The Talking Machine Forum — For All Antique Phonographs & Recordings

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/185182831523 ... =3000%7C10

I have never seen these tables in any reference book, but they appear to be perfectly genuine. Model T for table?
The seller thinks that they were stands for table gramophones. Does anyone know their intended purpose?

They were stands for Table Grands!

They've been for sale for a while now. I told the seller originally he'd never get that price selling two together but he'd get half that price selling them as two individual lots. He thanked me for the advice and said he'd get back to me if they didn't sell. Of course as predicted they didn't but he still keeps blindly listing them at the original price.

They're from the late teens / early to mid 20s and show up in the instrument catalogues of the time.

I'd gladly buy ONE of them off him but alas.......

Having no provision for secure record storage, I doubt that these tables enjoyed a wide sale when new.

The vendor's father owned a music shop and these were unsold stock which has languished in the family ever since. They are Hen's Teeth rare but ultimately not very interesting or distinctive. Its possible there are some other survivors out there which have gone unnoticed, especially if the celluloid labels are missing. They are quite generic in design and typical of the utilitarian austere look of the period.

Actually, this item is shown on page 137 of the small Barry Williamson book HMV Gramophones 1921-1936. Purpose is as Steve described.

Steve wrote: ↑Fri Nov 26, 2021 8:09 am The vendor's father owned a music shop and these were unsold stock which has languished in the family ever since. They are Hen's Teeth rare but ultimately not very interesting or distinctive. Its possible there are some other survivors out there which have gone unnoticed, especially if the celluloid labels are missing. They are quite generic in design and typical of the utilitarian austere look of the period.

Just generic oak occasional tables of the period which The Gramophone Co. would have bought in wholesale from a furniture making company, then apply a celluloid label on the inside of the frame. As Steve mentions , exceedingly rare , but not really very interesting as from appearance they could just be " any old table " from the 1920's , which of course is exactly what they are !