The Talking Machine Forum — For All Antique Phonographs & Recordings

Hi
These 3 boxes go on the shelf under the horn. I bought 3 schoolhouse box reproductions but the don't fit right they are the wrong size. Either old or help me make reproductions.

I found two of them back in the 1980s. In this photo, they’re on my Amberola IV.

Does anyone have a photo of what these boxes look like on the Inside? And how are they configured to house cylinder records?
Thank you.

They are simply empty boxes.

uncle-jimmy wrote: Sun May 25, 2025 5:09 pm Does anyone have a photo of what these boxes look like on the Inside? And how are they configured to house cylinder records?
Thank you.

There are two styles of these that I have seen. I have three of them that on the spine say Simply "Records". Those are presented in the first pics. The spine is made of wood and covered with cloth. The side opens up to reveal the records storage.

The second style, designed to look like a set of six albums, three boxes each presented to be two book. They have similar design but say on the spine "Edison Records".

Conceptually both are designed very similarly except the second styl box saying "Edison Records" is thinner cardboard, fairly flimsy.

Although displayed with an Amberola IV here, both sets came with Amberola IIIs. I guess they would have been offered on the IV too.

Last two pics.

Thank you for the Photos. I can now see that the best way for Edison to design a box for cylinder record that went on the shelf below the mech was to simply make an empty box that you just loaded up with cylinders and the just turn it on its edge.. I had imagined cardboard pegs or half-circle cut-outs or some kind of clever support mechanism , But what the heck …. Just stack them in there and turn the box on the side…. What could be simpler?
I have been amazed through my years on this Forum and several years more as a collector by talented people who can re-create oddities like these boxes. And I know it takes several interested parties to make something like this feasible, but if there are other collectors out there who are interested enough to pursue recreating some form of box to fill a small gap in the display of Amberola III’s and IV’s , I would be interested in participating. I actually prefer the Double Album on 3 boxes style.