Old newspaper articles about collectors & other phono topics

[AmberolaAndy]

Cylinders vs discs being compared to VHS vs beta

January 4, 1992

Nice to see the prices for Columbia and Victor outside horn machines hasn’t changed.

[AmberolaAndy]

California collector: October 6, 1984

[AmberolaAndy]

So in 1976 somebody stole some Edison artifacts and they were recovered in June 1985? Anyone familiar with this story? I really dislike people who steal in this hobby that’s all I know.

[drh]

Cylinders vs discs being compared to VHS vs beta

January 4, 1992

Nice to see the prices for Columbia and Victor outside horn machines hasn’t changed.

Hmmmm...so Edison stopped production of cylinder machines in 1912? News to me--and anyone who's ever owned an Amberola 30/50/75! And another trotting-out of that old bromide about how Edison hired only "nobodies" for his records. Sigh....

First time I'd heard that story about talent shows, however. I wonder where the reporter got that one?

[phonogfp]

So in 1976 somebody stole some Edison artifacts and they were recovered in July 1985? Anyone familiar with this story? I really dislike people who steal in this hobby that’s all I know.

This was huge at the time. Petersen not only stole from the ENHS (now the Thomas A. Edison Historic Park), but he destroyed numerous documents by cutting off the Edison signatures and selling them separately - - thinking they would be impossible to trace.

Hundreds of collectors (myself included) received letters from the FBI asking for assistance in locating the missing documents. Thankfully, I hadn't bought anything from Petersen, but I expect a number of collectors, after buying in good faith, found themselves possessing stolen property.

I had done research in the vault in West Orange several times during the years 1978-1985, and the security was non-existent. Thankfully, it's pretty airtight now. It's just a shame that it was necessary. I never met Petersen, but I hope he's occupying a special corner of hell.

George P.

[phonogfp]

First time I'd heard that story about talent shows, however. I wonder where the reporter got that one?

The reporter may have learned just a fragment about the Edison "Tone Tests," and taken it from there.

George P.

[AmberolaAndy]

So in 1976 somebody stole some Edison artifacts and they were recovered in July 1985? Anyone familiar with this story? I really dislike people who steal in this hobby that’s all I know.

This was huge at the time. Petersen not only stole from the ENHS (now the Thomas A. Edison Historic Park), but he destroyed numerous documents by cutting off the Edison signatures and selling them separately - - thinking they would be impossible to trace.

Hundreds of collectors (myself included) received letters from the FBI asking for assistance in locating the missing documents. Thankfully, I hadn't bought anything from Petersen, but I expect a number of collectors, after buying in good faith, found themselves possessing stolen property.

I had done research in the vault in West Orange several times during the years 1978-1985, and the security was non-existent. Thankfully, it's pretty airtight now. It's just a shame that it was necessary. I never met Petersen, but I hope he's occupying a special corner of hell.

George P.

Has anyone have any issues of the American Phonographic Journal and this THEIF’S articles? What ever happened to him afterwards? He would be about 98 years old today. So I doubt he’s with us anymore. I know I shouldn’t get so worked up about something that happened 5-14 years before I was born.

[phonogfp]

Has anyone have any issues of the American Phonographic Journal and this THEIF’S articles? What ever happened to him afterwards? He would be about 98 years old today. So I doubt he’s with us anymore. I know I shouldn’t get so worked up about something that happened 5-14 years before I was born.

Yes, I imagine quite a few of us have them. I believe they are in the APS online archive which is available to all APS members. Petersen did very good research, and his articles were excellent - especially for the 1970s-80s. He was an academic who was employed by Stanford University. Once the FBI caught him, he cultivated a new group of colleagues at San Quentin. He died many years ago.

George P.

[AmberolaAndy]

Has anyone have any issues of the American Phonographic Journal and this THEIF’S articles? What ever happened to him afterwards? He would be about 98 years old today. So I doubt he’s with us anymore. I know I shouldn’t get so worked up about something that happened 5-14 years before I was born.

Yes, I imagine quite a few of us have them. I believe they are in the APS online archive which is available to all APS members. Petersen did very good research, and his articles were excellent - especially for the 1970s-80s. He was an academic who was employed by Stanford University. Once the FBI caught him, he cultivated a new group of colleagues at San Quentin. He died many years ago.

George P.

But you got to wonder where he got some of his materials for his articles...Hmm...

Oh well, moving on.

Has anyone been to the Edison Ford winter estate in Ft. Meyers FL and seen this guy do demos of the machines there?

August 13, 2017

[AmberolaAndy]

Here’s an article about the 1990 Union show!

June 7, 1990