"The oldest record I have is from 1898."
About six years ago, Austin Parks began to collect historical records. His collection includes a wide range of genres including big band, jazz, ragtime, classical and a little bit of polka.
As for how his passion began, Parks bought one record player that only had 78RPM.
"It became an addiction," Parks said.
It was obvious that Parks takes knowledge about records to the next level, and also lives it.
The oldest record Parks has obtained is from 1898. The record is called "Chief Trumpeter." It's from Theodore Roosevelt's Rough Riders. Due to the age of the fragile record, it's a little muffled.
"The process they used to etch the discs was an acid etching, so the acid would get rid of some high-quality, crisp sound," Parks said.
Despite that, it's still playable.
"This player has only about a minute of playing," Parks said. "I'm very lucky to have a 78 RPM."
What makes it more valuable is that it's signed by a Chief Trumpeter, Emiele Cassie.
Originally, the record was given to him by an old friend.
"He's been collecting for many, many years," Parks said. "Before Christmas, I contacted him because he sells these records every once in a while. I told him I would like to have one to show people the beggingngs of disc records."
A few days later, his old friend sent it to Parks for free as a Christmas present.
When the disc turned on, it sounded like an old-timey radio. Lively sounds emitted from the record.
"It's amazing that these sounds are from over 100 years ago."