foster (1826–1864) is often called the “Father of American Music.” His catalog of over 200 songs shaped the early American folk and minstrel traditions—songs that romanticized the antebellum South and later became deeply controversial for their use in blackface minstrel shows. This record set represents a mid-20th-century orchestral reinterpretation of Foster’s most famous and racially charged compositions, capturing the conflicted soul of a young America.

For collectors of:

• Black Americana

• Southern musical heritage

• Minstrel-era reinterpretations

• Stephen Foster artifacts

• Historical 78RPM recordings

This set stands as a rare and valuable cultural time capsule.

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📀 Set Details:

• Title: Plantation Melodies

• Artist/Composer: Stephen Foster

• Performer: Continental’s Symphonette

• Label: Continental Records, New York

• Speed: 78 RPM

• Size: 10” Shellac

• Edition: First Pressing, 1940s

• Format: Box Set with Book and Original Inner Sleeves

• Condition: Excellent (Records, Sleeves, Book Binding)

• Provenance: Found in Louisiana, privately held

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📦 Shipping:

Professionally packed with archival-grade materials. Fully insured with signature confirmation included.

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RARE 1940s Stephen Foster 78RPM Set – Black Americana Plantation Melodies For Sale

RARE 1940s Stephen Foster 78RPM Set – Black Americana Plantation Melodies: $4500.00

RARE 1940s Stephen Foster 78RPM Set – Black Americana Plantation Melodies:
$4500.00