Very interesting (but not very practical) mouth organs. Koch eight hole mouth organs in the shape of animals (1927 Catalogue) All quiet on the home front with no new additions (vintage ‘Oz’ harmonicas) to the fish tank. So, in keeping with the theme of the cartoons that follow, I opted to include a few obscure … Continue reading Walking On Air
Original single release with Travelling Down The Castlereagh as the ‘A’ side. Finally, after many years of investigating, I can reveal the harp player on Richard Clapton’s I’m Travelling Down The Castlereagh. Drum roll, please? It is………wait for it……the one……and the only…….Broderick Smith. A popular segment on my old radio program was ‘Oddities & Obscurities’ … Continue reading Old Jig Jog
Latest edition to collection with gifted programs of the great man. I had no intention of purchasing a harmonica of this kind, but for thirty five Aussie bucks (fair bit of harp for that price) I just had to as there’s been nothing in my wheelhouse for sometime now. I had been gifted Larry’s programs … Continue reading Harpo (Moviestar)
Here It Is! Doug Dawson, Canadian super collector, has done it again! He has discovered the Jazz Master Chromatic - it exists! There folks in all of its glory - in a lovely blue container. Where would you think Doug picked up this late 1930’s rare Aussie classic? You’d be wrong, ‘twas Sweden. For more … Continue reading Jazzamatazz
Pretty pleased to have stumbled over this beauty - a pretty slick Suisse Boomerang Chromorgan. This model and the Grand Chromorgan (there was no De Luxe model) were briefly produced in Switzerland after WWII. Albert’s Boomerang mouth organs were manufactured by Seydel, who were under occupation by communist Russia after WWII - so briefly Albert’s … Continue reading Suisse Piece
Left: My recent acquisition Right: Echophone graphic from a 1953 Hohner catalogue. By happenstance I was able to add this beauty to my collection. I think part of my fascination with the Echophone is the link back to Sydney Dickens of Carlton, Melbourne who had an invention of the same name and type back in … Continue reading Tubular Organ
Picked up this harp and box for a starting bid of a fiver. Well, I thought I did. Three times he apologised and said it would be in the next post - never did see it in the flesh. An Australian Job! I knew they weren’t a perfect match, but I was still interested in … Continue reading The Italian Job
With the Australian Rules football season commencing, I thought it appropriate to fly this article from the grand old (flag) days of the great game. Who would have thought footballers and umpires singing from the same hymn page. I don’t reckon the Mordi Bloods or Frank Vergona ever did. From 1935 to 1940 a Melbourne … Continue reading Football Notes
Melbourne, 1909 1909 was an eventful year for young newsboy Jack Church and his Crackajack mouth organ. He was providing news content in all the Melbourne papers he was selling; The Herald, The Punch and The Argus. It’s probably fair to say Jack had been dealt a pretty rough hand in life with little chance … Continue reading Jack’s Congregation
I viewed a repeat episode of American Pickers awhile ago where they stumbled across a Cracker Jack vending machine. It set my brain cogs into motion (backwards) revisiting our famous Crackajack mouth organs sold by Allan’s of Melbourne. The cogs clunked to a stop on both why the name Crackajack and why advertising featuring the … Continue reading Nautical Jack
Harmonica Riff Raff 