The Talking Machine Forum — For All Antique Phonographs & Recordings

The day was nice today so my lady friend and I decided to visit a few close by antique shops today. We live close to Summit New Jersey so we stopped at the Summit indoor antique center, one of her favorite shops. Low and behold upstairs on a shelf full of older nick-nacks was a box full of Edison Grand Opera cylinders - twenty in all, with a tag written $5.00 each on the box. Every single record was pefect with the correct blue cylinder record inside the tube and the correct lid label which matches the record - all perfectly intact including the base labels. AND AND AND the little sheet of paper (booklet) inside with the language translation and artist information, as well as the Edison record number.. All 20 had perfect boxes, matching lids, matching booklets, and near mint condition blue Amberol records inside. Right in my very own back yard - how cool is that, or was it just pure luck? Thanks to my lady friend big time for dragging me antique shop hopping today! All less than an hour drive from our house in the country!!!!

I don't usually feel jealous, but.... I'm very jealous!! Your lady friend deserves a nice lunch.

Congratulations!
Since you and I are less than 30 minutes apart, I guess that's almost in my backyard too.
Unfortunately my lady friend (also known as my wife of 21 years, hates antique shops and had me doing chores today!)

I hope you bought lunch and a lottery ticket. Jerry

Actually she loves antique shops, co-ops, antique centers, and outdoor flea markets (especially in upstate NY and Pa.) We are always taking road trips to far away rural places. Rarely I find anything worth while in Jersey any more but sometimes you get very luckey, but it's rare, especially close to home. She likes the Summit antique center, the Somerville antique center, and the Mill at Lafayette. If we take my Mini-Cooper we buy a lot less because she is actually a lot worse than I am - big time.

A very big WOW! Congratulations.

Clay

I have played 12 of these Grand Opera cylinders and all but one plays perfectly. The other has some minor clicking, probably from a small scratch I can't really see. My question: Was this a short lived series since they seem to bring a rather high price on EBay. Plus why do some come in plain Edison marked maroon boxes unlike the 20 I just recently bought that are all dark blue boxes? Tubes I mean.

briankeith wrote:I have played 12 of these Grand Opera cylinders and all but one plays perfectly. The other has some minor clicking, probably from a small scratch I can't really see. My question: Was this a short lived series since they seem to bring a rather high price on EBay. Plus why do some come in plain Edison marked maroon boxes unlike the 20 I just recently bought that are all dark blue boxes? Tubes I mean.

The 28000 Concert series started in the wax Amberol years and stayed on until 1918. Blue Amberols 28101-28203, plus 28209 and 28210 are directly recorded as are all wax 28000 series. Higher numbers (up to 28290) are dubbed from Diamond Discs. The Royal Purple series (29007+) started right as the Concert series was ending.

The 28000 series should carry a premium over the popular series, but there are some sellers on ebay who have been pushing this to ridiculous levels, probably hoping for a desperate buyer. I don't know how many of these have actually sold at the IMHO inflated asking prices.

The maroon boxes are, AFAIK, only found in the wax amberol Grand Opera series. These boxes actually had an outer box that protected the maroon box. These outer boxes are seldom seen.

briankeith wrote:I have played 12 of these Grand Opera cylinders and all but one plays perfectly. The other has some minor clicking, probably from a small scratch I can't really see. My question: Was this a short lived series since they seem to bring a rather high price on EBay. Plus why do some come in plain Edison marked maroon boxes unlike the 20 I just recently bought that are all dark blue boxes? Tubes I mean.

The ones in the maroon boxes I think you are referring to are the earlier wax amber operatic series. 28000 series that you have ran from about the end of 1912 or early 1913 through 1918. From the introduction of the diamond disc they were dubbed. Before that they were reissues of wax amberols or directly recorded. They were a good bit more expensive than the regular series.

The 28000 series was replaced by the royal purples, almost all dubbed from diamond discs.

Really a steal.They were probably supposed to be $5 each.
You maybe better to go back and slip a $10 bill in an envelope under the door
with a big thank you on it.