The Talking Machine Forum — For All Antique Phonographs & Recordings

I posted about a grey looking amberol record I saw on ebay a bit back. It's condition was questionable, but I was so curious about it, that I placed a bid, even though it wasn't the best value. The seller knew very little about it. It was only $8 total, so I wasn't too bothered, and it came with another blue amberol.

Once it came, I could see that it had more of a blue-ish tone to it, but very light. I looked at the grooves, and they were separated in the middle, meaning it had 2 songs. I knew that they were copies of 2 minute cylinder songs onto one amberol cylinder. I've heard about them, but have never seen one before.

One side was in pretty rough shape, and the other was in really good shape. It has a little crack on one end, and a small chip on the other. The parts that look dirty are only stained, so it doesn't noticeably effect playback. The weird part is the inside. It doesn't have plaster, but rather a weathered looking cardboard, and it doesn't really hold onto the mandrel very well.

It has a banjo song and a fiddle song. It's a bit grainy, but the grooves look good, so I think it was part of the original recording.

What do you guys think? Does anyone have any info on it?

It appears to be a 4 minute Indestructible cylinder, not an Edison Blue Amberol... I have one somewhere that has two recordings on it, similar to yours. Indestructibles did not have plaster interiors, but rather a metal ring and some type of composite material inside.

Also, these 4 min. Indestructible records copied or dubbed 2 min cylinder recordings on the 4 min. cylinder. It was a gimmick so the buyer would get two selections for the price of one. I think these records came out about the time of the double sided 78's.
Harvey Kravitz

I believe I have that one, on a regular black 4 min. Indestructible.

Bill

It was manufactured by The Indestructible Record Company, Albany, NY and listed in the discography, Compiled by Major H.H. Annand, Middlesex, England in 1970, listing the American & British Two and Four-minute Cylinders