Odd items found inside phonographs

[bbphonoguy]

I guess the most interesting thing I've found was an uncancelled check from 1928 for $25.00. I wonder how the person who lost it felt, since it was probably the equivalent of a couple hundred bucks or so in its time. It was in the bottom of my Crendenza.

[Victrolaman]

That's unbelievable.. Kind of haunting to isn't it? Just think that lady enjoyed that machine and now you have it. I think that's great, what a find

[antique1973]

In my previous Silvertone I found a pair of old pictures from possibly the 40's and a pair of donation envelopes stamped with year 1930 from a church in Michigan. One of the pictures has a little boy
dressed in what appears to be a WWII style uniform. I am pretty sure I have scans of the
pics on my other computer and will post them if I can.

I also found a small green key for a windup toy in my first L-Door cabinet.

[HisMastersVoice]

Not odd per se, but I found this thank you letter from 1968 shoved in the back of my 8-35:

[yankmycrank]

These days a handwritten thank you note is rarer than a Victrola!

[gramophoneshane]

The most unusual item I've found was this antique letter opener from the "Arc De Triomphe", which was in the first gramophone I ever bought- a "Symphona" made for King & King music store here in Brisbane. I wish I still had the Symphona too

[Amberola 1-A]

I'd love to have that Felix the Cat alone!!

Here ya go Tinkerbell!

Bill

http://cgi.ebay.com/Schoenhut-1924-Feli ... 2c5bcfff93

[Sidewinder]

When you print your propoganda on oil absorbent cardboard ................

though there is a 30 year + time lapse between the machine and the piece of poster?

[solophoneman]

A few months ago, a friend of ours who does house cleanouts delivered an Off-brand machine from the teens or early twenties and left on our front porch. Someone had painted it with white house paint. Shining a flashlight in behind the record slats I spotted a couple of records wedged between the back of the cabinet and back of the record slats. I had to pry of the back of the machine to get to them. One was this not so common Okeh Vertical. I have found very few of these early "Indian Label" Okehs over the years and this is the first Okeh Vertical I have ever seen. This one is "Lovin" by Ada Jones #1096 with "Everything is Peaches down in Georgia" on the A side.

[FellowCollector]

Back in 1990 I received a telephone call from an antique dealer who told me that he'd just got an Edison phonograph in and to stop in when I get a chance. I hopped in the car pronto and was there in about 15 minutes. He took me to the back of the shop where I saw a real nice Edison C-150 in oak, completely original with about 20 Diamond Discs, all like new. I cranked it up and saw that the spring held its tension well and the turntable spun nice and quiet and evenly. I felt the condition of the diamond with my index finger and it passed my inspection. "What's your best on it?", I asked. "Give me a hundred and get it outta here.". I said ok and paid up. As we tipped it on its back and carried it out of the shop I could here the distinct sound of something rattling around inside. Uh-Oh, I thought. THAT doesn't sound good. Getting it home I removed the grill and peered in behind the horn with a flashlight. I saw a really old brown paper bag wrapped up in string. I fished it out of its hiding place and realized it had some weight to it. Upon opening it I found 2 unsold dealer stock reproducers, both in nickel finish. One was an Edison "New Standard" Reproducer (an Edisonic reproducer) and the other was a Victor brass Orthophonic reproducer (only nickel finish brass Orthophonic I have ever found).

On another find "in the wild" years later I bought an Edison banner model A Triumph. The man I bought it from told me that "the motor has never worked". I tried cranking the Triumph and the spring was wound up tighter than a banjo string. So we agreed on a price as is and I took it home. When I lifted the bedplate to see what might be wrong with the motor I noticed that there was an old cotton rag stuck tightly under the governor preventing the governor from spinning. When I removed the cotton rag, the motor took off and purred nicely. I noticed the rag appeared to have some metal parts rolled up inside it. I unrolled the rag to find no less than SIX extra Edison 2 minute reproducers including one Automatic and one model B. The others were model C reproducers all in nice condition. I was stunned and called the man I bought it from and offered more money explaining what I found and he said no - a deal is a deal.