2-Clip Edison Standard & 46.5 Brown Wax Cylinders

[Pathe Logical]

An antiques dealer friend of mine called awhile back and asked if I would like to purchase a cylinder record player and some cylinders that were bought from an estate earlier that day. I was told if I wanted it all, I'd get a sweet package deal. Needless to say, I soon got in my car and went to see this friend!

When I arrived at the dealer's house, there sat a very nice, clean, respectable looking, 2-clip Edison Standard (complete with an Automatic Reproducer and shaver). I checked the machine over and was quite satisfied with the the whole thing. The bottom of the case was detached, but that was minor (at least it was still there)! I told myself I needed this machine!

Then I was shown a large, heavy, black, wooden box which came with the machine. This box turned out to be a homemade, double-sided, 48-count, cylinder record carrying case --- containing 46 intact brown wax cylinders (and one still playable half of an Uncle Josh cylinder). All of the cylinders were in boxes, and many of the cylinders were wrapped in what looked to be their original cotton batting and wax paper. 47 of the boxes holding the cylinders were quite unusual in that they had stickers adhered to them from the Kelly Cigar Company of Chicago, IL (six of these stickers had fallen off, and were found in the carrying case along with some loose record slips). One common Columbia cylinder box was also included. Unfortunately, the tops and/or bottoms of each cylinder box have a hole in them --- as the boxes were pierced by the skinny, wooden pegs used in the construction of the carrying case. I'm just happy these interesting, uncommon boxes exist!

I love sweet package deals! I realize this post concentrates more on the unusual, homemade cylinder carrying case and its contents than it does the accompanying machine. There are already plenty of posts concerning Edison Standards on this forum.

I have a question I would like answered concerning one of the record slips (see last picture below) --- What does "T.T.M.Co." stand for???

Thanks for looking,
Bob

[melvind]

Wow Bob, nice find! The records are amazing!

[fran604g]

Fantastic acquisition, congratulations.

Cheers,
Fran

[AmberolaAndy]

PERFECT 1890s machine and records!

[drh]

...
I have a question I would like answered concerning one of the record slips (see last picture below) --- What does "T.T.M.Co." stand for???

Thanks for looking,
Bob

If I had to guess, your answer is here: http://www.tinfoil.com/cm-0203.htm

Great find!

[outune]

Wow! "Stuff" is still out there, yet to be uncovered.. Records and machine very probably have been together since new... I've run across many cylinder boxes with holes in their bottoms-- Never knew until now what the "why" was.

Congratulations on a wonderful find.

Brad Abell

[gramophoneshane]

I've run across many cylinder boxes with holes in their bottoms-- Never knew until now what the "why" was.

The early blue "Blue Amberol" boxes, and some wax "Amberol" boxes were manufactured with a hole in the base.

I put a small hole in the base of "Amberol" boxes without holes, and also in the base of foreign series "Gold Moulded" boxes with the red lid.

It allows air to pass through the hole when removing and replacing the lid, and helps prevent the top disc section of the lid popping off due to air pressure, particularly on lids that are a tight fit.