Getting out of cylinder machines, which ones to keep

[drh]

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I literally found a Standard B in an old steamer trunk in my apartment & got it going somewhat--needs some loosening up but it seems to turn when not playing a record. Why did I find a cylinder machine I forgot I owned?
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If it's a 2-minute-only machine, note that a couple of 2/4 conversion kits are for sale in the Yankee Trader right now.

[edit] One other thought, which probably is sacrilege: if you want to get out of antique cylinder machines entirely but still want to play cylinders, there's forum member Don Wilson's electronic player, the Wilson Home, that plugs into a standard modern stereo. It's priced within reach of a typical collector, not aimed at institutions like most such devices. If you're interested, I wrote a long 3-part review, linked in a separate thread; the third part has audio and video examples.