My TDK Cassettes Collection

Well, the only information I have is that these were given away as the prizes for sending back TDK stamps (quality assurance mark) from the index cards. I have seen these regularly cut out from used old TDK cassettes I have in my collection. So I assume all Special Sound cassettes came with the boxes. The box is somewhat fragile, so I assume some got destroyed with time and that the sellers only have the cassette. I assume the cassette was sealed inside the box.

My cassette is not sealed (it's used).

On the other note, there was also another prize event from TDK ( I thnk at a later time ) where, if you collect and send the quality assurance mark, you get a gold cassette in a nice blue box. This one is different from the TDK Golden Cassette (I find the TDK Golden Cassette nicer).

 

And an addition - most auctions/listings I saw were for special sound cassettes without the box. The only other case I saw someone selling a used one with the box is someone from Poland and asking A LOT for it (I think around 350 eur). Mine was of course cheaper than that, but it wasn't easy to pull the trigger. If I decide to collect Jazz and Classic variants I think I will buy them used without the box, as they are usually cheaper that way.

But the listings for Special Sound series are rare. The only cassette rarer than that is the Time Editor cassettes. I haven't seen a listing for them ever, new or used.

Edit: I stand corrected. There was one Time editor tape lately sold for a symbolic amount of 280 eur.

 

I know this merchandise coup with the golden cassette in the blue box - i often had to think about buying or not, but i don`t really have room for that. I have a Golden Cassette sealed, and also the Golden SD sealed - that must be enough ;-) And yes, all of the Demo Tapes, i`ve seen, were without seal foil, and prices were about 50 € - too much for me. I would buy a sealed Time Editor 2 for 250 €, if there would be one - the last sold i `ve seen was a Time Editor 1 for 320$ at Buyee ... By the way, i think, the most rare TDK is the first one - the Synchro Cassette - never seen. I only have bought the synchro reel tape from same year 1966, must be the same tape material.

 

Over the months i`ve got some new cassettes, peu-a-peu, now i can post it

and these


i now have added the different cassettes from the 80-s with the TDK typical coloured playtimes for this period - ( i already have `green` for 90 minutes ) - red for 60, blue ( or it`s teal ? ) for 46, beige for 54, and lilac for 120 .
By the way - this seems to be the standard playtimes for this time, there still were no special playtimes for the mainstream tapes.
I was happy to get the testtapes ( the `checking cassettes` also is one ), and there is still one rare - a 76 minutes TDK tape, found in Japan. The blue-white-striped HEAD CLEANER is in a sealed paper box - i only had this in plastic.
And there is one curiosum - the `Calcite`- cassette, i bought it in a couple in Japan, but it seems to be a `handled`tape - the label is new, but not fitting glued, with waves, and only one side, and the cover isn`t original.
May be, the real cassette is a Calcite, but i have no other to compare.
I`ve still got new double head card tapes - later i will post an actualized photo from the "presentation wall" .
And i have a little error in counting the number of the cassettes in the collection - because i count all the multipacks, header cards and so on as `one` ...
So i must have about 700 cassettes in collection.
To be continued

 

Great collection @soluna How long have you been collecting TDK?
Most of my cassette's are TDK, they were shirt sponsor of Ajax in the late 70's early 80's so advertising works.

 

I collect since about 5 and a half year,there`s a little story at the beginning of the thread... I can say , getting 130 cassettes per year. ;-)

 

So. Here now is an update - the full collection new sorted. Have fun.


These are about 660 items - Card Headers and Multi-Packs are counted as one item. There are about 50 placeholders - cassettes without cover foil, little damages or another playtime as 90 minutes ( if there are existing some 90 minutes cassettes in the series, like a KR 60). 20 cassettes are on their way to me, and i`m still looking for about 60 cassettes whose existence i know of.
And there is some TDK merchandise stuff, like portable boxes, note books, card game, key chains and also Corgi and EFE model buses with TDK advertising.
If somebody wants my full catalog as pdf, please PM.
It remains exciting, even though the sought-after cassettes are becoming increasingly rare.
A good day for all

 

Wow @soluna , your collection is admirable!

 

Sorry, but i haven`t found a translation for `Napa Valley` - is this a special declaration for those racks ? All of them i found at the Bay, or the fleamarket version of it, price between 5 - 12 €. Most of them are from cheap wood, spruce, i mean, unpainted,( and there are existing more luxurious version, like lacquered walnut ) and all seem to were manufactured industrially in Germany, especially for storage of cassettes. There are no new manufactured for now, that could be the reason for increasing prices. And you have to pay attention, when buy - some of them are not useful for the cassettes with greater cases, it`s a question of millimeteres. ( notice for me - i have to check the most thin and thick of the cassettes... )
By the way - also the big one ( With the CDings, DATs and measurement tapes ) was declared as `Cassette Rack` - i like it, and this seems to be a DIY made one. Strangely enough here the shipment was more expensive than the price... ))

 

I never have seen a Napa Valley brand on a cassette rack here. And it would make sense, when the N.V. Railroad Company also produces racks and boxes from the forests and woods, they have cleared to make place for the rails. Another esplanation could be, that the cassette racks are a by-product from producing wine racks.

