Stanton Sale - A few observations

[msherman]

First off, I was NOT at the sale, so obviously take my comments with a grain of salt. I did however, follow it online, and made some notes as I went. Of course, evaluating the machines on the basis of the photos is difficult at best, as most had only one photo, and the descriptions of the machines were not extensive.

That said, here are a few of my comments.

The three top sellers were the Nickel Triumph in a fancy cabinet (lot 154A) which brought $18,000. The Edison “Ideal” (200) which was hammered at $11,500, (without cover or horn) and the early Columbia Model K Cylinder player (250) which sold for a rather disappointing $6,250. Perhaps someone who inspected it could shed some light on what seems like a bargain price, although from the photographs it was a long way from mint condition.

Overall, given the light public attendance due to the pandemic - which meant fewer in-person bidders who were able to inspect the machines and the need for more machines than usual to require shipping, prices seemed reasonable. Liveauctioneers adds a 20% buyer premium for online bidders, so while not all items sold online, a good number seemed to, so a slightly lower than average hammer price was to be expected for those lots.

Some of the lots that brought well over Stanton’s estimate included a VE10-35X Automatic Orthophonic at $2,300, an original conical black Berliner horn at $2,600, a drip pan Edison Gem at $1,000, a “long throat” Concert reproducer @ $700, a set of original listening tubes at $475, and a pair of Edison Homes with unusual attachments - one with a Phon-Arm ($2,600) and another with a reproduction Polyphone attachment by Paul Baker @ $2,500. Perhaps the biggest “winner” though was lot 413, which was a gooseneck connector for the wood cygnet horn on an Edison Opera, which realized an amazing $500 against a $50 estimate.

At the other end were a few lots which fell well short of estimate. The Columbia (Bell & Tainter) Model K mentioned earlier was one that stood out. Estimated at $10-$15K, it’s $6,250 hammer was surprisingly low. A Columbia BD with a mahogany horn realized only $1,100 against an estimate of $2-$3K. Edison Diamond Disc machines in general were soft, with quite a few selling well short of $100 each. But the issues with the need to ship many of these likely played a part. Also a couple of the early Edison Concert / Spring Motor machines (lots 218 and 487) fell well short of estimate, but 218 had been modified with a small mandrel which likely explains the $550 price. 487 which also brought $550 looked OK from the photos, but a real inspection may have revealed why it fell well short of its $2-$3K estimate.

Our thanks and kudos must go to Steve Stanton and his team for putting on this sale in what can only be described as “difficult” circumstances. While in other times, prices may have been a bit stronger, we have to deal with reality as it exists today. Let’s all hope their next sale will be under more normal conditions.

[JerryVan]

Thanks for the report. I was not there either, but followed for a bit on Thursday. All things considered, prices seemed fairly close to what would be normal, pre-pandemic.

[KCW]

It would be great to see some photos of the Triumph and also the Ideal. I seem to remember an Idealia lid for sale on eBay a few months back.

[msherman]

Ask and you shall receive.

https://www.liveauctioneers.com/item/95 ... in-cabinet

https://www.liveauctioneers.com/item/95 ... ph-ca-1906

[marcapra]

Mike, can you say what the Amberola 1A and the Edison Opera sold for?

[msherman]

There were eight Operas ranging from $2,000 to $3,600, not including the Buyer's charge. One had no cover, one had an incomplete reproducer and repro horn.

I believe there were at least four Amberola 1A's that ranged from $850 to $2,000. The cheapest one needed some cabinet work. The others brought $1,500-$1,700 range.

[marcapra]

Thanks Mike. I just talked to Uncle Vanya who purchased some of them.

[Shawn]

I was at the Auction, Thursday, Friday and Saturday.

Steve and his team did an outstanding job. There were very few and short lived instances where the technology allowing online bidding got in the way for those of us present in the audience. Steve and his team resolved them quickly. As well, for those onsite the process was radically different with a large screen TV showing items that are being auctioned rather than those items being brought to the podium.

So much was different for Stanton's team in this auction and they did an amazing job compensating for all of the process changes required to meet safety guidelines as well as produce their first phonograph auction online.

Kuddo's to the Stanton team!!!!

Can't wait for the next one!!!

Shawn

[Curt A]

The top for the cabinet on the nickel plated Triumph looks mismatched... the cabinet is quartersawn oak and the top is wide grain oak (modern or repro?)...
The Perfected Graphophone Type K has what looks to be a later or repro reproducer... is that the reason for the low price?

There was a Type K listed on eBay a couple of years ago that was missing its gutta percha reproducer... is this the same one?
viewtopic.php?f=2&t=1379
Just an observation, not a judgement...

[Raphael]

I did not attend out of health safety considerations. But I left a lot of absentee bids and took my chances. I spent three days watching on line, and honestly think it was more stressful than attending. I ended up adding items via a proxy at the auction and also using the Live Auctioneers platform.
Steve Stanton is a real pro and the pace of the auction was astounding, given the complications. He told me later that it went at 100 lots per hour, or almost two per minute. Wow!
I won’t know until my stuff arrives next week if there are any turkeys, but I’m sure there will be few, if any, unpleasant surprises.

Raphael