Early Phonograph Record collection

Thomas Edison invented the phonograph in 1877, a machine capable of both recording sound and replaying it. For his earliest recordings, he impressed sound waves on cylinders wrapped with tinfoil. Other inventors of the late 19th century quickly modified and improved both the phonograph and its recording formats and made them both commercially available. Edison Records was one of the first recording labels, but Edison soon would have many competitors. For all his talents as an inventor and businessman, Edison was unable to achieve lasting success with his pioneering record and phonograph companies.

Cylinder records constructed of hollow wax and, later, celluloid, dominated the market until around 1910. Disc records had been introduced in Europe and the United States in the 1890s, but their sound quality was poor. As their sound quality was refined, discs became popular with the public because of their longer playing time and ease of storage. Eventually, discs proved commercially more successful than cylinders because they could be mass produced in greater quantities at less cost. Cylinders gradually became obsolete, and Edison Records was the last phonograph company of the time to produce recordings commercially in this format. Edison Records failed in 1929, due, in part, to Edison’s insistence on concentrating his production on cylinders, only introducing a flat record in 1912, the same year rival label Columbia discontinued their cylinder line. These records were the Edison Diamond Discs – so-called because they used a special diamond stylus for playing. Edison tried to retain a proprietary hold on his recordings by specifying that his discs should only be played on an Edison phonograph, and indeed, the ordinary steel needle used on most other phonograph machines could not play a Diamond Disc record. Although the sound quality of Edison discs was considered superior, both the discs and the Edison phonograph were more expensive to purchase than others on the market. Edison’s insistence on keeping his discs incompatible with other companies’ phonographs was another factor in the undoing of Edison Records, as consumers preferred the lower cost and the compatibility of his competitors’ products.

The first disc records were made of hard rubber; later shellac and other laminates were applied to the outside of a disc with a core composed of an admixture of materials like clay, resin, mineral fillers, lampblack and cotton fibers. Edison Diamond Discs were unique in that they were ¼ inch (6mm) thick, much thicker than standard records, in order to accommodate the vertical cut of the record grooves and the up-and-down motion of the diamond stylus. The needles of most other phonographs of the day moved side-to-side in shallower grooves. Because of their age and their composition, Edison Diamond Discs are prone to breakdown and damage. Since the core materials will absorb moisture, overexposure to damp or wet conditions can cause warping, cracking and delamination. Edison discs are somewhat brittle and will chip around the edges. They will scratch like any other record. Damage to Edison discs caused by playing them on a non-Edison phonograph like a Victrola is a common finding. The steel needle of standard phonographs slices through the grooves of an Edison disc and destroys the recording.