 

Man i love your collection...which ones do you still hunt for? Saw some 'Glay' TDK's on Buyee, do you have that one already?
And in your opening post you're saying that in SuperCDing there are no 90 minutes but i own two SuperCDingI 90 minute tapes(used without wrapper) with two different designs. Both use the same shell though, just different printing.
Or is it just the SuperCDingII that has no 90 minutes?

 

@ Black Fingers - yes , you`re right, but these Super CDings are from 2- or - 3 - cassettes - Packs, edited in 1996/97, and they only came in these packages, not as single cassettes. You can find these packages in my collection. The single editions not included 90-minutes - cassettes. You can have a look here https://www.45cat.com/45spaces/audi...tapes/45m_search.php?sq=TDK+Super+CDing&sm=re
Since longer i look for an single Original TDK Glay - cassette, there are only Multi-Packages, and I found a few cassettes where the owners had added band photos as covers.
Here is a picture from the most important tapes, i`m still looking for...

 

Ah ok right so they were never released as single cassette's...clear
Love it how you framed the NaNa's and Cue's....
I mainly collect used TDK's, found a used white Cue 46 yesterday, also used black IF46...been buying lot of nice used ones lately with clean labels, stickers....like new but without wrapper and 46/50/54/60 are my preferred lengths, love the big hubs (actually have a small collection of big hub tapes)
btw that T2 i rare as f...never seen one....did you find the Syncro already?

 

@ Black Fingers regarding Synchro - Oh, no, it`s on the most wanted list. I found a guy, who had a used one, but he didn´t want to sell. The T1 and T2 were at zenmarket some years ago, the T2 i almost had bought, but somebody was faster... and the T1 was € 320 - too much for me .If it`s now offered for same price - i would flip a coin... And i found some of the merchandise tapes, also Sanrio at Russia, but there now also the last payment option, with Bitcoin, is closed. I think, i somewhere have written, that i want to start collecting some used selected cassettes, but first i have to negotiate deals with sellers of some more expensive tapes, like Alignment, Hello Kitty and Demonstration Metal Tapes.

 

yeah prices are sometimes insane but if its the only ones you're missing i know you might consider it, Synchro i never ever seen in the wild.
Still have about 50 cassettes waiting in JP for me, will ship them in a few weeks...finally found some nice OD-C,SA-C,SD-C,DS,AD-X,AD-S im also on the hunt for ED-C but these are pretty rare even used....nearly have 1st gen, 2nd gen and 3rd gen complete from all series, i like to collect by year.
Also found a Basara but without tape inside, looks like TDK display item, have to see when i have it in my hands...on pics looks like normal shell with screws.....
Next hunt will be Maverick series but these not even popup on buyee only ebay....if you have any doubles or found the correct 90 min length and want to sell the placeholder let me know, i dont care about torn wrapper
btw are Glay CDing or AD2? And indeed the Japanese love to dress up their cassettes...Sony even had special aftermarket J-Cards for their cassettes.....

 

I think, Glay uses both types. Regarding the early tapes - there are still existing some SD from 1967/68 and C-60 on the market - screwed with screw and nut - very rare, and i think, they originally were not sold as sealed. I add picture. And i also need some of the oldest, especially the tapes with the `LN` - print. And i missed one sealed ED from 1972, located in Australia, there`s the problem, that i have to pay customs fees, import taxes calculated with high shipment costs. Next time i will get a KR and OD ( with `made in US ` printed - rar...) . My KR placeholder i then want to sell... And there`s still one tape, i also need - the first D - C90 for the non-asian region ( with the `High Output` - print ) from 1972 sealed - it`s also nothing to find.

 

Yeah the early types are the hardest to find even in used condition. And i think those early ones came in cardboard boxes, have some early Sony C in original cardboard boxes coming my way.
And yes what you're facing is my problem too, shipping costs, tax fees etc.
Last week found a beautiful used 1st gen AUDUA-C90 (+1st gen D-C60) on Tradera. Cassetes itself were cheap, shipping was more expensive and basicly i will pay more tax over shipping costs then the actual product..then ofcourse post carrier will charge atleast 8 euro in handling costs....but trying to find another AUDUA in clean used condition is remdering zero results....so just bite the bullet because when will another show up....
And sometimes i have to get a new one in wrapper because used ones are hardly offered especially in the later models like NaNa....but these have a great wrapper design so no biggie, and i might steal eh borrow you're idea in framing them...looks very sweet!
ow and thanks for that 45cat link, very very helpfull, probably will register over there.

 

...and i thank you for the Tradera-Tip. At ebay there are just sealed Audua, the Original, and the AD - Audua. And there are some early cassettes, came in cardboard boxes, but i have here for example sealed SD-C90 from 1968 in plastic. And Synchro also was in plastic case. By the way, the frames, i have used are older IKEA, i think, i add some more, for example for Hello Kitty...