The cylinder market

[Wolfe]

A question for the dedicated cylinder collectors on here.

APART from e-bay, internet dealers, and shows like Union, do any of you have good luck buying cylinders out on the ground?

I know in my travels through second hand stores, antique stores, estate sales and the like, I see them very seldom, maybe a handful once or twice a year.

And for those who were collecting cylinders 30-40 years ago, what was it like then? Could you commonly come across large lots of them (cheaply) like we still can with 78's today?

[rizbone]

I still come across them from time to time (Maryland), usually in antique malls where the dealers have small rented booths. The prices range from $5 - $20 each, with 95% of the two minute covered in mold. I haven't seen a large grouping in years, and when I do it's usually for sale with a machine. The only large groupings I have seen in a while have been at estate auctions. I bought a box of early Columbia brown wax cylinders (about 12 playable out of 20) for $70 and a box of 98 4-minute cylinders for $45 about a year ago. They had several other lots that went for about the same.

[Wolfe]

I saw a group of Blue Amberols in an antique store earlier this year. Most without boxes and some with the plaster falling out the inside, they were 5 dollars each. I've never seen a brown wax cylinder, ever.

[phonogfp]

Before I retired 3 years ago, my work involved a fair amount of driving, and I used to stop in antique shops on a pretty regular basis. On occasion I would find small groups of cylinder (3-5), but condition was often problematic. In December 2007 I found a group of 93 two-minute Edison cylinders - all in miraculously nice condition. Unfortunately, the dealer wanted $15 each for them. I bought one Christmas cylinder and left an offer for the whole group. A year went by before the dealer decided to sell them to me. (Fortunately, he had them well hidden in a box beneath a table and hadn't sold a single one.) Since then I've found nothing locally. Now that I'm not out beating the bushes, I don't expect to find more outside of a lucky call from a friendly antique dealer.

Back in the 60s/70s/80s, I'd find large groups of cylinders for $2-$3 apiece, but not all that often - perhaps once every 2-3 years.

George P.

[briankeith]

There are a lot of outdoor flea markets in New Jersey and over the river in Pa. I usually come across the Edison Gold Moulded 2-minute and green box black Amberols. They are usually mis-matched boxes or missing the lids. Most black wax ones have a lot of mold. I have pretty good luck finding Amberols in the correct boxes though. Last year I found two brown wax Columbia's in nice shape for $25.00 each both boxes missing the lids. What I don't find are the "other brands", not even Everlasting, Lakesides, or even the Sears Oxfords. Mostly Edison Gold Moulded cylinders that have much mold, etc........

[ColoradoPhonograf]

In general you sure don't run across many anymore. But there are exceptions here and there. About a year ago I went to an antique show that came to town twice a year. I went into a booth where there was a dealer who I had dealt with several times. He said he was glad I came to the show and reached under the table and pulled out a large box full of Edison 2 minute black wax. All were in perfect condition and had matching lids. what amazed me even more was the condition of the boxes, the white background was as clean as the day they left the factory. It was fun looking through the lot, most were titles I didn't have. Of course I pulled out my wallet and paid his price. Prior to that it was probably 6 years since I bought a lot of 120 blue amberols in the same kind of scenario. They are out there.....it's just harder hunting.

ColoradoPhonograph

[OrthoSean]

Some of you may have missed this, but back in July, I went to the estate auction of a man who had been collecting for decades. It was the most exciting haul of my life and I didn't go broke. I took this picture after I'd managed to load my entire Outback with cylinders. Every inch of space besides the driver's seat was packed. I'm still sorting through the stuff I bought that day. Two very nice guys who were auction grunt workers that day were nice enough to haul the rest of the records to my house in a large truck, which was equally full. I don't expect to ever make a "find" like this again. Most of the cylinders were BAs, even though you see a lot of 2 minute boxes. There was certainly no shortage of Indestructibles and US Everlastings / Lakesides though in both 2 and 4 minute. Several dozen clean 2 minute wax as well, including a few dozen nice brown wax titles. Only one casualty in the cylinders, by the way, and it was a 4 minute Amberol that could have been shattered before, who knows? Needless to say, my collection grew exponentially that day!

[edisonphonoworks]

That looks like the motherload a dream find!!! In fact I posted your photo on facebook as a dream I would like to find. Although after a little thinking I then realized I have actually created more records than that in the last 12 years, and that kind of blew my mind! When I was 10-18 years old, the mid 1980s, I found most of my cylinders by hunting in local antique stores, but they were something the dealer would not have out, they were usually 30-35 records in breadboxes or such tucked away under the counter, and I had to ask if they had any. It seemed in the late 8os and early 90s you could find more cylinders in nice condition, shiny, mode free. I do find cylinders in the wild once and awhile, but most of the time they are moldy.

[Wolfe]

Some of you may have missed this,

I'd have expected you'd come along here with something like that.

All those boxes look really clean and well kept, too.

[Shane]

Okay, I'm now back from having to change my shorts after seeing Sean's picture.

As they say in internet speak: OMG!!!!!!!!!!!!!