In this comprehensive guide, expert
woodworker Michael Dunbar provides complete, illustrated
instructions for replicating Federal style tables, chairs, beds,
chests, mirrors, desks and candlestands. He addresses Federal
furniture from the point of view of those who lived through the time
as well as the perspective of the craftsmen who built it.
The Federalist Era
was a defining period in U.S. history, shaping the nation’s
government, economy, and foreign policy. Led by figures like George
Washington, John Adams, Alexander Hamilton, and Thomas Jefferson,
this era saw the creation of the Constitution, the Bill of Rights,
the First Bank of the United States, and the rise of America’s first
political parties
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FEATURED
ANTIQUE
Federal
Console Table
A Gem of a Roller Organ
by Bob Brooke
By
the late19th Century, working and middle class Victorians, with more
free time on their hands, sought out ingenious, yet affordable modes of
home entertainment. One such home entertainment device was the roller
organ, a type of table-top music box that played wooden rollers called
cobs because they resembled an eaten cob of corn.
Although roller organs came in different sizes
and degrees of luxury, the most popular one was the "Gem"
Roller Organ, manufactured by a number of companies, including the
Autophone Company of Ithaca, New York.
Originally, these hand-cranked organs operated
by air pressure from exposed bellows, As technology improved, later
models worked by vacuum pressure, thus enabling manufacturers to reduce
the size of the units, much as today’s technology has reduced the size
of radios and cassette tape players.
Because of its relative simplicity,
manufacturers produced tens of thousands annually, thereby keeping the
cost of a roller organ affordable. Sears & Roebuck, in their 1902
Catalog, was able to offer the Gem Roller Organ for as low as $3.25,
including three rollers. Contracting with companies to produce large
quantities of these devices enabled Sears to sell in volume and keep its
price low.
The Gem Roller Organ, available in either a
painted black or walnut-like finish with gold stenciled applied designs,
used teeth or pins embedded into a 20-note wooden roller, similar to the
cylinders used in Swiss music boxes. Pins operated on valve keys while a
gear turned the roller. Priced as low as 18 cents each–and according
to the Sears Catalog, less than traditional sheet music–roller music
ranged from classical to sacred to ethnic and popular tunes. The tone
was similar to a cabinet parlor organ of the time.
At 16 inches long, 14 inches wide and 9 inches
high, the Gem Roller Organ was small and light enough to place on a
parlor table. The 1902 Sears Catalog listed 220 different rollers of the
over 1,200 different titles available.
To understand just how much the value of the
Gem Roller Organ has appreciated, Sherrill and Barb Edwards of West
Grove, PA recently priced one at $850 at an antique show in
Pennsylvania.
No antiques or collectibles
are sold on this site.
How to Recognize and
Refinish Antiques for Pleasure and Profit
Have
you ever bought an antique or collectible that was less than perfect and
needed some TLC? Bob's new book offers tips and step-by- step
instructions for simple maintenance and restoration of common antiques.
Read an
Excerpt
Auction News
Get up to the minute news of antiques auctions
around the country and the world.
By
the late19th Century, working and middle class Victorians, with more
free time on their hands, sought out ingenious, yet affordable modes of
home entertainment. One such home entertainment device was the roller
organ, a type of table-top music box that played wooden rollers called
cobs because they resembled an eaten cob of corn.
The Gem Roller Organ, available in either a
painted black or walnut-like finish with gold stenciled applied designs,
used teeth or pins embedded into a 20-note wooden roller, similar to the
cylinders used in Swiss music boxes. Pins operated on valve keys while a
gear turned the roller. Priced as low as 18 cents each–and according
to the Sears Catalog, less than traditional sheet music–roller music
ranged from classical to sacred to ethnic and popular tunes. The tone
was similar to a cabinet parlor organ of the time.
