The Allen Koenigsberg Phonograph Collection
Lot 3028:
Description
This remarkable archival lot offers an invaluable look into the genesis of the commercial sound recording industry, focusing on the Metropolitan Phonograph Company of New York, operating under the authority of the North American Phonograph Company. The centerpiece of the collection is a leather-bound corporate ledger containing 122 pages of meticulous handwritten minutes detailing the company’s 1888 incorporation, trustee meetings, executive appointments, and financial statements signed by key industry pioneers like President Charles A. Cheever. The lot includes two 1889 letters on ornate company letterhead addressed to Col. S. McD. Tate—including a historic December 14, 1889 letter explicitly noted as “Dictated to and transcribed from the PHONOGRAPH”—complete with original envelopes. Also featured are an original promotional booklet, a 1993 facsimile edition, a modern photo print of the 257 Fifth Avenue offices, an associated 1980 letter to Merritt F. Malvern, and several loose reference photocopies. The original 19th-century paper ephemera shows expected light toning, minor edge wear, and mailing folds, while the ledger displays heavy rubbing, exterior shelf wear, and a completely detached spine strip, though its internal pages remain exceptionally clean, tightly bound, and highly legible. H 11″, W 9″, D 1.5”. Please see photos for condition. From the Allen Koenigsberg collection.
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