Featured Phonograph #128 - Our Edison Home Model B
Posted: Sat Dec 31, 2016 2:46 pm
Model: Home Model B
Serial # H218604
Year(s) Made: Introduced 1905 (This particular Home is reported to have left the factory floor around September, 1906)
Original Cost: $30.00 (Phonograph)
Case/Cabinet Size: Dark stained Oak? 18" Wide x 17" Deep x 12" Tall
Turntable/Mandrel: Standard
Reproducer/Sound-Box: Reproducer: Model C #494115; Recorder #257576
Motor: Typical Model B spring motor
Horn Dimensions: Hawthorne and Sheble red 10 panel Morning Glory horn with applied Iris decals/transfers
Reproduction Parts: None (except horn-to-reproducer tube)
Current Value: Priceless - to us.
Interesting Facts:
This Edison homey-Home Model B was previously owned by my wife Sharon's great grandparent's which was eventually passed down to their daughter (Sharon's grandmother), and her husband, and finally came to us in 1986 upon her death.
Other than the cabinet and horn, I believe all of the parts to be original to the Phonograph. It also includes a small oilcan, a Recorder, the operating instructions, and what appears to be the original rubber horn-to-reproducer connector -- which was mended with what looks like medical adhesive tape, long, long ago.
Until the writing of this short history today (December 31, 2016), I had always believed the cabinet was constructed by Sharon's grandfather, out of parts belonging to an old bureau from Sharon's great grandparent's farmhouse (he was a talented man, who made several pieces of furniture, worked as a metal worker, and even did many oil paintings -- many of which we proudly display in our home). We've always known that it came from the small "old farm" in Honeoye Falls, NY; the farm that Sharon's great grandparents bought after losing their larger, 1st farm in Warsaw, NY to the Great Depression in late 1929.
See photo of Sophie (Fischer) and August Balling, below.
However, after re-examining my photos from 2013 -- at which time I had dismantled the entire machine for cleaning -- I realized the initials "RA" are very visibly carved into the underside of the wooden "motor board" (for lack of a better term). I'm not sure why I didn't make the obvious connection then; I had noticed them before, but didn't understand what they meant: These are actually the initials of Sharon's grandmother's eldest (1st. born) BROTHER -- Ralph Alouisius (Balling); who died on July 22, 1943 at the age of 43, after a tragic accidental poisoning while applying cyanide gas during his fumigation of the Central Hotel in Lackawanna, NY. See article clip below (Newspaper article source: Old Fulton NY Post Cards By Tom Tryniski).
The remaining bureau eventually made its way to Sharon's grandparent's, as it had been a long time installation in their modest basement rec-room. It had been used to support the Phonograph, and to store the cylinder records. After it came to live with us here in late 1986, we used it for one thing or another for many years; everything from holding fish aquariums to supporting several iterations of my various modern audio systems. The bottom drawer remained filled with about half of the 100+ cylinders until 2013, at which time, I decided to clean, document, and tune up the phonograph. At this time, I did an inventory of the cylinders for titles, condition, etc.
We were unfortunately forced to dispose of the cabinet a couple of years ago, due from lack of space.
I hope everyone enjoys our story, and the photos.
Best,
Fran
Serial # H218604
Year(s) Made: Introduced 1905 (This particular Home is reported to have left the factory floor around September, 1906)
Original Cost: $30.00 (Phonograph)
Case/Cabinet Size: Dark stained Oak? 18" Wide x 17" Deep x 12" Tall
Turntable/Mandrel: Standard
Reproducer/Sound-Box: Reproducer: Model C #494115; Recorder #257576
Motor: Typical Model B spring motor
Horn Dimensions: Hawthorne and Sheble red 10 panel Morning Glory horn with applied Iris decals/transfers
Reproduction Parts: None (except horn-to-reproducer tube)
Current Value: Priceless - to us.
Interesting Facts:
This Edison homey-Home Model B was previously owned by my wife Sharon's great grandparent's which was eventually passed down to their daughter (Sharon's grandmother), and her husband, and finally came to us in 1986 upon her death.
Other than the cabinet and horn, I believe all of the parts to be original to the Phonograph. It also includes a small oilcan, a Recorder, the operating instructions, and what appears to be the original rubber horn-to-reproducer connector -- which was mended with what looks like medical adhesive tape, long, long ago.
Until the writing of this short history today (December 31, 2016), I had always believed the cabinet was constructed by Sharon's grandfather, out of parts belonging to an old bureau from Sharon's great grandparent's farmhouse (he was a talented man, who made several pieces of furniture, worked as a metal worker, and even did many oil paintings -- many of which we proudly display in our home). We've always known that it came from the small "old farm" in Honeoye Falls, NY; the farm that Sharon's great grandparents bought after losing their larger, 1st farm in Warsaw, NY to the Great Depression in late 1929.
See photo of Sophie (Fischer) and August Balling, below.
However, after re-examining my photos from 2013 -- at which time I had dismantled the entire machine for cleaning -- I realized the initials "RA" are very visibly carved into the underside of the wooden "motor board" (for lack of a better term). I'm not sure why I didn't make the obvious connection then; I had noticed them before, but didn't understand what they meant: These are actually the initials of Sharon's grandmother's eldest (1st. born) BROTHER -- Ralph Alouisius (Balling); who died on July 22, 1943 at the age of 43, after a tragic accidental poisoning while applying cyanide gas during his fumigation of the Central Hotel in Lackawanna, NY. See article clip below (Newspaper article source: Old Fulton NY Post Cards By Tom Tryniski).
The remaining bureau eventually made its way to Sharon's grandparent's, as it had been a long time installation in their modest basement rec-room. It had been used to support the Phonograph, and to store the cylinder records. After it came to live with us here in late 1986, we used it for one thing or another for many years; everything from holding fish aquariums to supporting several iterations of my various modern audio systems. The bottom drawer remained filled with about half of the 100+ cylinders until 2013, at which time, I decided to clean, document, and tune up the phonograph. At this time, I did an inventory of the cylinders for titles, condition, etc.
We were unfortunately forced to dispose of the cabinet a couple of years ago, due from lack of space.
I hope everyone enjoys our story, and the photos.
Best,
Fran
- Ralph Balling Poisoned July 22, 1943 Binghamton NY Press.jpg (102 KiB) Viewed 5221 times
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