Edison/Tea Tray/Hawthorne & Sheble/Herzog Catalog

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phonogfp
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Edison/Tea Tray/Hawthorne & Sheble/Herzog Catalog

Post by phonogfp »

About 10 days ago I was rummaging through boxes and boxes of "stuff" that had been the property of a man I met in 1992. He was only about 72 at that time, but seemed ancient to me. His primary interest was brass-age automobiles and motorcycles, but he "collected" just about anything that was old and caught his eye. His house, barn, and Quanset hut were just jam-packed with nearly anything you can imagine (including a horse-drawn hearse). Over the years I bought a number of common phonographs from him, but never found the "Edison Catalog" that he claimed to have. On the occasions when I asked if I could see it, he'd shrug his shoulders, wave his arms around his packed barn, and laugh, "If you can find it, you can look at it!" The man and his wife have now passed away and the family is cleaning everything out. Well, about 10 days ago, as I pored through some old magazines in a box, there it was. It had taken over 25 years...

This is a large catalog (9 ⅜" x 12"). The following pages are those with phonograph-related items. The balance of the 71 pages are full of various firearms, ammunition, and sporting goods. (Click twice on an image to enlarge/sharpen it.)
Elmira001.jpg
This catalog, as you can see, was distributed by the Elmira Arms Company, and is a good example of a business offering seasonal items to balance its annual cash flow. Here in western New York State, it gets pretty cold for hunting in the January-February-March months, but that was prime time for the sale of Edison Records.
Elmira002.jpg
Note the artistic license taken in the depiction of the Triumph horn crane, and the seven-panel Gem horn. Frow shows this Gem horn in the 1970 and 1978 editions of (A Guide To) The Edison Cylinder Phonograph.

Here is an offering of horns from the Tea Tray Company and Hawthorne & Sheble. As can be seen on the previous page, Edison was by this time (October 1907) including large flower horns with its Phonographs, and the Elmira Arms Company no doubt saw its aftermarket horn business collapsing.
Elmira003.jpg
Horn cranes from Tea Tray and Hawthorne & Sheble, along with other accessories...
Elmira004.jpg
Various sundries, including the Model D repeater...
Elmira005.jpg
High-end Herzog cylinder record cabinets...
Elmira006.jpg
More upper-range Herzog cabinets...
Elmira007.jpg
Mid-range Herzog cabinets...
Elmira008.jpg
And finally, lower-cost Herzog cabinets...
Elmira009.jpg
Note that Elmira Arms offered only Edison Phonographs (no disc machines), and the only record cabinets in stock were oak. This small city (approx. 36,000 in 1907) in western New York's Southern Tier may not have generated enough demand to keep mahogany Phonographs in stock, and I doubt if the newly-introduced Ideal (later Idelia) was to be found on the premises. Naturally, these luxuries could be special-ordered, and perhaps their absence in this catalog does not rule out their presence in the showroom. The Edison Phonograph Monthly is full of stories of "wide-awake" dealers selling luxury Phonographs in small burgs.

I hope you enjoy this little glimpse into one store's offerings of 112 years ago. (I waited almost that long to find it!)

George P.

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Re: Edison/Tea Tray/Hawthorne & Sheble/Herzog Catalog

Post by fran604g »

"Good things come to those who wait." Congratulations, George, I'm happy you found a treasure in all that.

I did too. :)

Best,
Fran
Francis; "i" for him, "e" for her
"Even a blind squirrel finds a nut once in a while" - the unappreciative supervisor.

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Re: Edison/Tea Tray/Hawthorne & Sheble/Herzog Catalog

Post by Stephen_Madara »

I have a Victor iv that has an Elmira arms company tag that I am restoring. Steve madara
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phonogfp
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Re: Edison/Tea Tray/Hawthorne & Sheble/Herzog Catalog

Post by phonogfp »

Hey, that's interesting, Steve! So many retailers sold Edison plus Victor, I was wondering why Elmira Arms did not. Now I'm wondering when it started selling Victor.

Thanks for posting your tag.

George P.

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Re: Edison/Tea Tray/Hawthorne & Sheble/Herzog Catalog

Post by NEFaurora »

Sweet! Thanks for Posting!

:o)

Tony K.

Edison Collector/Restorer

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