The Talking Machine Forum — For All Antique Phonographs & Recordings

Hi can anyone tell me, if a cylinder has no writing on them, are they original or copies? I have just got 12 cylinders with an Edison Gem D and some have no writing on them but have songs on them, can anyone tell me if they are original or copies? Thanks for your help Gordon.

Are the cylinders wax or celluloid? If wax, are they brown or black?

Brown wax cylinders almost never have markings on them. Neither did the earliest black (moulded) wax cylinders.

If your unmarked cylinders are celluloid, I'm stumped.

George P.

Hi George,They're black so they must be early one's then. thanks for the info. Gordon

Some of the early Edison moulded black cylinders have the Edison signature on the side of the record near the grooves, and the title impressed in shallow lettering. They can be missed if the surface is clouded.

I can't recall seeing titles in the very early black gold moulded cylinders, but they all seem to have at least one catalog number lightly hand-etched in the dead wax area. One can look up the recordings using these catalog numbers.

Martin

estott wrote:Some of the early Edison moulded black cylinders have the Edison signature on the side of the record near the grooves, and the title impressed in shallow lettering. They can be missed if the surface is clouded.

Interesting: I have never heard of these. I've seen Columbia cylinders with the title in the dead wax, but not Edisons....

(edit) Estott is right: there's the catalogue number, but not the title.....

Bill

I might have been off on the Edison title, but I do remember the raised signature on the side - easy to miss if it is worn or has some mildew.

If they are black they could be recordings made on Dictaphone blanks or
Edison dictation cylinders.I am not sure about this?

I have a number of those cylinders. I read somewhere that the black Edison Gold Molded cylinders had no end titles until 1904. Until then, a spoken announcement was a must. A faint Edison signature can be seen at one end in the dead wax area.

Thats right,the one's I have with no end writing on all announce the song and singer and have a faint Edison signature with a catalogue number.So that clears that up then. thanks to all Gordon.