Posted 2 years ago
AnythingOb…
(1778 items)
The J. C. DEAGAN Co. of Chicago, Illinois was a renowned maker of chimes, bells, and tuned percussion instruments from 1880 to the late 1970's, and this is an original example of one of their smaller products. Though these were likely produced during much of the earlier and middle history of the company, I'm guessing this one is 1920's since the patent numbers on the back label run out in '26, but I highly doubt they quit getting patents then...?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/J.C._Deagan,_Inc.
This is a DEAGAN PLATE CHIME No. 20 as stamped on its backside. Four differently pitched chime bars are (intended to be) suspended on rubber and cord mountings over round openings in resonator compartments below them, to be struck gently using a small handheld mallet to in turn produce four differing chime notes, musical C4, F4, A4, & C5, tuned to the A-435 pitch standard.
Dinner Chimes such as this were used (by 'the staff') to summon one's guests to an elegant dinner table in extravagant homes, to announce meals being served in railway dining cars and onboard luxury ships, the end of intermission at the opera or concert performance, and stuff like that for people like that. ;-) They also found use in radio broadcast studios of the era, and in fact the now famous "NBC Chime" used to this day was first created using one of these very same instruments.
https://www.nbcchimes.info/d20.php
The wood resonator box is 11-3/8" x 9-1/4" x 2-3/4", made of dark stained wood. It is thoroughly dirty and scuffed, but intact. The small brass colored DEAGAN name label is still on its front along with the stamping and patent label on the back. All the metal hardware for the chime bar mounting is there, though all the rubber parts have hardened and deteriorated and the cords have been (kinda) restrung. I do not have an original mallet.
I'm hoping to be able to renew/restore this one as gently as possible, trying to preserve both those old labels. It'll be challenging though, obviously also requiring disassembly of the bars and hardware for a thorough cleaning at minimum. I'll probably have to try to invent something to replicate the rubber parts from hardware store bits, and find suitable new cord to hold the bars.
AnythingObscure, Cool. :-)
More:
https://www.nbcchimes.info/deagan.php
https://www.madeinchicagomuseum.com/single-post/j-c-deagan-co/
Here's that oldest patent:
https://patents.google.com/patent/US408655A/en
And one of the newest explicitly listed on that label:
https://patents.google.com/patent/US1595359/en
I was a Catholic altar boy during the late 1940's early 50's. We used a bar chime like this to signal the various parts of the Mass. Much more melodious than bells.