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Probably a stupid question but the color of the cylinder cought my eye. Is this one of those early cream colored North American Phonograph Company cylinders? http://pages.ebay.com/link/?nav=item.vi ... 1581699445

Looks like an early Columbia in a typical England blue box. I have bought several like it from the seller.

Rich Gordon

I would also say Columbia too. North Americans are more reddish brown. Due too cooking out the acetic acid in the old formula. The cream cylinders in the 1888 photo, with Edison, were not commercially available, and not made long,from early 1887-November 1888 of non metallic soap formulations, using various combinations of formulas. in December 1888 an aluminum soap formula was used, that was too hard, followed by a formula 957, that used olaic acid, that was discontinued in May 1889 when the composition started to separate and decompose. The 1888 cylinders were smooth, with no spiral or projections. Columbia used a lower cooking temperature until about late 1899, and Columbia's usually are light in color, to a salmon brown. Color, again has to do with how long and cooking temperatures, how much scrap was added.