The Talking Machine Forum — For All Antique Phonographs & Recordings

Here's two unusual ones....and again I ask how on earth these ended up in Toronto...especially the souvenir of the Panama Pacific Exposition in San Francisco in 1915.
The non Edison Diamond disc is a vertical cut rarity..from London about 1908 I think. I must dig up the material I have about them,,,,but here is the first one I've ever seen.

I've read about the "diamond" label, but I certainly have never seen one. Are these vertical cut like Pathés, or are these vertical cut like diamond discs?

Only Diamond Discs are vertical cut like Diamond Discs. All others are U-shaped groove hill & dale.

Actually in the UK "Marathon" discs are cut with a "V" Groove - just like Diamond Discs - the "Diamond Disc" above was a product of "British Pathé".

Bless

Howerd

The Diamond record dates from about 1915 not 1908 as I said. They were one of that efflorescence of vertical cut records during the teens. England started early with the Neophone disc, but the Diamond discs were later. It's a wonder that T A Edison Inc didn't get a little hissy with them. The label is is engraved like a Pathé and the lettering is quite green which didn't show up in the pic.
I suppose that I shouldn't be surprised that the Panama Pacific disc ended up here: it may have been brought back as a souvenir. At a contents sale here I bought a handwritten travel diary about just such a holiday taken by a wealthy Toronto family in 1915. They loved the Fair: and interestingly one of the entries goes into raves about a concert they attended featuring Alma Gluck and Efrem Zimbalist. The Arts events in conjunction with the Fair were extensive. Now as far as Margaret Woodrow Wilson goes, as a vocalist she's a wonderful President's daughter.
Jim

These should be added to The TMF Label Gallery & Guide.

phonophan79 wrote:These should be added to The TMF Label Gallery & Guide.

D..,

I agree!!!

Edisone...that url about Margaret Woodrow Wilson is interesting. I shouldn't perhaps have been quite so patronizing about her: her other records are a bit better. A bit. And this was for charity after all. And her voice...a light soprano...was the kind to which acoustic recording was particularly unkind. She did a lot of tours for the Red Cross after the US entered the War. I have seen a great pic of her and Percy Grainger on one of these. By all reports she was a good sport through all the touring and she even went to France to entertain the troops. She was kind of a suffragette which makes her fine in my books.

Jim

phonophan79 wrote:These should be added to The TMF Label Gallery & Guide.

Yes, it definitely should...

...and it will be, when a certain slacker wrestles together free time and motivation to do just that.

I’ve still got quite a few images to get up, but these are definitely on the list.

Lenoirstreetguy: Thanks for sharing them!

— MordEth