I dug these out of my storage this weekend because they need to go to a proper home. This is a massive collection of prewar music magazines, most from the 1910s through the 1930s, that I got in a hoard ten years ago. The bulk of them are music magazines aimed at stringed-instrument musicians—mandolin, guitar, banjo, steel guitar. These prewar magazines are rare as hen’s teeth. Most were recycled during the war effort or lost to time. To find a collection this large of these types of magazines presents a unique opportunity for the right archive, museum, or collector. I dare say, you’ll never find a collection this large of prewar musical instrument magazines for sale ever again!
The bulk are two titles that were popular in the 1910s and 1920s: The Cadenza and The Crescendo. They had articles about musicians, new products offered by manufacturers, sheet music, instructional guidelines for learning various instruments, and (perhaps best of all) lots and lots of vintage advertising. I was somewhat surprised to see how heavily Gibson (still known as the “Gibson Mandolin and Guitar Company”) was advertising as early as 1912 and 1913 (and they advertised way more in the 1930s!). There are guitar and banjo and mandolin and steel guitar and accessories and all manner of great vintage products in these ads. I’ve tried to take as many photos as I can of some of these vintage ads, but trust me—it’s just the tip of the iceberg.
I think these must have come from a vintage music studio that gave lessons, because there are duplicates and multiples of many issues, and for some strange reason there are huge quantities of certain issues. (Why is there thirty-nine copies of the August 1918 issue of The Crescendo? My best guess is that someone swiped a big pile at a trade show to take home and use at their studio for students to read.) Condition ranges from wonderful (amazing to read these magazines from over one hundred years ago and think about all that they have survived—wars, fires, floods, earthquakes, and the trash man) to poor. I would say 98 percent of them are complete issues with typical wear from, well, being over a hundred years old.
There is a glorious amount of miscellaneous stuff, including programs from the American Music Guild yearly convention, Gibson salesman pamphlets from the 1920s, a healthy stack of the Gibson Mastertone magazine from 1926–37, music books of the era, and tons of mandolin, guitar, steel guitar instruction books and music folios. There is a huge stack of music folios arranged by famous Gibson designer and luthier Lloyd Loar! Just look at the photos and you’ll see the enormity of this collection. There is just a ton of stuff.
This archive needs to go to the right home. Surely you know someone fascinated with musical instruments from the 1920s and 1930s. Surely there exists that certain someone who researches banjo and mandolin history from the period when they were the most popular instruments in the United States. Surely there exists an archive that feels that these magazines, books, and ephemera should be saved for another hundred-plus years. I’m trying to find the right home for this stuff.
Take a look at the photos and you’ll see—the quantity is, well, staggering. It’s a huge archive of incredibly rare materials. I tried to find some comparable price listings on eBay and I found one 1915 issue of The Cadenza listed for sale for $95. There are 162 unique issues of The Cadenza in this collection, with another 178 (!!) duplicates and multiple copies thrown in for good measure. Do the math…. I couldn’t find any prices for sold copies of The Crescendo, Gibson Mastertone Magazine, etc. These prewar magazines are just crazy, crazy rare—as rare as they come for musical paper collectible ephemera. To the right person, this would be a once-in-a-lifetime score. I want to find that person. There are just under seven hundred magazines total, plus a stack of books and a giant box of sheet music for guitar/mandolin/banjo/steel guitar. I have a Word Doc with all the items listed. If interested let me know and I will send it to you—I tried to leave it as a comment but it was too long!
See a zillion more photos at Deke’s original post.
