Unidentified Toy Gramophone

Discussions on Talking Machines of British or European Manufacture
User avatar
jamiegramo
Victor III
Posts: 619
Joined: Tue Sep 21, 2010 5:52 am
Location: St. Albans, UK

Re: Unidentified Toy Gramophone

Post by jamiegramo »

I think it is German and Gama seems likely and that is the important detail. It could have been sold under the National Band name but also by other retailers/wholesalers names. In view of the condition there probably never was a label and may well have appeared in Curry’s or other gramophone shops sold as something like ‘nursery gramophone’ or ‘kiddies gramophone’ etc. without any labelling to the machine.

User avatar
poodling around
Victor V
Posts: 2141
Joined: Tue Feb 20, 2018 11:52 am

Re: Unidentified Toy Gramophone

Post by poodling around »

epigramophone wrote: Thu Apr 08, 2021 5:58 am I am unusually fortunate to have been married to a fellow collector for over 50 years. Although my wife's main collecting interest is mechanical music, she also collects children's records and recently purchased this toy gramophone in a distinctive Brown Crocodile finish.

The only wording on the machine is "Foreign", which in the UK between the wars was a euphemism for German when German goods could be hard to sell. To illustrate it's small size it is pictured next to my Brown Crocodile Columbia 112a.

In the absence of a manufacturer's name we have christened it the "SqueakyPhone", which says all that needs to be said about the sound which it produces. Any suggestions as to it's identity would be appreciated.
Of course the photographs on this thread have disappeared, but earlier today I saw this on ebay and wondered if it is the same as your wife's toy gramophone (if she still has it) ?

[urlhttps://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/204642565368?hash=it ... R6iSv8auYw][/url]
Attachments
toy.jpg

epigramophone
Victor Monarch Special
Posts: 5204
Joined: Mon Oct 24, 2011 1:21 pm
Personal Text: An analogue relic trapped in a digital world.
Location: The Somerset Levels, UK.

Re: Unidentified Toy Gramophone

Post by epigramophone »

poodling around wrote: Sun Feb 04, 2024 9:26 am
Of course the photographs on this thread have disappeared, but earlier today I saw this on ebay and wondered if it is the same as your wife's toy gramophone (if she still has it) ?

[urlhttps://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/204642565368?hash=it ... R6iSv8auYw][/url]
It does look like the same design, although the case on my wife's example has a more deeply embossed finish.
She still has it, and has since added a Pixie Grippa and a Pigmyphone.
Attachments
IMG_2555.JPG
IMG_3012.JPG
open.jpg
open.jpg (60.8 KiB) Viewed 174 times

User avatar
poodling around
Victor V
Posts: 2141
Joined: Tue Feb 20, 2018 11:52 am

Re: Unidentified Toy Gramophone

Post by poodling around »

epigramophone wrote: Sun Feb 04, 2024 11:10 am
poodling around wrote: Sun Feb 04, 2024 9:26 am
Of course the photographs on this thread have disappeared, but earlier today I saw this on ebay and wondered if it is the same as your wife's toy gramophone (if she still has it) ?

[urlhttps://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/204642565368?hash=it ... R6iSv8auYw][/url]
It does look like the same design, although the case on my wife's example has a more deeply embossed finish.
She still has it, and has since added a Pixie Grippa and a Pigmyphone.
Thank you very much epigramophone.

As you say, the 'finish' on your wife's version is different and (I think) much nicer .

Very interesting indeed.

Post Reply