Phonograph collecting

Discussions on Talking Machines & Accessories
Chilesave
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Phonograph collecting

Post by Chilesave »

I have been collecting for years. I have bought and sold and then I keep buying. I only have 8 phonos now; but , I have had as many as 40 or 50.
It seems I want almost every one I see that has some unique feature or I think is particularly beautiful.
I wonder. when phonographs were brand new, did people want to buy and horde all of the slightly different ones they could find? Or were they satisfied with just the one? What’s the dynamic here? I have been uncontrollably hooked ever since my first one!

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PeterF
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Re: Phonograph collecting

Post by PeterF »

If we can extrapolate past behaviors from current ones, I’d think that when the stuff was new, each machine was the family’s main entertainment device and so folks likely bought the best phonograph they could afford - and upgraded (via replacement) when finances allowed.

Today, perhaps a few stragglers still watch teevees with picture tubes, a few more watch plasma flat panels with 720p resolution, still more watch LCD/LED 1080p HDTVs, and a growing segment is at the OLED UHD 4K level, etc. And as each teevee gets replaced, the old one goes to the bedroom or the kids’ room or the garage or Craigslist.

So as time passed back then, 2-minute machines were replaced by combination units (or adding a 2/4 kit), outside horns replaced by internal horn machines, cylinders by discs, acoustic by orthophonic, etc etc. Maybe a family of means might have a Gem or a Q or portable disc machine for outings plus the main family machine for home entertainment - maybe even one each for cylinders and discs.

The reason we are able to collect today, from such a large number of surviving units, is that they were often expensive to the original purchasers and were therefore “saved” in basements and attics and barns out of thrift. The physically larger units were often quite handsome, and thus also remained intact in the home as furniture, after their functional use ended.

But other than eccentrics and hoarders (or wealthy people who were compulsive) I can’t imagine folks actively collecting during the new (or slightly outdated) era. I have spoken at length (separately) with three descendants of a prominent early west coast Edison collector, who began his collection in the mid-1930s. They each described it as weird that he did so, and I got the distinct impression that, had they not loved him so much, this characterization would have been quite a bit more severe.

Which leads to a question: will there ever be VCR collectors? Or are there such creatures already?

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drh
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Re: Phonograph collecting

Post by drh »

One possible exception might have been for different formats--I can see someone with the money, or a legacy machine, having both a cylinder player and a disk player, for instance. Or maybe separate disk players for vertical and lateral cut records, although adapters would be more likely there. That said, my experience of lateral adapters on Edison disc machines is that they are fussy in use at best, so someone who bought into the Edison system but wanted to play Victor, too, might well have owned a Victrola of some sort, maybe a modest table-top, as well.

Weighing against that, even the most modest machines were still hugely expensive in modern terms, so I'd think such "dual system" types would be only the most die-hard of phonophiles.

Damfino59
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Re: Phonograph collecting

Post by Damfino59 »

Are there VCR collectors?

Yes there are. But they also mostly collect VHS tapes:
https://www.nbcnews.com/pop-culture/mov ... n-n1151611

Don’t forget BETA:

http://www.betamaxcollectors.com/

And there are purists who only collect film:

https://www.paulivester.com/films/films.htm

There’s always something to collect 😜📽💵

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PeterF
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Re: Phonograph collecting

Post by PeterF »

I was imagining collectors with shelves full of Panasonics and Sonys and whatever elses, scrambling for rare replacement belts or special playback heads. And I couldn’t really imagine it.

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drh
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Re: Phonograph collecting

Post by drh »

I'm sure there must be at least one or two out there. After all, there are collectors of old computers, and I once knew someone whose son-in-law collected old telephone directories--supposedly had an entire free-standing garage stuffed with them.

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PeterF
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Re: Phonograph collecting

Post by PeterF »

Knew a blind guy years ago who collected glass and ceramic hand juicers. For the shapes and textures.

Damfino59
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Re: Phonograph collecting

Post by Damfino59 »

I was a Audio Visual coordinator at a community college back in the 1990’s. I spent many a day extracting a priceless VHS tape from a VCR. Usually it was some professors tape recorded off PBS way back in the 1980’s. :o
Played god only knows how many times plus freeze framed too. No amount of explanation could convince some faculty their tapes were responsible for these breakdowns. We even recopied some unto new VHS, some several generations from the original. :shock:

And don’t get me started on the ¾” video cassettes. The DVD and the classroom PC were game changers for use. But created their own issues!

Oh and I do have a VHS friend/fiend with a morgue of old equipment. :mrgreen: Plus contact lists of all known belt suppliers. :squirrel:

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Granby
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Re: Phonograph collecting

Post by Granby »

I have been in some beautiful historic homes in America.... and have noticed that even wealthy people didn't have multiple machines... or a machine in every room. In my humble opinion, I think the whole "collecting" thing comes several years after.

On that note, here is some food for thought. Most high end collectibles are driven by the generation who has the "wealth" at the moment, who buy things from their childhood. So, does that mean that once those of us who grew up the late 80's and 90's (yes... I am young, LOL) are older and have discretionary income, you will see Honda Civics and the like going for $125,000 at Barrett Jackson??? :lol:

This generation's Shelby Mustang or Hemi Cuda, right..... :shock:

emerson
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Re: Phonograph collecting

Post by emerson »

Jump on the band wagon and start start saving your plastic bags, my Pathmark grocery bag will make me a millionaire in the future. Oh that's right, I am not going to live long enough to reap this harvest, OH WELL

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