Christmas Drums Part 1: Santa Claus Band

This holiday season the NCCHP Wayback Machine brings you a series of Noble & Cooley toy Christmas drums, beginning with the oldest Christmas drum in the collection, made during the early 20th century. This particular drum has spent its life at 42 Water Street in the Noble & Cooley main office. As you can see from the pictures the paint has checked with age but the original strap is still tucked neatly away as it has been for the past 100 or so years.

The 11" diameter drum shell shown below is actually made of two identically lithographed metal sheets attached end-to-end then formed into the shell. To see the Noble & Cooley catalog page for this drum with a picture and description of the drum sizes made, CLICK HERE. Long before the walrus was Paul, this was Santa and the Fab Four (you can click on any image for a full screen version):



(NCCHP photo, www.ncchp.org)

(NCCHP photo, www.ncchp.org)

(NCCHP photo, www.ncchp.org)

(NCCHP photo, www.ncchp.org)

(NCCHP photo, www.ncchp.org)

(NCCHP photo, www.ncchp.org)

Noble & Cooley "Santa Claus Band" drum (unused printed drum shell) showing another color scheme.
Click on image for a larger version. (NCCHP photo, www.ncchp.org)