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We have an Edison cylinder player that has been in the family for years but with my mother’s recent passing and my father moving into an assisted living facility, I’ve been assigned the task of liquidating both it and the 40+ cylinders that are with it.

So the first part of this is to figure out what it is exactly that we have. From what little I’ve researched on-line, I think it’s a Model B standard. The serial number is 117171. I have some photos of the player (and I'm sorry but I don't understand why the orientation is messed up on them):
I think (although I don’t know this for sure) the player was originally purchased by my mother’s maternal grandparents in Pittsburg, Kansas. I believe they were the original owners of it. At some point it became the property of my mother and during my childhood it was moved around with us to several different houses. My father, my sisters and I got it restored in the mid-1980’s as a Christmas present for my mother. The guy who restored it was in Mount Holly, New Jersey and I have no idea if he’s still in business - I’m guessing not.

The "Edison" decal on the case is not original, it was added (or replaced the original) when it was restored. The horn was also repainted when it was restored which was a cause for some controversy in my mother's family. Until it was restored, the horn was a pinkish-purplish color but the guy in Mount Holly claimed that the black with gold was the way it was sold. The surviving aunts and uncles of my mother at that time claimed that the horn was the pinkish-purpleish color when it was originally purchased and weren't very happy to hear it was black now. I have no idea what the correct answer is but perhaps one of you can let me know. The other thing with the horn is that the chain on the arm doesn't connect to the horn properly - I was using a paper clip to connect the chain to the ring on the horn.

Oh, I'm leaving out perhaps the most important thing here - the player still works! I was able to play a couple of the cylinders although the speed seems off - a little slow - and not steady.

Basically what we're trying to figure out is:
1. What do we have?
2. How much is it worth?
3. Where can we sell it?

Thank you in advance. And I'll apologize ahead of time if this is not the correct place for this question.

As for the horn: that is an 'after-market' horn, not factory-issue (you can tell by the convex edges of the petals). The 'official' Edison horns were black with gold pinstriping, and had concave edges. Sometimes, customers wanted something a bit more colorful, so they opted for the 'after-market' horns. Your family is probably correct, and the horn should not have been repainted.

The repro decal is an old, and not very good one.

- Bill

Thank you! That explains a lot.

You have an Edison Standard Model B dating somewhere around 1905. It plays two minute cylinders. When originally sold it was a very popular choice and Edison's leading seller. It is a rugged machine and many survive to modern times. Parts, both original and reproduction, are readily available today. Most collectors today prefer one in good running order that has not been refinished and repainted. It is commonly found today and is a popular choice for first time Edison buyers. With the machine, horn, and horn crane I would expect an selling price from $375 to $450 at a phonograph expo.

I would encourage you to make it available to members of your family. It would mean so much to me to have a family machine in my collection. That Edison represented a major purchase using discretionary money and provided many hours of pleasure. If there are brown wax cylinders in your possession they may be home recording many by your family. By 1905 commercially sold Edison records were black wax. Cylinders sold for home recording were a softer brown wax. If you have a few of those you may have a family treasure.

Jerry B.

All the foregoing is right about what you have--Edison Standard Model B, a common machine and a frequent "first phonograph" for those who get into cylinders. In fact, my own was precisely that: a 2-minute Edison Standard Model B. I also agree that the best thing would be for the player to find a new home with someone in your family. To have a machine passed down through the generations is truly something special.

I'd like to add a couple of thoughts. First, if you do have brown wax cylinders, be careful about playing them on the machine as shown. The model C reproducer on your machine (the round, nickel-plated part that actually plays the record on one side and connects to the horn on the other) tracks more heavily than is appropriate for brown wax; for those, you'd want an earlier, lighter-tracking reproducer. Second, looking at the condition of your machine's bedplate, taking into account that apparently the machine is in need of some mechanical work (maybe trivial, maybe not--could be something as simple as needing a new belt, but if the restoration guy, who after all blew the call on repainting your horn, didn't do a good job on the motor, well...), and recognizing that the market for old phonographs has been notably soft in recent years, I'd guess you'll do well to get at the bottom end of the range Jerry B. suggested above. I'm thinking your best bet would be to advertise it on something like CraigsList, where you are playing to a general "oh, neat, an old phonograph" crowd instead of a bunch of guys who worry about "authenticity" and already have as many Edison Standards as they ever will need.

Note that I'm talking just about the machine. The cylinders might be a plus, depending on their condition and what's on them (for instance, ragtime or comic songs would likely be a plus; hymns or sentimental "mother songs" probably not). Note, too, that a brown wax cylinder is brown throughout; if the cylinder is black with brown spots or patches, it's not a brown wax cylinder and has been attacked by mold, which essentially destroys it. Too bad about the repainted horn; the colored ones are pretty, at least if they're in good condition. My Standard B had a very showy nickel-plated horn with hand-painted roses inside. Really dolled up the machine.

Another note, as to the decal, and the probable date of your machine.

I have a Model B (ITC version), serial #281792, dated to early 1906: it has an original 'Edison Standard Phonograph' banner decal. Presumably, a regular Standard from 1905 would have had one as well (please correct me if I am wrong). Could it be that the erstwhile 'restorer' had thoroughly stripped the case, and substituted a 'signature' decal (albeit an inferior one) in its place? I looked closely at the photo for any trace of a shadow from the old decal, but could not detect it.

Such modifications may affect the resale value of the machine (as well as the condition of the bedplate pinstriping).

- Bill

Thank you all for the information.

I haven't had a chance to look through the cylinders yet although I know from looking at them in the past that only some of them are still intact. I don't remember there being any brown ones but I wouldn't have know what that meant when I examined them back probably around the time we got the Edison restored.

As for the decal, I don't see any indication of the remains of the banner decal and I honestly don't remember there being anything on the case prior to the restoration. It's becoming more obvious that this guy didn't do us any favors but it's a little too late to worry about it. Since there wasn't an internet to look stuff up on in 1985, we were kind of stuck with what we got.

We would like to keep the player in the family but there doesn't seem to be anyone who wants to take it. If I'd been offered it 30 years ago, I'd have taken it then but I'm almost 60 and my wife and I need to start downsizing. And while it's a neat item, it's not like my family's been using the player over the years. My sisters and I are checking with our kids one last time to see if any of them want it, otherwise one of my sisters will likely put it up at an auction site. What we most want is for it to go to someone who has an appreciation for what it is.

DaveMc wrote: Fri Aug 25, 2023 11:40 am Thank you all for the information.

As for the decal, I don't see any indication of the remains of the banner decal and I honestly don't remember there being anything on the case prior to the restoration. It's becoming more obvious that this guy didn't do us any favors but it's a little too late to worry about it. Since there wasn't an internet to look stuff up on in 1985, we were kind of stuck with what we got.

It's not such a bad restoration job. When it was done, there were no nice decals available, as there are today. As for the horn repaint, it most likely had a trashed finish on it to the extent that a repaint was the best course of action. As restored phonographs go, it's better than a lot I've seen.

I took a couple minutes and went through the cylinders. All are store bought so no home recordings. There's 50 in all - 20 that appear to be in pretty good shape, 20 that are partly or completely covered in mold and/or mildew and 10 that are broken. Is there anything to be done to the moldy or broken ones or should I just throw them out? Is it worth saving the sleeves - not that they're in any great shape?

I don't know a lot about songs or recording artists from this period but I recognize a couple things in the "good" cylinders like the song "I Wonder Who's Kissing Her Now?" and two or three recordings by "Uncle Josh".

My opinion, just be honest about the condition of the cylinders, as you have done here, and let the new owner decide their fate.