Information on Columbia Indestructibles

[Valecnik]

I'm sure that this question or one like it has been asked & answered before but could someone tell me when Columbia started and stopped making 2 min indestructibles and when they started and stopped with the 4 min ones.

Thanks,
Bruce

[Edisone]

"In 1908, Albany Indestructible worked out a distribution agreement with the Columbia Phonograph Company, who also manufactured cylinder recordings. Columbia bought the entire Albany Indestructible product line, and manufactured and distributed the cylinders until 1912, when Columbia stopped production of cylinders in favor of flat disc records. Albany Indestructible continued to make the cylinders, until a fire in 1922 destroyed the factory."

[Valecnik]

Thanks for the info Edisone.

Do you know when they started the 4 minute ones and how long they continued to make 2 min records?

I'm also wondering when Albany first started producing them. I assume they were then labeled as "Indestructible" records?

Also, I have several 2 min indestructibles in boxes, usually blue, labelled as "Indestructibles records". They have a long white piece of tape at about a 45 degree angle across the "Indestructible" label with "Columbia Phonograph Company" written in red on the tape.

I would assume these were Albany stock purchased by columbia then about 1908?

[gramophoneshane]

You might want to copy these out Bruce.

[gramophoneshane]

and these

[Valecnik]

Thanks Shane,

Very helpful information. I guess one can get an answer to almost anything here!

[gramophoneshane]

No worries!
You might notice at the end of the history section it mentions a "4 & 5" prefix. Apparently this info is wrong, & actually applies to Oxford discs & not the cylinders.

[OrthoSean]

Shane,

Thanks for this! I'm printing this out for my refence shelf. It still gets me how I can look out my office window down to where Hamilton St in Albany used to continue and exactly where the Indestructible Company factory used to be!

Sean

[hillndalefan]

The only thing I could add to the above is that the Oxford issue Indestructibles were dyed a bluish grey rather than black, and that all of the Montgomery Ward "Lakeside" cylinders I've run into were products of the U.S. Everlasting Co. Thank you for providing this information which plugs several holes in my previous knowledge of these records. Bob Ault

[Lenoirstreetguy]

I first clued into the fact that Indistructible was producing cylinders long after we used to think they had stopped when I found a cylinder of Hindustan..which was popular around 1917.It's interesting that they stopped production in 1921 which is when the Blue Amberol sales began their downward slide too.
J