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Cleaning out my Grandma's attic and have this machine. Trying to find out a value range. I am new to this and have no idea what to look for as far as condition, etc. There are also 40 records, and again no idea how to judge condition. Would appreciate any help or direction to determine value to either settle estate, or keep for myself. Thanks Ed

We could help but a photo would make it much easier. The Aretino came in front and rear mount versions and a photo. would answer those questions and help with condition questions. Jerry Blais

Thanks!! will get pics and post tomorrow.

Here are some pics...

Opinions on value would be appreciated. I like the machine, but it is to settle the estate so I want to have a fair value, and decide to sell or if I buy it out.

There are also 40 "records" that are with it. I can post a couple samples if that helps with the value of those.

I know I am new here, and I'm assuming this is a forum of people who appreciate these machines, so comments and help are greatly appreciated.

Thanks,

Ed

Thanks for the photos. There are pluses and minuses about the machine. It has a nice green original Aretino horn and the case has a good decal. The crank is wrong and the turntable is suspect. An Aretino turntable should have a large spindle cap and Aretino records have an unusually large center hole that fits over the spindle cap. Aretino machines, as they left the factory, only played Aretino records. It looks like yours was modified to play regular 78s. I hope this helps.

Jerry Blais

Ed,
As Jerry mentioned, the machine has a few minuses, but the positives outweigh them. You should keep this, if you have any interest in phonographs because it will be hard to find an Aretino with a good decal and a nice green (original) horn and it is a desirable machine. This is basically a Columbia machine which was made for particular seller/clients like Aretino, Sears, etc. If you can purchase it from the estate in the $350-$450 range, I think you would be OK... That would be the price range of a Columbia Standard Model A, which is almost exactly the same.

The most detracting item is the crank, which can be replaced, but may take awhile to find, as I am not sure whether it takes a standard Columbia crank - someone else will know this. For purists the missing Aretino medallion/large disc in the center of the turntable would devalue the price, but it allows you to play any record on it other than the large hole Aretino records. An adapter can be found to allow the playing of the Aretino records if you have any. This was a gimmick to make Aretino owners purchase Aretino records, since the center hole is several inches in diameter rather than the standard size spindle hole.

As I said, if I had the chance, I would definitely opt to buy it...

ged001 wrote:Cleaning out my Grandma's attic. There are also 40 records, and again no idea how to judge condition. Would appreciate any help or direction to determine value to either settle estate, or keep for myself. Thanks Ed

As for the 40 records, you can start with this. https://www.ebay.com/gds/A-guide-to-Vin ... 836/g.html Depending how rare/desirable an individual title is, the value could go way up. You need to research each one to find out if you have something special. Start with ebay and search with sold listings. You will find the most common titles that way. Good luck.

If you go to the "Trader" section of our Forum you will see a Standard Type A for sale priced at $400. It's on page two. As you can see from the photos it is closely related to your Aretino. That machine is fairly priced and all original. If condition is equal between a Standard Type A and an Aretino, most people would value the Aretino slightly higher. To value your Aretino, please keep in mind the problem with the crank and turntable. It's hard for me to really see the turntable but it appears to be delaminating like it's made from wood. Is that true? Or is the turntable built up to make it possible to play regular 78s?

Jerry Blais

First off, Thanks to all of you for your help. It's odd that it's modified to take a normal 78 record as all the records are Aretino with the 3" hole. I can only assume this is something my grandpa picked up many, many years ago. As for the turntable, in the box of records, there was a felt pad about ⅜" thick that someone put on the turntable. I'll have to take that off to get a better idea, but I don't think there is any delamination or damage.

Ed

ged001 wrote:First off, Thanks to all of you for your help. It's odd that it's modified to take a normal 78 record as all the records are Aretino with the 3" hole. I can only assume this is something my grandpa picked up many, many years ago. As for the turntable, in the box of records, there was a felt pad about ⅜" thick that someone put on the turntable. I'll have to take that off to get a better idea, but I don't think there is any delamination or damage.

Ed

It is possible the large spindle attachment came loose and is still somewhere in the attic. Might be worth a closer look to see if you can find it. That is almost impossible to buy.

Also, a stash of 40 Aretino records is quite the find. Worth more than the record player if they are in good condition.

Cliff