One of the earliest exported records from the USA. Left America for New Zealand in 1901

This recording was made in the united States and was sent abroad to be sold in another country.
The export market in the United States in the field of recording was nil and barely existent. This record you see here was found in Wellington, New Zealand. I was able to get some of the history of it. It had been purchased in 1902 by settlers in New Zealand. It had lived its entire life in New Zealand save for the short time from when it was made in New Jersey, and then shipped to a very distant land. The back of the record has a label stating it was made in the USA.

This record was found with a Gramophone and Typewriter machine in Wellington in 2002. It had been a century that record had been bought and then bought again 100 years later. I guess the most interesting part of the jouney for this recording was..It came back to New Jersey where it had been produced in 1901. So I wanted to share with you one of the earliest export recordings, and one that has had one amazing journey.

If you think of it, this recording was made in a plant in Camden, New Jersey. Then put on a wagon. It was probably sent by ferry to Philadephia. There it would have been shipped to New York, or at least met a tramp steamer that was coming out of New York.
For what was probably several months it sailed around the world till it was received at the main port of Wellington, New Zealand. Wellington's port was a very active and a popular port. Then I am sure once again this record would have been loaded on a wagon and brought to a store or to the location of the person who had ordered and bought it.
In 2002 the very same record was found within 10 minutes walking distance to the port of Wellington...It was carefully packed and carried on to a plane at Wellinton airport. The wind was quite strong that day, which of course it often is in Wellington, but soon it was in the air...a few stops...and within 28 hours it was back in the country of its birth.
Today that record is 105 years old, and every now and then I will play it...I has history in what it is, but even more as to where it has been. It will be very much like the cylinder record of Theodore Roosevelt that is now on the Shuttle, the history of what it is and where it has been will be amazing!