Craigslist: Puritone & records in Minneapolis

[MordEth]

I saw this in a random Google search and thought that it might be of interest to someone...

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Puritone phonograph & over 70 records. - $275

Reply to: sale-4he46-1059397121@craigslist.org
Date: 2009-03-03, 9:16PM CST

I believe this is a pretty rare bird. Feel free to do some research, but I found nothing on the entire internet about Puritone phonographs. Puritone was apparently a music label in the early nineteen hundreds. Possibly a phonograph company did a promotional run of these for Puritone. Not sure.

This is in good working order. Needs just a bit of TLC.

Comes with over 70 78 records, and plenty of needles.

Please email with any questions.

• Location: Minneapolis
• It’s NOT ok to contact this poster with services or other commercial interests.

Craigslist PostingID: 1059397121

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And from another search:

(Image taken from General catalogue № 60.)

I think that the machine for sale above may be the ‘Queen Anne’ to the left of the advert with a different grille, but I could be wrong.

— MordEth

[scrivener]

Came across a "Pur-i-tone" Phonograph Company wind-up tabletop model. Unlike the model discussed above, the company name was hyphenated. A brass plaque in the side of the machine lists Chicago as the home of the company, and the plaque contains the following notations: "Type XXV," serial number "838."

So it would seem that this was an independent phonograph company, although the internet sources list "Puritone" as a label subsidiary of Columbia.

Is is there anyone here who can shed light on the history of this company? Like the guy from Craigslist, I can't find anything on the net except for the old craigslist listing and this thread.

Would this "Pur-i-tone" be of value to collectors? I would think it would be more valuable than the more common Victors and Edisons (unless these were indeed made by one of those companies under a "private label" arrangement.

[Roaring20s]

Hello,

I have a Chicago made phonograph called the Mandel. That is what I believe is pictured in that craigslisting. See the following link.

http://victrolagramophones.proboards.co ... 269&page=1

I wonder... did someone use any old tag to replace a missing one... is the wrong lid in this... did Mandel sell its stock after going out of business...

James.

[phonophan79]

Hello,

I have a Chicago made phonograph called the Mandel. That is what I believe is pictured in that craigslisting. See the following link.

http://victrolagramophones.proboards.co ... 269&page=1

I wonder... did someone use any old tag to replace a missing one... is the wrong lid in this... did Mandel sell its stock after going out of business...

James.

The grill in the craigslist ad is on upside-down, compared to the ad in this link.

[gramophoneshane]

There was a Puritone thread on one of the old boards, and I'm pretty sure it had the stepped tonearm too, so I don't think it's a case of tags being changed??
I'd be more inclined to think that Mandel sold out to Puritone, or some arrangement was made so Puritone could use Mandel parts & designs.
Didn't Cheney use the same tonearm on some machines too, or was that just a similar tonearm design?

It's a shame more collectors aren't interested in these off-brand machines. I've always found them quite interesting- even the very plain models. The lack of interest only contributes to the loss of info as more time passes. No doubt some of these machines are very rare, but most collectors will just walk on by them.
The same holds true here with the various Ozzy made machines. It's a pity.

[scrivener]

Yes, the Pur-i-tone tabletop model I came across has a tonearm that looks identical to the Mandel (ditto for the turntable and idler control etc.) Both machines ID Chicago as the hometown. It does appear that Puritone and Mandel may have come from the same shop. Is there a collector in Chicago who could run this down? Thank you.

[LonnieMack]

Hey, I'm the one who posted the ad on craig's list, to sell this Puritone shown above. Once it sold, (a week ago) I searched the internet for puritone again; only to find my ad in this forum (I'm honored)

Thanks for all the comments, it sheds some light on what I had.

The most informative piece of info I had was the following email I received from someone who saw my ad.

Hello!
In 1917, the fundamental patents held by the Victor Talking Machine that allowed that company to control the manufacture and sale of 78rpm disc phonographs and records in the US began to expire. Hundreds of companies sprang up overnight since anyone with access to a furniture factory could get into the phonograph business, Motors and sound parts were typically low quality generic stuff. Some companies produced their own brands, others would put their decals on inexpensive ready-made phonographs. Your Puritone is one of these generic post-1917 machines. In the case of these post-1917 machines unfortunately, rarity does not necessarily equal value or desirability to collectors.

Here's a link to an article on the subject. Puritone is not one of the listed brands. The Puritone records sold by the company were pressed for them by Operaphone from Pathé masters.

Kind regards,
John M
Madison, Indiana

It was helpful, but it seems there is still a lot of mystery about these off brands like Puritone.

A man drive from north Dakota to here in Minneapolis to pick it up. We took the door off his car to get it in. It sold for $150

[JohnM]

Thanks for the props, LonnieMack! I confess I do frequently send emails to Craigslist sellers who are struggling to describe accurately what they have for sale. I always strive to be upbeat and informative and not know-it-all, smart-aleck, or condescending. I'm glad you found my message helpful, and I'm glad your record player found a new home!

John M

[JohnM]

I was looking at Moo's board and reading the thread about phono "tattle tales". At least one person came down hard on contacting sellers at all advocating a mind-yer-own-damn-business policy.

Since that thread relates a bit to this one, I thought I'd comment.

If I see something on craigslist that I want and I feel the price is right, I'll buy it. If I contact a seller otherwise, it is for the reason stated in my post above. I believe that if a seller is grossly misdescribing an item by simply trying to identify it, how can a potential buyer trust the rest of the description regarding condition, etc.? When I see an ad that states: "RCA Edison Victorlia, late 1800's, cherrywood cabinet, with thick heavy slate records, single-tuned, Caruso, Bing Crosby. Plays great. Appraised at $2000. Vibrator head missing." -- and then they have a photo of a no-name generophone with a Diamond Disc record on the turntable. What am I supposed to do? Nothing? Just my basic sense of human decency practically obligates me to help them understand what they are selling if only for the sake of an accurate description. I never tell anyone to raise their price, but I have strongly implied when they should lower it!

Somtimes the replies are defensive and mean, but more often than not, they convey gratitude for the assistance. I refer a lot of sellers to Paul Edie's Victor website.

I would NEVER queer someone's deal. That ain't right.

John M

[phonogfp]

John,

I agree with you completely under the circumstances you describe. Nothing wrong with trying to help, as long as no deal is going down.

George P.