Weekend pick-up: a walnut Silvertone

[estott]

Picked this up from a seller in Endicott NY, a little shy of 3 hours drive. Aside from the dirt and a broken spring the damage is all cosmetic. It's a well put together and well finished machine, a good find at $100. There is some nice matched walnut veneer on the sides and the lid is mostly made from thick solid walnut. Some of the gold plate on the arm has gone bad but the pot metal itself is undamaged. The grille cloth should be easy to replace - the grille is held in with spring catches and pops out. I think I'll trim off some of the ragged bits and try to salvage what remains by putting something similar behind it.

[Jerry B.]

This is what makes collecting fun. Customers must have been breaking down the doors to buy Victor Victrolas. But someone paid good money for an expensive Silvertone with beautiful veneers and some fancy trim. This can't be a common machine. Thanks, Jerry

[estott]

I don't think it's common either, but the really fancy Silvertone machines like this picture do turn up on occasion - I think it sold for about $130 when new so it was far from cheap.

Here's a picture of their top of the line "Majestic" which sold for $150.

[FloridaClay]

A handsome find.

Who made machines for Sears? I suppose, though, probably lots of different companies for different models?

Clay

[gramophone78]

Nice machine. I posted a page from a Sears cat. on a previous thread. It shows this machine and the walnut option. I just can't remember which thread.... .

[Jerry B.]

Back in the late sixties the Big Three were selling Mustangs, Camaros, GTOs, and Super Bees by the trainloads. There were other muscle cars like the AMC Marlin and the Studebaker Avante. When is the last time you saw a Marlin? Enjoy your Silvertone. Jerry

[estott]

A handsome find.

Who made machines for Sears? I suppose, though, probably lots of different companies for different models?

Clay

I've found some evidence that at least some were made by the Conley Co. which had previously been Sears's main supplier of cameras. They later became the Waters-Conley Co. who made so many portables in the 40's.

[schweg]

http://forum.talkingmachine.info/viewto ... 9&start=10

I think this is the catalog Wayne posted earlier

[De Soto Frank]

Very nice machine... I think I may need to expand my horizons a bit...


Somewhere in my early adolescence, I was lead to believe that Silvertone talking machines were lowly junk ( not even warranting "-que".)

Perhaps I was the victim of false information...

[gramophone78]

Back in the late sixties the Big Three were selling Mustangs, Camaros, GTOs, and Super Bees by the trainloads. There were other muscle cars like the AMC Marlin and the Studebaker Avante. When is the last time you saw a Marlin? Enjoy your Silvertone. Jerry

Actually Jerry, AMC real muscle car was the AMX. A very rare car to find now unmolested.