A Phonograph ?

[Antonia E]

Jumping jeepers! It looks like quite the machine... but no containment on the spring and the winder positioned right on the spring arbor? I wonder how many people survived a spring breakage with all the parts they had prior to the event!

Still glorious to look at though - I'm just a scaredy cat!

Yeah, I must admit, the more I look at it, the more I like it - even with the 'killer Spring' ! Glorious indeed !

Selling point! "Killer springs! Guaranteed to last a lifetime!"

[schweg]

I didn't spot the sliding horn adjustment. I hadn't seen anything like it on a more normal Puck. Thanks for pointing that out

[poodling around]

I am surprised that it only sold for £ 125. I don't collect cylinder phonographs but if I did ........

[Gramtastic]

Seems very cheap ! it always amazes me how people don't understand the concept of a timed auction like Ebay.... Nine bidders spent all week outbidding each other (for no reason except to push up the price) and then all of them lost it to a new bidder in the last few seconds !

[poodling around]

Seems very cheap ! it always amazes me how people don't understand the concept of a timed auction like Ebay.... Nine bidders spent all week outbidding each other (for no reason except to push up the price) and then all of them lost it to a new bidder in the last few seconds !

The bidding did seem to be a bit odd.

I wonder if someone on this forum was the lucky winner ? I hope so !

[Dulcetto]

It is a type of "puck" machine made by George Carette in Nuremberg Germany known as a "Kastenpuck". The one on eBay is missing the cabinet base and top cover and the horn is not correct. These are much more unusual than the normal puck machines with Lyre shaped bases.

These puck machines are known as Kastenpucks (kasten means box in German) and were made in Nuremberg, Germany in the early 1900s by Georges Carette. They are very unusual in the USA, but since they were made in Germany, more examples are probably seen in Europe. Georges Carette was a toymaker in Nuremberg and was famous for making tin toys in connection with the toymaker Bing...

From the "No Edison" website:
The firm of George Carette & Co. was founded in 1886 in Nurenberg, Germany by George Carette as a company to manufacture toys. George Carett was French, born in Paris, but moved to Nurenberg after he married his wife, who was from Nurenberg.

Originally the company was called "Spielwaren-Industrie-Gesellschaft George Carette & Co", however in 1895 it was renamed to "George Carette & Co" . At its founding, Carette had been assisted by the Bing brothers, also toy makers in Nurenberg. The companies became major competitors in the tinplate toy market.

The company of George Carette & Co produced not only tinplate toys but also steam engine toys, electrical tram toys, magic lanterns, optical items, scientific teaching aids, and also phonographs, and later disc music players.

Carette had showrooms in London, Berlin, Hamburg, Paris and Vienna.

Carette products were sold all over Europe. The Puck phonographs of Carette usuaually have "GC & Co" cast into the underside of the base.

The fact that Carette had never given up his French citizenship worked to his detriment during the First World War, when Germany deported him back to France, and the company of George Carette & Co ceased to exist in 1917.

There were several types of designs cast into the bases of these machines - I have one with birds, which is known as a "Skylark" Kastenpuck. The one in the picture above is like the one on eBay and is a variation with flowers cast into the base.

The horn is quite correct and original to the machine . Carette offered most of their models with different horn options. See picture from a 1911 Carette catalogue. Sorry the resolution is not that great , but its an English catalogue. Actually I am surprised that there was still seen to be a demand for this type of machine as late as 1911. Regards Dulcetto