Description: NO RESERVE - HIGH BIDDER WINS THE AUCTION! Columbia Brown Wax Cylinder Record"On Board The Battleship Oregon Before Santiago"By The Greater New York QuartetteAnnounced in English and French ITEM DETAILS Please see the photos, which comprise the bulk of the description. This is an essentially perfect late 1800's brown wax cylinder record, surviving unscathed in its original box and cotton batting for about 125 years. Look how smooth and shiny and clear it is. The last photo shows the only discernible thing that might be considered a defect, a slight dent that you can hear if you are listening really hard for it, for about three revolutions.There are no inscriptions on the record or box to identify the selection. Like many of these very early recordings, it is hard to make out the exact wording of the announced title. Here are a few clues:- The title is announced in English, and is probably "On Board the Battleship Oregon Before Santiago" but also sounds like it is subsequently also announced in French.- The title refers to the decisive naval battle of the Spanish-American War, taking place at Santiago Cuba on July 3, 1898. The Oregon played a major role in the US victory there, and had just completed a remarkable 14,000 nautical mile voyage around the horn of South America to get from San Francisco to Cuba in only 66 days. Thus, the Oregon was a highly celebrated ship at the time this record was made, and we can estimate the date of recording as sometime between late 1898 and the end of the 19th century.- A prior owner included a handwritten note crediting the performance to "The Greater New York Quartette for the Columbia Phonograph Company of New York and Paris"- Consultation with one of the most respected collectors of brown wax recordings gives his opinion that this may be a version of Columbia 9044. If the announcement is bilingual it may be a European release. The box does not yet include the cities of London, Berlin, or San Francisco as shown on slightly later boxes, and Columbia is known to have opened their London office in late 1899, which might support this theory as well as help estimate the date of release.One more thing: as a 125 year old recording of a vocal group using primitive technolgy, this isn't the most compelling listen, so please don't expect an epiphany.BUSINESS DETAILS Now for the business part. This is an as-is sale, with no returns. I have experience with packing and shipping vintage/fragile items, and will do everything necessary - including double-boxing - to assure it gets to you in the same condition as it leaves here. Insurance at the auction sale price will be included in shipping costs. Please keep in mind that since this is a sound recording, it is eligible to be shipped via USPS 4th Class Media Mail, which is far more economical than other methods. If the buyer wishes to use another carrier, we can get quotes and adjust payments accordingly after the auction, when the buyer's location is known. Special Note: I will double-box and cushion this record, with the internal box thermally insulated, to give the best odds of its perfect survival during shipping. I will not ship this lot internationally to overseas buyers, either directly or using ebay's service. Please check my other auctions for more excellent stuff, including a wide variety of vintage items, ham radio gear and accessories, vintage radios, phonographs records and parts, test equipment, other parts and accessories, and random other cool things. Thanks for looking and good luck with your bidding.
Price: 425 USD
Location: Albany, California
End Time: 2024-11-10T03:27:18.000Z
Shipping Cost: 10.63 USD
Product Images
Item Specifics
All returns accepted: ReturnsNotAccepted
Brand: Columbia Phonographs
Country/Region of Manufacture: United States
