Edison green oak finish

[eighteenbelow]

Hi, everyone. I have two Edison Home A "long box" phonographs, both the later version (i.e. black letter banner on case, not lid), and they have different finishes -- one has the classic green oak, the other a more conventional golden oak (though it's not like a later golden oak finish -- it's closer to the color of honey). I always assumed that the green oak finish was an earlier Edison option, but the serial number on the golden (or honey!) version is about 47,000 lower than the one on the green oak. Am I missing something about how Edison issued serial numbers, maybe? Did they produce green oak and golden oak machines simultaneously? (If so: why?) And, while I know beauty and value are in the eye of the beholder, is one generally considered more desirable than the other?

Oh, and I've attached pictures of each finish, so you can compare them for yourself. The green one is green under the lid; the other one is not.

[zenith82]

My two banner lid Homes (both 1900 manufacture according to George's data) are closer in color to your bottom picture. My banner decal Standards from 1903 onward are the green oak finish. I suspect they updated the cabinet design first, then changed the finish shortly thereafter. Not sure when exactly the change took place other than the cabinet design being modified in 1901.

[FellowCollector]

I always assumed that the green oak finish was an earlier Edison option, but the serial number on the golden (or honey!) version is about 47,000 lower than the one on the green oak. Am I missing something about how Edison issued serial numbers, maybe? {...is one generally considered more desirable than the other?}

As I'm sure you know, swapping entire works from one "banner-decal-on-the-cabinet" Edison Home model A from one cabinet to another is as simple as removing 4 bedplate screws. It's very possible that this is what has happened with the works in your green oak Edison cabinet versus the more commonly found "standard" oak finish one. Any green oak Edison Standards and Homes I have seen over the years have earlier serial numbers than the "standard" oak cabinets. Regarding one cabinet finish being more desireable than the other I would definitely say that the green oak cabinet Edison Home model A and green oak cabinet Standard model A are much more desireable especially if the original green oak finish is very noticeably green. They're much more difficult to find versus the standard oak finish model A's. I can recall way back in September 1990 at the Brimfield, Massachusetts antique shows I happened upon a dealer who had the most intensely GREEN Edison Home model A that I'd ever seen. There was another collector looking at it and haggling with the dealer for a long time and I patiently waited until the collector walked away. I asked if the Edison Home was still available and he said "Yes...but I HAVE to sell it ALONG with that Edison Standard over there {a common model A in the standard oak finish}. Both for $800." I said okay and reluctantly walked away just as the other collector did. But since then I have never seen a more green oak Edison Home! It was stunning.

[eighteenbelow]

Thanks for the feedback. I'm still not clear -- did Edison offer a "regular" oak finish before and/or simultaneously with a green oak finish on their "long case" Home A's?

I can say for certain that my "regular" finish pre-dates my green finish, as I know the provenance of both these machines going back to when they were new, and both still have their original cases.

[martinola]

The Green Oak finish pretty much came with the New Style case from the beginning - right on through to the introduction of the Tall style case of the model B. It's hard to tell much beyond color from your photos. I'd suggest shots of both machines from the front showing the decals and including the bases as well as the bedplates. This would rule out case swapping with a later Tall style or Late Style case. I can tell you that I've seen green oak finishes that were faded so badly as to look rather like the reddish finish you showed. By looking in areas that were protected from light (like under bedplates or other hardware) the finish could be confirmed as green oak. That said, it also looks a bit like a faded mahogany finish. The grain doesn't look very much like mahogany to me, but a wider view possibly would show things that could confirm that. Mahogany Standards don't turn up too often. They were custom order things that were not really part of regular production, so I wouldn't expect to learn much from the machine's serial number beyond when the machine was first sold.

Regards,
Martin

[Lucius1958]

By looking in areas that were protected from light (like under bedplates or other hardware) the finish could be confirmed as green oak.

Regards,
Martin

As the OP noted, there is no trace of green under the lid, or (presumably) inside the cabinet.
From at least my Home, it seems that the green stain was used throughout as standard practice: it would seem unusual if only the outside was stained.

It is still possible, I suppose, that some early "New Style" Homes came out with the old "golden oak" finish, after the black banner decals were adopted: are there any "green oak" examples with the red banner on the base?

- Bill

[TinfoilPhono]

are there any "green oak" examples with the red banner on the base?

Here is one I owned many years ago. It was obviously very green.

[martinola]

As the OP noted, there is no trace of green under the lid, or (presumably) inside the cabinet.

That is another reason that more pictures would help tell the story. I'm thinking the most likely scenario is a case swap or a lid swap.

[JerryVan]

are there any "green oak" examples with the red banner on the base?

Here is one I owned many years ago. It was obviously very green.

That makes me very green too!

[martinola]

I have two Edison Home A "long box" phonographs

Sorry. I had been mentally inserting "Standard" when you were talking "Home". This makes the Mahogany scenario much more likely. Are there 4 metal "studs" on your wooden bedplate frame where the lid would contact the frame? As always, more pictures would help.

Martin