What Do you Want To See At The NVCF this year?

[12jslater]

I'm personally wanting to buy-

-An Amberola 30
-Crocodile cover hmv 101
-Some 'hot' BA jazz/foxtrot Cylinders
-An Early Hornless Zonophone
-An Early Pathé Cylinder Phonograph

How about you?

[Steve]

An immaculate HMV 461 in mahogany (unrestored)
An immaculate HMV 511 in mahogany (unrestored)
Any interesting pre-1914 (preferably non-G & T / non-HMV) record pedestals
The elusive white leather HMV 102 (yes, it did exist)
Pathéphone Models 'S', '14', '16' or '18'

What will I see at NVCF this year:

A plethora of tatty, invariably incomplete, uninteresting, broken or distinctly average condition black leather-cloth portables sold by disinterested radio dealers
A selection of items recently "previewed" on Ebay being sold by a familiar crop of dealers?
A selection of "pre-sold" items being "offered" by the same - "offered" because technically they are not actually for sale for technical reasons beyond my grasp.
A lot of junk under the tables!
Over-priced food and drink
Over-priced entry fee!
A big queue of people waiting to get in holding radios.
A big group of collectors leaving before said queue gets in, also holding radios.

So why bother, hey? Well, you just never know........if you don't go. I have found some interesting items there, especially last year!! There are some decent dealers there (one at least a member here!) and generally speaking there is a good friendly atmosphere. Most people seem to be enjoying themselves and haggling is quite fun, even if few dealers seem willing to participate, unless they're on TV!

[Gramtastic]

I'd like to see:

Good condition interesting and reasonably priced 2 min cylinders (not bell solos, bird songs etc)
Reasonably priced reproducers - Edison H's, K's, Columbia floating etc.
Totally original early machines


I expect to see:

Horrifically "restored" machines
Any early machines at about double what they are worth
Lots of "Bitsa's" being sold as original
The usual suspects

I hope to be pleasantly surprised but won't hold my breath .....

[epigramophone]

I have been to classic car shows at the NEC many times by coach organised by my local motor club, but I have never been to the NVCF, and these gloomy predictions do not encourage me to do so.

I have however attended the CLPGS Phonofair at Powick for years, where I can be certain of finding :

Free car parking.
Free admission to CLPGS members.
Food and drink at very low prices.
Old friendships to renew. Yes, even dealers have friends!
Blue Amberol cylinders and 78's of all genres reasonably priced.
No radios!

There is also the chance of finding that elusive spare part or complete machine on my wanted list.

The 2017 event takes place on Saturday 24th June.

[Gramtastic]

Hi
Is the fair open to non members ? Where do we get the address etc from ?
Cheers

[12jslater]

https://www.nvcf.org.uk It is open to everyone

[epigramophone]

Hi
Is the fair open to non members ? Where do we get the address etc from ?
Cheers

If you mean the CLPGS Phonofair, yes it is open to non-members and details can be found at http://www.clpgs.org.uk. This site also advertises the NVCF fair.

[Wagnerian]

The CLPGS Phonofair at Powick Village Hall is a public event and everybody is most welcome. As Epigramophone states it will be held this year on Saturday 24th June from 09:00 to 13:30 hrs.

As usual there will be traders from across the UK specialising in Gramophones, records, phonographs and cylinders although CDs, DVD and LPs are also usually in evidence as well. Excellent value refreshments are available

Powick Village Hall is located half way between Great Malvern and Worcester, just off the main Malvern Road. For those with Satnav the postcode is WR2 4RT. Buses from Great Malvern or Worcester stop outside on the main road and are every 15 mins during the day

Admission is £2.00 and there is ample free car parking.

This is always a great day out and every one who goes seems to have a good time, so come along and give it a try.

Tim W-W

[Gramtastic]

Just back from the NVCF. There's a few hours of my life I'll never get back....

In terms of gramophone/phonograph stuff it was, as feared, a dead loss. Only Ken, John Sleep and a couple of other people with gramophones. Even "the leading dealer" and the CLPGS seemed to have abandoned it. One dealer with a stall of coma-inducing black portables. Must have been about 15 cylinders for sale in the whole fair.
I suppose it is mainly a radio/telephone fair but there weren't even many interesting early wirelesses, just piles of junk.

Oh well, if you are into gramophones/phonographs I wouldn't bother.
Looks like I will have to give Powick a try !!

[Steve]

Yes, sadly I can entirely concur with Gramtastic's account of the event.

What a dismal fair it's become. The organisers in an attempt( failed) to disguise the lack of stall-holders this year, generously provided more space to those who did stand! I suspect many attendees weren't fooled though. I was tempted to demand my £10 back but thought non-attendance in the future was just as good a way of demonstrating my apathy for this event now after 25 years of attendance from the 'glory days' in the early 1990's at the NEC.

From my own point of view there were just two items of interest, one grossly over-priced, the other too large to cart home so if it wasn't for purchasing a new audiophile LP pressing from a dealer I've already bought from via the internet, I would have gone home empty handed. What was particularly grating to me was the amount of open space everywhere as a result of fewer stall-holders this year.

I met Christopher Proudfoot and learnt that a particular machine I am looking for should turn up for about ¼ of the price I was anticipating, such is the current market today. I do hope he is right but I'm not holding my breath!