most valuable phonographs?

[David Spanovich]

There exists (at Yale as I recall, 'though mem'ry may well have failed me) the only surviving example of the
Large French Gothic art Model of Edison Diamond Disc phonograph, which machine was re-fitted with a C-1 radio-phonograph mechanism at the Edison Works in 1928 or '29. What would that behemoth would fetch in the current market?

I don't know... to me, the Edison French Gothic seems better suited to the storage of dinner plates:



It looks like it would take up a full wall in the campus dinning room.

[Uncle Vanya]

There exists (at Yale as I recall, 'though mem'ry may well have failed me) the only surviving example of the
Large French Gothic art Model of Edison Diamond Disc phonograph, which machine was re-fitted with a C-1 radio-phonograph mechanism at the Edison Works in 1928 or '29. What would that behemoth would fetch in the current market?

I don't know... to me, the Edison French Gothic seems better suited to the storage of dinner plates:



It looks like it would take up a full wall in the campus dinning room.

Ah! But you show the SMALL French Gothic!

[Valecnik]

I love this quotation extracted from the text re. the "Small French Gothic"...

""Isn't it a beauty!" exclaimed a handsomely gowned woman who drove up to the Ritz-Carleton in a de luxe limosine"

[Skihawx]

I'd have to wonder whether a C1 or Moroccan toilet would reach those crazy prices a second time.
Even though the first VTLA sold for $70K, I seem to recall the next one going for just over half that price.

I didn't know there was a second Moorish Marquetry Victrola sold??

[JohnM]

The Moorish Victrolas are L-door XVI's, not VTLA's. Vanya, weren't there twelve sent to Morroco "in the white" for inlay?

[gramophoneshane]

I'd have to wonder whether a C1 or Moroccan toilet would reach those crazy prices a second time.
Even though the first VTLA sold for $70K, I seem to recall the next one going for just over half that price.

I didn't know there was a second Moorish Marquetry Victrola sold??

I recall reading either here or on the old OTV that one later sold for $41,000 if I remember correctly, and that only 4 are known to exist. Whether that info was correct though, I really cant say.

[FloridaClay]

While not in the stratosphere like some models listed in this thread, there are also the combined music box/phonograph machines like the Reginaphone. They can bring 5 figures for nice complete examples.

Clay

[Uncle Vanya]

I'd have to wonder whether a C1 or Moroccan toilet would reach those crazy prices a second time.
Even though the first VTLA sold for $70K, I seem to recall the next one going for just over half that price.

I didn't know there was a second Moorish Marquetry Victrola sold??

I recall reading either here or on the old OTV that one later sold for $41,000 if I remember correctly, and that only 4 are known to exist. Whether that info was correct though, I really cant say.

quote="JohnM"]The Moorish Victrolas are L-door XVI's, not VTLA's. Vanya, weren't there twelve sent to Morroco "in the white" for inlay?[/quote]

So I understand, though Skihawx would be the better one to ask, as his knowledge of Victor products and production practices
is far better than mine.

I've only ever heard of one of the MM machines selling in recent memory, but I do remember an article of 1970 vintage
which was published in some small format nostalgia magazine in which a collector in upper New England (Maine as I recall)
was intweiewed. One of the photos accompanying the article showed the fellow's MM Victrola. I have always wondered whether it was the one that I had the privilege of examining.

[David Spanovich]

Ah! But you show the SMALL French Gothic!

Oops, my bad. I realized that this was not the large ($6000) French Gothic phonograph, but posted the photo of the $4000 version because, as the brochure indicates, it is similar to the large model. I don't know of any photos that exist of the $6000 version. I put this in my post, but accidentally deleted it, when I edited it in "preview."

In any event, I've always understood that the Small French Gothic was this one --



What Edison's ad writers should have said was something like:

"...We offer our French Gothic Diamond Disc Phonograph in three convenient sizes:

small, for those who live in a mansion;

medium, for those who live in a castle;

large, for those who live in a cathedral...."

DS

[Skihawx]

"JohnM"]The Moorish Victrolas are L-door XVI's, not VTLA's. Vanya, weren't there twelve sent to Morroco "in the white" for inlay?

So I understand, though Skihawx would be the better one to ask, as his knowledge of Victor products and production practices
is far better than mine.

I've only ever heard of one of the MM machines selling in recent memory, but I do remember an article of 1970 vintage which was published in some small format nostalgia magazine in which a collector in upper New England (Maine as I recall) was intweiewed. One of the photos accompanying the article showed the fellow's MM Victrola. I have always wondered whether it was the one that I had the privilege of examining.

I only know of two different examples. One is a picture in the first Look for the Dog. It is a different machine than the one that sold in 2002. I did not know that there were any records on how
many were made. I heard the one in the LFTD was somewhere in the NYC area. But who knows that could be the one that sold at Fontain's in 2001. I'd like to see the machine in the magazine article and compare it to existing photos.

Here is an article on the auction.

http://antiquesandthearts.com/Antiques/ ... 49-07.html