What a fabulous piece of information to keep alive. Thanks for sharing. Andy On Jan 21, 2008, at 8:34 AM, John Maeder wrote: > > The reason many Columbia Viva-Tonal records are found today with a > little pinch fracture on the edge is that they were tested by > squeezing with pliers while being sorted for WWII shellac drives. > Being laminated, they were spared from the scrap heap. John M. > >> Date: Mon, 21 Jan 2008 09:24:17 -0600 >> From: rich-mail at octoxol.com >> To: phono-l at oldcrank.org >> Subject: Re: [Phono-L] Metal horns lost to salvage drives >> >> There are many black and white photographs of these scrap metal >> drives >> from WW-I and WW-II. Most newspaper archives have them for your >> viewing >> pleasure. There are other archives of old photographs that show the >> same things. >> >> Kuglarb at wmconnect.com wrote: >>> I, like many of you fellow collectors, can't imagine horns, >>> phonographs, >>> parts, etc. being sent to the recycle bin! I am proudly from the >>> South and will >>> say it the best way that I can down here, "Ain't it terrible!" >>> >>> The war effort was one thing, but how about the heart breaking >>> stories you >>> hear about when the new owners of RCA savaged the Victor Talking >>> Machine Company >>> Plant in Camden, New Jersey in the late 1980s. For years and >>> years this old >>> factory was a time warp with phonographs, horns, parts, >>> advertising items >>> (vintage banners, posters, original art), vintage Nippers of all >>> types and sizes, >>> and God only know what else. >>> >>> Well, the story goes that the new owners went in and just threw >>> everything >>> out into garbage skit pans. Without even looking at the item, >>> they just tossed >>> it out. Yep, taking about something for us to cry about. When >>> word got out, >>> it was said that collectors from all areas had rented U-hauls and >>> trucks and >>> were grabbing as much as they could. By the time they got there, >>> thousands and >>> thousands of items had already been taken away to the land fill, >>> only to be >>> lost forever. >>> >>> Now, the plant is only a partial shell of what it was. It was >>> converted into >>> an apartment complex. I have read that the original stained glass >>> Nipper is >>> still in place. But can you imagine what we could have gotten if >>> we could have >>> taken a visit. I would have been glad to put my items on the >>> table and paid >>> for each one. Maybe the profits of the sale could have been used >>> for charity. >>> >>> I guess that this is the reason that these items (fire pull boxes, >>> cotton >>> advertising banners, nippers, ect.) now pull in such a hefty >>> price. I am glad >>> that some of the mechanical specifics were saved so that >>> reproduction parts are >>> still made available to us today. >>> >>> As the old saying goes, "If it's not rare, it's not a jewel." I >>> guess that >>> is why these old vintage photographs that did not mean much to >>> folks years ago >>> are so wonderful to us today! >>> >>> I heard a story from a family member that back in the 1920s, a >>> lady told her >>> husband to get that old ugly horn phonograph out of the living >>> room. She >>> said, "Give it away if you have to!" He asked her, "What do you >>> want in its' >>> place?" She said a new state of the art Victrola 210! The >>> phonograph was a >>> Victor IV wood horn machine! >>> >>> I wish I had been able to make an offer on that old ugly unwanted >>> Victor VI! >>> Hoping you folks have a great day today! >>> >>> Brantley </HTML> >>> _______________________________________________ >>> Phono-L mailing list >>> http://phono-l.oldcrank.org >>> >>> >> _______________________________________________ >> Phono-L mailing list >> http://phono-l.oldcrank.org > _______________________________________________ > Phono-L mailing list > http://phono-l.oldcrank.org