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I just won an auction today for an interesting lot of cylinders. Obviously, condition is going to be a big factor here, but for 20 bucks I took the chance. There are three 5000 series cylinders in here, along with a few interesting looking titles. What do you guys think?


http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vi ... 0297886583

Shane,

I assume from the photos (posted below) that these did not come with any sort of packaging, but I think (in my very uninformed opinion) that you probably got a good deal.

To quote the titles from the eBay listing:

1. #5101 Thomas E. Watson
2. #5134 Sugar in the Gourd
3. #4499 Blue Bird Inspiration
4. #1995 At The Mill March
5. #4981 Walking Water Reel
6. #4456 Bonnie Maggie Tamson
7. #5131 The Wild and Reckless Hobo
8. #4024 Unlucky Blues
9. #4410 Some Day
10. #1749 Beautiful Beckoning Hands
11. #3795 I Ain't En Got-En No Time To Have The Blues
12. #4426 Three O'Clock In The Morning

I am not familiar with these songs, but keep in mind that you can search for them (and listen to them if they are there) on the Cylinder Digitization and Preservation Project site.

Hope this helps.

— MordEth

Visually, they look terrible. Hope they play better than they look. Those white marks on the grooves usually are signs of extreme wear.
Dave

Discman wrote:Visually, they look terrible. Hope they play better than they look. Those white marks on the grooves usually are signs of extreme wear.
Dave

Dave,

I'm hoping for Shane's sake they are just dirty. Although the second from the left on the bottom row looks split along the groove?

Regards,
John

gramophoneshane wrote:I think there's only 2 that look playable, maybe 3.

That’s a very good point that I had not considered—I had just thought that they were dirty.

Hopefully they’re playable.

— MordEth

I'll let you guys know how they are when they get here. I figured for 11 bucks plus shipping, I'll go for it... it might be fun to hear some of these rare titles, even if they aren't completely playable.

Shane wrote:I'll let you guys know how they are when they get here. I figured for 11 bucks plus shipping, I'll go for it... it might be fun to hear some of these rare titles, even if they aren't completely playable.

Shane,

As long as you’re not disappointed that’s all that matters, right?

— MordEth

The condition of the cylinders looks poor. Fortunately the batch only cost $11.00, so it's not a total loss even if only one cylinder is playable. It's virtually impossible to be a collector of 78s and cylinders and always get one's money's worth even if a seller is honest. Sellers make mistakes. Many provide visual grading only, which can be deceptive. A record that is graded aurally on a modern turntable may not live up to that grade when played on your modern turntable with a different stylus. A cylinder that sounds great when played with a diamond stylus might present playback problems when played with a Model H reproducer. There are so many variables!

Rocky

Hi
They look to be in very poor condition, But I have an uncle josh cylinder that I picked up that looks similar and it plays beautifully on my Opera and Triumph. So will will wait to hear them. good luck.

Marcel