The Talking Machine Forum — For All Antique Phonographs & Recordings

A nice Craigslist find, a vintage cylinder record cabinet that holds 35 records on each of 4 drawers, 140 records total. It also had a skeleton key that works correctly. All but 5 or 6 clips were present. I've done some superficial dusting and vacuuming, but it will need some Howards to be a bit more presentable. Can anyone supply info about make, model, year, etc.? It does have a dealer tag from a sporting goods store in Boston.

Also, it had 140 decent Blue Amberols inside, all in boxes, but no lids. Tons of hymns and "mother" songs, as you'd expect, but also a bunch of Christmas cylinders, 1 Royal Purple, and 2 Concerts. Also about 20 or so of the little folders that came with the early BAs. No 5000's (In fact only 1 above 4000), only 1 Murray, and only 1 Collins and Harlan. I suspect this was a very "serious" person who got a few comedy cylinders as a gift on occasion.

The Amberola 50 did not come with the cabinet, but it fits quite nicely on top so it will live there for a while.

Wow, Sweet case.

I know Iver Johnson real well. They only really made two things majorly for years in the original company..1871-1941...bicycles and hand guns, with handguns being most popular to directly compete. copy and undersell Smith and Wesson's topbreak revolvers. It was not so much as a store as it was a real factory/company producing mostly bicycles and guns for which they are most know for as well as other small products. Your cabinet is probably anywhere from 1900-1920's

I've never seen them make a Cylinder case/cabinet before, but that's definitely what that is...as I can't seeing it being anything else especially with the drawer cylinder clips..Maybe it was a re-purposed fishing cabinet?...if the drawers were not original when it was first made. Sweet metal plaque too. Nice!

You've definitely scored a rare one....but rare does not always translate into dollars... I say it's a $375-$500 case In my humble opinion...especially with the 4 drawers. A really nice cabinet.

Check out these weblinks to the company in question..

http://www.oldbike.eu/iverjohnson/

http://www.oldbike.eu/iverjohnson/?page_id=48

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iver_Johnson


Congrats!

)

Tony K.