The Cadet was first added to the Crackajack line in 1905 just two years after their first models; The Professional, Senior and Junior, were sold by Allan & Co of Melbourne.
These Cadets had the same engraved fonts as F A Rauner’s Cracker Jack (the harp of world wide repute) as displayed in their 1915 Catalogue.
This also had the registered number 28285, which was all the evidence I needed in declaring F A Rauner as the Aussie Crackajack maker. If you like, the Cadet’s fancy curly wurly font is the icing on the cake.
Advertised as the smallest Crackajack, it probably measured just on three inches.
There were a few different styles of Crackajack Cadet’s over the journey. Harland’s cover plate with the tear drop edges (above/perhaps 1927), instead of the more familiar rounded end seen pictured below.
There was even one with standard font (pictured below) with rounded holes in a 1924 advertisement (possibly very shortly lived and thus very rare).
I was a hair breath away from securing (if the price was right) a Cadet back in Covid daze when my brother-in-law had spotted one in a CLOSED store window. See here My Baby.
Harmonica Riff Raff 
When I read of ‘tiny’ harmonicas it always brings me back to thinking about the one I bought off eBay to put into my son in law’s cigar box I made him as a Christmas gift. The one in To Kill a Mockingbird. It was fun chasing down all those items that Scout had as gifts from Boo Radley. Still haven’t found a couple of the items. But did manage to find the exact same make of the cigar box used in the film. People saw that a penny used in the film cigar box was actually dated later than the book’s date of the story’s events. I bought the same dates as the film’s ones on the coins I found.
This is how I think you study your history too Shep. Close attention to detail. By looking at tiny clues to get at the historical truth of all matters ‘harp’.
Not sure if they were little novelty items or actually playable. I should guess the former. Mind you, a lot of songs get by on two notes. 😉
Cheers Shep. Hope you are keeping well. 🙏🏽🍁🍂
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This one of my wife’s favourite movies. I remember your post too! Amazing. They were novelties, but there was many a tune that could be blown. Pat Missin even had a book of tunes for them ‘The Ultimate Miniature Harmonica Tunebook: 365 Tunes for the Four Hole Harmonica’. I penned a post ‘Choking Hazard’ and in there I had a picture of how they were used in pretending to play a ten holer with your ear! Thanks for checking in again mate. Shep 🐾
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Your wife has good taste Shep. I probably read your post too back in the days. I found you here on WP through the Chromatica I bought, not the tiny harp. The Tiny one I bought had a key ring attached I think. My son in law was over the moon with the cigar box shenanigans. Sekratary Hawkins books are on my to do list for him as Scout reads them in the film. The old vintage ones are really expensive though. As are the Spelling Bee award seen in the box too. And a vintage mirror. I don’t think I can complete the box for him. But he now has about 80% of it completed.
I like the sound of that tune book. Cheers. G.
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