It's the exceptions that make us what we are, not the rules.
Tuesday, December 18, 2012
Transcription Mystery Disc #149
This is a paper-core Silvertone transcription disc. It has an outer-edge start, and spins at 78 rpm. It's labeled and dated, something I almost never seen. It reads "Tom Gibbons, SEP 27 1944 Chicago Ill." The date is actually stamped on which is odd, something that indicates the engineer may have been making discs with some regularity. This made sense when I played back the disc. It's an audio letter sent from a WWII soldier to his family in Texas. It's no surprise then that the center hole is worn oval from play.
Tom Gibbons in Chicago
"Hello Mom I'm sending this to you, I'm sending it from the Chicago serviceman's Center." Tom mentions his brother Jim and the apparently very nice facilities at the serviceman's center. There were actually a few Serviceman's Centers in Chicago in the 1940s. He mentions his was near Michigan avenue. I think this is the one formerly located at 131 South Wabash Ave. which opened in May of 1942. The address is now occupied by a jewelry store.
I've seen one posted (but I've forgotten where) which had a label clearly marked that it was from a serviceman.
Re your post of a black Mutoscope transcription disk (with question mark): These were being used in those make-a-record booths at Coney Island in the 1960s. The "label" was actually stamped in (no paper) and the core looked like some kind of white plastic. (There's no place to comment on it at that post.)
Strange, I wonder if commenting expires after so many months/years on Blogger. I know the disc you're describing. I was pretty sure of the decade.. but I try not to give vague dates. I endeavor to be specific so others can use the data for analogous estimates. But I am also sometimes wrong.
It wasn't a criticism of the dating -- I think the fact that it was used at arcades in Coney Island and Rockaway beaches was an anomaly because there were no other alternatives available to stock the machines. After we used the machine, the attendant told us that there would be no more after that batch (in the machine) ran out because they were too expensive and too difficult to obtain. They could have been buying overstock blanks from somewhere, or importing the blanks from the UK. I just figured I'd mention it because you'd be interested.
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I've seen one posted (but I've forgotten where) which had a label clearly marked that it was from a serviceman.
ReplyDeleteRe your post of a black Mutoscope transcription disk (with question mark): These were being used in those make-a-record booths at Coney Island in the 1960s. The "label" was actually stamped in (no paper) and the core looked like some kind of white plastic. (There's no place to comment on it at that post.)
Strange, I wonder if commenting expires after so many months/years on Blogger. I know the disc you're describing. I was pretty sure of the decade.. but I try not to give vague dates. I endeavor to be specific so others can use the data for analogous estimates. But I am also sometimes wrong.
ReplyDeleteIt wasn't a criticism of the dating --
ReplyDeleteI think the fact that it was used at arcades in Coney Island and Rockaway beaches was an anomaly because there were no other alternatives available to stock the machines.
After we used the machine, the attendant told us that there would be no more after that batch (in the machine) ran out because they were too expensive and too difficult to obtain.
They could have been buying overstock blanks from somewhere, or importing the blanks from the UK.
I just figured I'd mention it because you'd be interested.
You were right, I'm always interested in dating info on acetates. There's very little info out there.
ReplyDelete