Gem Roller Organ

My Dad has a Gem Roller Organ, in very good condition. Am looking for information on it ie: when were they popular, where were such things manufactured, what was their main use (home, circus, carnival,etc.). any information regarding this musical instrument would be greatly appreciated as it will be on display at a fair this Summer, and I would like to put an informational card with it. Thanks

So does my husband!!!

Well, his is still popular, especially with me

He got his in 1948 but he didn't learn to play it until he was about 12

Mainly home

Roller organs (or organettes) were first produced in the US in the 1870s, were really popular in the 1880s and 90s, and like other mechanical musical instruments began their decline in the early 1900s with the rise of the phonograph. Produced in the hundreds of thousands, they were sold extensively by mail order for as little as two or three dollars - Sears catalog listed them at $3.25.

The Gem Roller Organ was manufactured by the Autophone Company of Ithaca, New York, and uses a wooden cylinder studded with metal pins to encode the music. Turning a hand-crank operates a bellows and turns the music roll; the pins on the roll operate levers which allow the vacuum created by the bellows to pull air past organ reeds (just like in a harmonica). The Gem has 20 notes; other models had more.

Most of them were used in the home - the tune cylinders, often called cobs because of their resemblance to corncobs, were cheap, and all kinds of music was available, including the popular songs of the day.

Information from personal experience, and 'Encyclopedia of Automatic Musical Instruments' by Q. David Bowers.

Bill Burns Long Island NY USA