Help needed to identify this machine

Discussions on Talking Machines of British or European Manufacture
User avatar
Curt A
Victor Monarch Special
Posts: 6412
Joined: Fri Jul 09, 2010 8:32 pm
Personal Text: Needle Tins are Addictive
Location: Belmont, North Carolina

Help needed to identify this machine

Post by Curt A »

This machine is an apparent European clone of a Columbia B, mounted on a board which becomes the lid of a box when flipped over. There are no markings on it, except for an oval with the letters N and S stamped in the center... Any ideas?
Screen Shot 2021-07-14 at 5.45.13 PM.png
Screen Shot 2021-07-14 at 5.44.10 PM.png
Screen Shot 2021-07-14 at 5.43.14 PM.png
"The phonograph† is not of any commercial value."
Thomas Alva Edison - Comment to his assistant, Samuel Insull.

"No one needs a Victrola XX, a Perfected Graphophone Type G, or whatever you call those noisy things."
My Wife

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

Re: Help needed to identify this machine

Post by poodling around »

Curt A wrote: Wed Jul 14, 2021 5:52 pm This machine is an apparent European clone of a Columbia B, mounted on a board which becomes the lid of a box when flipped over. There are no markings on it, except for an oval with the letters N and S stamped in the center... Any ideas?

Screen Shot 2021-07-14 at 5.45.13 PM.png

Screen Shot 2021-07-14 at 5.44.10 PM.png

Screen Shot 2021-07-14 at 5.43.14 PM.png
I don't collect phonographs (yet) and know nothing about them but I think that this is genuinely the nicest I have ever seen. Great design.

User avatar
Curt A
Victor Monarch Special
Posts: 6412
Joined: Fri Jul 09, 2010 8:32 pm
Personal Text: Needle Tins are Addictive
Location: Belmont, North Carolina

Re: Help needed to identify this machine

Post by Curt A »

ANYBODY have ANY ideas???
"The phonograph† is not of any commercial value."
Thomas Alva Edison - Comment to his assistant, Samuel Insull.

"No one needs a Victrola XX, a Perfected Graphophone Type G, or whatever you call those noisy things."
My Wife

CarlosV
Victor IV
Posts: 1835
Joined: Sun Mar 15, 2009 6:18 am
Location: Luxembourg

Re: Help needed to identify this machine

Post by CarlosV »

I have a French phonograph - Le Charmeur - that resembles the one on the photo above, but it does not have the SN marking. Image

User avatar
Ahmed
Victor I
Posts: 180
Joined: Wed Nov 07, 2018 5:02 pm
Location: Essex, England
Contact:

Re: Help needed to identify this machine

Post by Ahmed »

Curt A wrote: Thu Jul 15, 2021 8:50 am ANYBODY have ANY ideas???
To my knowledge, that is a common design and mechanism used by a fair few French off brands. Here's my example sold by Ulman
Attachments
Screenshot_20210715-155820_Instagram~2.jpg

User avatar
Curt A
Victor Monarch Special
Posts: 6412
Joined: Fri Jul 09, 2010 8:32 pm
Personal Text: Needle Tins are Addictive
Location: Belmont, North Carolina

Re: Help needed to identify this machine

Post by Curt A »

Thanks, Carlos & Ahmed... Do those machines take a gutta percha or aluminum reproducer and do you have pics of them?
"The phonograph† is not of any commercial value."
Thomas Alva Edison - Comment to his assistant, Samuel Insull.

"No one needs a Victrola XX, a Perfected Graphophone Type G, or whatever you call those noisy things."
My Wife

User avatar
Ahmed
Victor I
Posts: 180
Joined: Wed Nov 07, 2018 5:02 pm
Location: Essex, England
Contact:

Re: Help needed to identify this machine

Post by Ahmed »

Curt A wrote: Thu Jul 15, 2021 2:04 pm Thanks, Carlos & Ahmed... Do those machines take a gutta percha or aluminum reproducer and do you have pics of them?
Unfortunately mine came with a replacement Pathé reproducer, however a fellow collector had provided the attached showing the original reproducer with an aluminium diaphragm
Attachments
Screenshot_20210715-192240_Facebook~2.jpg
Screenshot_20210715-192224_Facebook~2.jpg

User avatar
Curt A
Victor Monarch Special
Posts: 6412
Joined: Fri Jul 09, 2010 8:32 pm
Personal Text: Needle Tins are Addictive
Location: Belmont, North Carolina

Re: Help needed to identify this machine

Post by Curt A »

Are those aluminum ones with a spider difficult to find in Europe?

Does anyone have a reproducer similar to the one pictured above that they might part with?
Last edited by Curt A on Thu Jul 15, 2021 2:41 pm, edited 1 time in total.
"The phonograph† is not of any commercial value."
Thomas Alva Edison - Comment to his assistant, Samuel Insull.

"No one needs a Victrola XX, a Perfected Graphophone Type G, or whatever you call those noisy things."
My Wife

User avatar
Ahmed
Victor I
Posts: 180
Joined: Wed Nov 07, 2018 5:02 pm
Location: Essex, England
Contact:

Re: Help needed to identify this machine

Post by Ahmed »

Curt A wrote: Thu Jul 15, 2021 2:31 pm Are those aluminum ones with a spider difficult to find in Europe?
I've not come across them in the UK, but would assume they're not too difficult to find in France.

User avatar
Curt A
Victor Monarch Special
Posts: 6412
Joined: Fri Jul 09, 2010 8:32 pm
Personal Text: Needle Tins are Addictive
Location: Belmont, North Carolina

Re: Help needed to identify this machine

Post by Curt A »

Thanks, Ahmed. The only type I seem to find on French eBay are Pathé...
"The phonograph† is not of any commercial value."
Thomas Alva Edison - Comment to his assistant, Samuel Insull.

"No one needs a Victrola XX, a Perfected Graphophone Type G, or whatever you call those noisy things."
My Wife

Post Reply