FOR SALE: Rare Edison 28,000 Series Blue Amberol, OBT - $75

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Polyphone
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FOR SALE: Rare Edison 28,000 Series Blue Amberol, OBT - $75

Post by Polyphone »

FOR SALE: Edison 28,000 Series Blue Amberol, OBT - $75 plus $3.75 Media Mail postage to any US address; worldwide at cost.

O Happy Day, O Day So Dear by Margaret Keyes, Contralto, E+ OBT (original box and top)

Edison Blue Amberol Series #28176

Based on the box and the cylinder, this must have been a later pressing of the the pre-1915 issue, which would have had a flat edge vs. a bevel and a blue Edison Concert Amberol box with perfectly matched lid vs. the later Blue Amberol box with stamped paper lid. And please correct me if my deductions are off.....I have only had a few of this style of 28,000 Blue Amberol Concert cylinders.

Guaranteed original and a full refund minus shipping if you are not 100% satisfied.

Thanks for looking, Ken
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john9ten
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Re: FOR SALE: Rare Edison 28,000 Series Blue Amberol, OBT -

Post by john9ten »

I'm afraid your deductions may be off. This lid label came off of a different Concert box, one that is rarely seen. It was simply glued onto a late Edison Blue Amberol box. Here is my Blue Amberol Concert box with the lid still affixed. This is not the leatherette covered box, but the incarnation with the word Edison printed in white on a dark blue cardboard tube. It has the original record in it, which is a beveled edge, not flat edge, and was recorded in May 1918.

John Robles
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drh
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Re: FOR SALE: Rare Edison 28,000 Series Blue Amberol, OBT -

Post by drh »

According to Girard and Barnes, this was one of a group of at least four Keyes recorded in 1912. Of those, only one (Old Folks at Home) was issued at that time, as no. 28016 (presumably wax amberol), and it was then reissued as blue amberol 28143; this one evidently never had an issue other than as blue amberol 28176. The composer, by the way, is someone named Goetze.

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Polyphone
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Re: FOR SALE: Rare Edison 28,000 Series Blue Amberol, OBT -

Post by Polyphone »

Hi John,

Thanks for your inputs....it's an interesting thread.

I very well could be incorrect....as there are many variations of Edison cylinders and boxes. I have not seen the box you have...the font and the letter spacing look unique and the dot on the "i" is typically triangular vs round........who knows. Can you post a pic of the box bottom? The early ones had the Edison patent info on the bottom.....as obviously, it was not on the box perimeter.....if there is one thing for sure, Edison protected his patents with a vengeance.

The paper label on Grand Opera and Concert lids is so thin......not sure how anyone could have peeled it off and reapplied it.

There is clear evidence that flat-edge wax amberols and early flat edge blue amberols were later issued with a beveled edge. So my theory is that when Edison jobbers had demand for these recordings long after they were issued, they were reissued with the beveled edge. Also, many of the flat edge BA's had a black plaster core and there reissues were of a white plaster core.

I am sure with you and all of the TMF folks, we can get this figured out.

Best, Ken
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52089
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Re: FOR SALE: Rare Edison 28,000 Series Blue Amberol, OBT -

Post by 52089 »

I have to concur with John on this one. I've only seen 1 or 2 examples of the blue concert box with the white letters, but they are genuine and do indeed have round dots on the "i". I suspect these came much later in the game when Edison was trying to reduce costs wherever possible.

I have found 1 or 2 tops from Concert (and other) boxes loose in box lots. It would not surprise me at all if someone glued a loose top on another box. While it's possible that Edison could have issued this box as shown, I'd find it unlikely. Edison wanted the Concert series and Royal Purple series to be special and (AFAIK) always issued them in special boxes, even if (as noted above), the quality of those boxes suffered towards the end.

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Polyphone
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Re: FOR SALE: Rare Edison 28,000 Series Blue Amberol, OBT -

Post by Polyphone »

Great talking points and thank you for the input.

I will concur if the Edison "standard patent language" info pasted on the bottom of the box. If not, it may have been done by a jobber or???? That font and character spacing is nothing I have ever seen before...........hope we can get to learning the facts about these boxes.

TMF folks, can get some pics of the bottom of the white font Concert box's posted?

Best, Ken

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Re: FOR SALE: Rare Edison 28,000 Series Blue Amberol, OBT -

Post by gsphonos »

Hello everyone!

Ken "polyphone" does have a correct box and lid! In about the early to mid twenties, Edison did away with Royal Purple boxes, concert boxes,etc., unless using up old stock! The lids stayed the same until old stock ran out and then all lids used the standard lid--see the royal purple lid picture. Also, no mention has been made of one of my favorite Edison concert boxes. It was short lived and almost the same as a royal purple box--except it said Concert instead of royal purple.

Hope spelling and sentences are correct here--all typed on my phone!!

Mike Sorter
Edison box collector variation expert!!
Riverside, CA
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52089
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Re: FOR SALE: Rare Edison 28,000 Series Blue Amberol, OBT -

Post by 52089 »

Let me be the first to say - WOW - and thanks for posting those pics. You have some really rare stuff there and I had no idea that most of those even existed!

I've always thought someone should write a book about cylinder boxes. There's far more variety out there than most people think!

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Re: FOR SALE: Rare Edison 28,000 Series Blue Amberol, OBT -

Post by gsphonos »

"I've always thought someone should write a book about cylinder boxes. There's far more variety out there than most people think!"

Funny you should say that, 52089. I have wanted to do so for some time--at least a book/booklet on Edison cylinder box varieties! Just haven't found the time that I need to get it going. I notice an error in my pictures--oops--didn't have my glasses on! In my pictures, I have 28168--flat rimmed cylinder--in the wrong box with lid. It is in the blue box that just says "Edison" in white script on it.

I would say that I have at least 100 DIFFERENT Edison cylinder boxes--if not many more--including Concert (5 inch) cylinder boxes, language cylinder records, Edison blank boxes, etc.

Of course, I love ALL cylinder boxes--as John Robles can attest too! Even though I didn't start collecting until a little over 21 years ago, I had some cylinder records--that I bought at an antique store when I was about 8 years old! I have always loved cylinders.

Happy collecting!

Mike Sorter

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Re: FOR SALE: Rare Edison 28,000 Series Blue Amberol, OBT -

Post by gsphonos »

By the way, I think that John Robles' concert box is the latest Concert cylinder box--although I don't have any proof of this. I am just deducing this based on the fact that it is so simply made--with just the word "Edison" with white script. A cost saving measure! Of course, after this, and late into cylinder production (mid to late 20's), just the regular orange blue amberol box would have been used--with or without the correct style lid--that is saying "Concert" on the lid!

Mike

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