The Allen Koenigsberg Phonograph Collection
Lot 3005:
Description
A hand typed letter dated Washington D.C. Aug. 25, 1887 to Uriah Painter from James R. Ash. Ash served as the Chief of the Division of Correspondence for the United States Post Office Department in Washington, D.C., in 1887. His letter relates information from a visit to Charles Tainter who was working for Alexander Graham Bell at his Volta Laboratory in Washington D.C. The letter relates Tainter’s progress of his improvements to Edison’s Phonograph and that the company is telling investors not to sell stock for less than $50 per share. The letter is hand signed by Ash. On the back side of this letter is a hand written note by Painter to someone presumably with access to Edison. The note reads,’The Bell crowd are very busy you see! UHP (Uriah Hunt Painter) Show to E- (Edison). This letter could be the very piece of information that sparked Edison to return to the phonograph which he improved and came out with his version in 1888. At the very least, we know this letter at one time was in both Painter’s and Edison’s hands. In overall good condition with some staining to the lower left. Letter has been folded. From the Allen Koenigsberg collection.
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