The Talking Machine Forum — For All Antique Phonographs & Recordings

Tomorrow, there will be a local auction, and, there really isn't that much there musically that is worth noting except a Cardinal Phonograph.

Does anyone know anything about the company? From what I saw, it is a very cheapy model (I'm guessing.) It's an upright, all the metal is either nickel, or pot-metal, it has a 10" (I think) turntable, and a 1 spring motor. No decorations on the outside (4 stubby period curved legs and a square box, with a slightly raised lid.) The motor doesn't work. It cranks, but...the turntable doesn't turn.


The cabinet is missing it's knobs, the horn, and the lid support hinge. The tonearm is still there (albeit snapped off / or separated from the base) and the reproducer is still there, and looks to be in good shape. (Too bad it won't work on my Victrola!) - diff. mounting method.


I figure...$5,10, maybe 15 bucks, sound decent? The cabinet itself is actually pretty decent, but the top could use a refinishing. It comes with ~ a dozen 78 records, and some needles.

What's the most you would consider paying for it? I know nothing about it. I doubt it's worth much.


It looks somewhat like this:

although no grille cloth, dark finish, etc.

I have seen a Cardinal phonograph. It was oak and resembled a Grafonola in many ways. Other than that, I don't know much about them.

Gee, that looks like an Amberola 75 cabinet. I wonder if the Cardinal was based on unsold Amberola cabinets when Edison was winding down operations? I'd certainly grab it for cheap. (Finding replacement parts will be a challenge, however.) Good luck!

Martin

The only mention I've ever heard of them is on their record label:

http://talkingmachine.info/labels/cardi ... w&number=1

The Cardinal Phonograph Co. is mentioned in Joe Wakeman's article -- http://www.gracyk.com/makers.shtml

"Cardinal -- Cardinal Phonograph Company, Zanesville, Ohio. September 1919. (Trademark filed 7/10/1919 by the Art Cabinet Co., Newark, New Jersey; used since 5/15/1919.)"

There's not much on-line information available about the records, either, other than this short write-up:
There are a few interesting snippets describing the legal problems of the company, along with a 1925 reference that refers to it in the past tense:

From: Copyrights : hearings held before the Committee on Patents, House of Representatives -- 1925:

"Cardinal Phonograph Co., of New York, NY : Cardinal Phonograph Co., of New York, NY This was a small concern which engaged in the business of manufacturing phonograph records, without any factory ...

Unfortunately, the books cited are not available for viewing online.

martinola wrote:Gee, that looks like an Amberola 75 cabinet. I wonder if the Cardinal was based on unsold Amberola cabinets when Edison was winding down operations? I'd certainly grab it for cheap. (Finding replacement parts will be a challenge, however.) Good luck!

Martin

Actually he didn't say that was the machine, he said it "looks somewhat like this"

Ah-hah! The old "pretending-to-be-an-Amberola-by-actually-BEING-an-Amberola" trick!

Yup! That trick will get you every time. I think this may be the one he is talking about at auction today. It resembles a Grafonola IMO.

Note that when Columbia got into deep financial trouble as a result of over-ordering cabinets in 1919-20 and slumping sales due to the 1920-21 business Depression, the receiver appointed for the firm awarded thousands of finished cabinets as payment for claims against the firm. Art case models outfitted with Otto Heinemann mechanisms are most commonly noted, but the receiver's report suggests that many of the regular line of cabinets were so released to the markets. Wasn't Cardinal associated with a Lower East side Job house? I can no longer check this, as all of my TMW's and city directories were lost in my late fire.

Ortho_Fan wrote:The Cardinal Phonograph Co. is mentioned in Joe Wakeman's article -- http://www.gracyk.com/makers.shtml

"Cardinal -- Cardinal Phonograph Company, Zanesville, Ohio. September 1919. (Trademark filed 7/10/1919 by the Art Cabinet Co., Newark, New Jersey; used since 5/15/1919.)"

There's not much on-line information available about the records, either, other than this short write-up:

ERS.JPG

There are a few interesting snippets describing the legal problems of the company, along with a 1925 reference that refers to it in the past tense:

From: Copyrights : hearings held before the Committee on Patents, House of Representatives -- 1925:

"Cardinal Phonograph Co., of New York, NY : Cardinal Phonograph Co., of New York, NY This was a small concern which engaged in the business of manufacturing phonograph records, without any factory ...

Unfortunately, the books cited are not available for viewing online.

Funny that the author missed one very important record Cardinal did in fact record and release: Ethel Waters' very first sides were done by them and are extremely important to jazz collectors!

Sean