Re: Gem Roller Organ
By Jim Canavan
> I am now the proud owner of "The Gem Roller Organ" Does this mean
> this was the only one made? This Gem has been in the family since
> late 1890- early 1900 and I would like to know more about it. I have
> the original shipping box, $3.50 COD, but no return address.
Skip: Pick up a copy of Bower's "Encylopedia of Mechanical Music Instruments"; many libraries have it in reference. You'll find LOTS of info about the Gem Roller Organ and it's brothers. Yours was by no means the only one made -- in fact, it's probably one of the most common mass-produced organettes (judging by how many I see in my flea market hunts), but this fact by no means makes it any less fun or collectible! I don't have my copy of Bowers here at the office, but I believe the Gem was made between the mid-1880's until about World War I. Sears Roebuck was a huge reseller of them; I've got a reprint of the 1902 Sears catalog that gives it full-page coverage!
There were two larger models made. The Concert Roller Organ plays the same size (20-note) "cobs" as yours, but has larger bellows and a nicer case (sometimes oak, sometimes walnut) with a glass cover over the cob area. I recently traded my Gem for one of these. The other model (the name of which escapes me) plays a huge, 32-note cob. I've seen the cobs alone sell for over $100 each! Of course, these large models are very uncommon.
There are numerous case and name variations of both the Gem and Concert organs (my concert is labeled "The Chatauqua Organ"), since they were sold by so many different sources.
When I demonstrate mine for friends, I like to tell them that it was the equivalent of the portable "boom box" of the early 1900's, for those who couldn't afford a piano, reed organ, or phonograph. I've also been told that traveling preachers would use it to accompany hymns in revival meetings, but I'm not sure I buy that.
By the way, having the original box is wonderful! I've never heard of anyone else having one!
Jim Canavan
CYBRFLASH@aol.com
Alexandria, VA |
(Message sent Tue 21 Jan 1997, 14:20:31 GMT, from time zone GMT-0500.) |
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