Pathé Frères Pathéphone Art Model

[Chip]

I was given this Pathé in 2016. It was stored in a barn for 30+ years.

I must admit that I know NOTHING about phonographs. I don't think it works anymore but I really don't know. Should I restore, try to sell it or just keep it as a conversation piece?

People who visit always ask about it. One lady even offered to buy it.

Any suggestions or information about this piece & what to do with it would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!!

Chip

[VanEpsFan1914]

Welcome aboard, Chip!

Nice Pathé machine you have there. You're a lucky man to get that for free.

Now there is some good news, and some bad news. All depends on how you look at it. First the good news--

Your machine was built in the late 1910s or early 1920s, and I am sure someone else can chime in with the date. The Pathé machine originally is designed to play vertically cut "Pathé Sapphire Records," where the needle (a sapphire ball on the end of a steel shank) bounces up and down on the groove. It's like an analog version of the pits & lands on a CD and is how the Edison cylinder records were cut.

A regular 78 like the c. 1935 Decca record you have on the turntable is only going to play on a lateral cut machine-AND! the folks at Pathé got you covered. See how the soundbox is turned a little sideways? Lateral cut records (78s) are different--the needle wiggles side to side like in all other mono recordings. You play the 78s with a steel needle, which is super cheap and wears out after every side. Fortunately for you, a really expensive steel needle costs like 7 cents. I buy them by the bags and use them on my Victrola, my Victor, and some Columbia phonographs.

Basically it's a dual-format machine.

More good news. Art Models are hen-teeth rare. They cost buttloads of money when new and haven't gotten any more plentiful.

Unfortunately, they haven't gotten any more valuable in most cases. The market is down on big heavy phonographs like this. A lot of collectors even have gone to the extreme of disliking console machines. I do like 'em but if you can't store a console then it's just a big waste of space...



Here's what I'd do.

You've got a nice phonograph. It's rare, it's solid, it's in really nice shape. It also isn't worth selling, but it looks like you still have some records and other goodies still hiding in the cabinet. I would restore that thing.

Start with the motor and tonearm. We'll walk you through. Play a few 78s--or some Pathé Records if you've got them!--and get real happy with that sound. Most old phonographs sound pretty awful but once they are restored they can produce a sound like none other--clear, crisp, absolutely amazing to hear music from the early 1900s playing back like that.
Next, tackle that cabinet. You might even be able to save the finish. I have a Victrola cabinet model from 1914 that was dumped in a barn in South Carolina for fifty years. The veneer peeled up, the legs got loose, and even the antique dealers I bought the thing from said if it didn't sell, they were just going to cut it up for making a file cabinet anyway...Two months later I was rubbing on polish while listening to the Paul Whiteman jazz orchestra. (That's why you do the motor first!)

So anyway, great phonograph. Great start. Not everyone gets into this with such a rare and amazing machine for their first one. Glad to have you with us on the Forum, and if you need a hand with finding a good way to do this just ask! I've even seen new collectors end up with FREE PARTS and have been on both the giving & receiving end of some fine old spare parts myself.

Have fun!

Charles

[marco]

I was given this Pathé in 2016. It was stored in a barn for 30+ years.

I must admit that I know NOTHING about phonographs. I don't think it works anymore but I really don't know. Should I restore, try to sell it or just keep it as a conversation piece?

People who visit always ask about it. One lady even offered to buy it.

Any suggestions or information about this piece & what to do with it would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!!

Chip

Very nice machine! Never seen an art model without the Pathé' Actuelle paper cone horn. I'm just curious. Is that box underneath the machine part of the horn or even part of the machine? Looks like the horn would be located directly above it. Just curious.

[GlensterTX]

That Pathé red and black (bowling ball) record on the shelf *may* have a little value - they’re not too common. It depends on the titles and performers and the condition of the record. What are the particulars? Have you any others?

[gramophone-georg]

That Pathé red and black (bowling ball) record on the shelf *may* have a little value - they’re not too common. It depends on the titles and performers and the condition of the record. What are the particulars? Have you any others?

I'm curious as well as I spied that right away.

The record sharks are circling...

[Chip]

Thank you for responding. I really appreciate it.

The boxes under it are not part of the machine.

I’ve never really paid attention to the other records in the machine. I’ll see what they are and report back. I do know that at least a couple are Pathé.

[marcapra]

Luckily I own a copy of Copeland and Dethlefson's Pathé Records and Phonographs in America, 1914-1922, c. 1999. Before Pathé brought out the new and wildly different Pathé Actuelle machines in 1918, with the cone instead of a horn, they had the Pathé Pathéphone. It's easy to spot a Pathéphone machine because they have a horn with a grille on the front of the cabinet. The Actuelle machines have no horn, so they have no grille. Like Edison, Pathé offered cabinets in different furniture styles, such as William and Mary, Jacobean, French Gothic, Tudor, Cromwellian, Army-Navy model, etc. The Art models cost $215 new, and more for the really ornate ones like the Gothic. Your model came out in 1917 priced at $215 and is a Sheraton model. There was a Sheraton model console in the Actuelle series, but it didn't have the grille like yours has. Your model was only made in 1917, as the Actuelle series came out in 1918. The Pathé catalog describes it as having a Satin Finish Mahogany, with exposed metal trimmings of antique silver hardware; automatic stop; Universal tone arm; Pathé perfect tone control; Pathé reproducer; Sapphire Ball; and double spring motor. I can see you probably know all this already, as it looks like you have an original ad or instruction manual for your phonograph. If you could, I would love to see you scan it, or take a good close-up pic of it to post here. Thanks, Marc.

[Chip]

There was a question about the black and red record. Unfortunately, it has a crack and it is quite dirty. I've attached a couple pics.

I have more records in storage (not a barn). I started to go through them a couple years ago and I sold and gave a ton of them away. I believe I may be down to 200 or so. The only record I was ever told could have any possible value was an old Elvis record. Who knows. As for the records stored inside the Pathé, it is quite possible they were inside it when it was shipped out here. I just don't remember.

Regarding the ad -- I found the ad on the Period Paper website back in 2017. I wanted to find out more about the Pathé and that ad was the only thing I found that showed my exact model. I bought it and stored it away with the idea of framing it when the player is restored. Pics attached.

Does anyone know of a restoration specialist in the San Francisco Bay Area?

Again, thank you so much for all the information. I really appreciate it.

[marcapra]

Chip, I see that the ad doesn't really say anything about the phonograph, but is just an ad trying to get furniture stores to sell Pathé machines. So I hope my information from the Pathé book was a help. I don't know if there are restoration shops in the Bay area, but I'm sure some of our members from that area will give some advice. Your cabinet looks like it will need some refinish work, and probably some work on the tonearm and reproducer, and also the motor. Good luck. Marc.

[Chip]

Marc,

The information you provided was just awesomel, thank you. You provided details I never thought I’d learn. This is an old family relic that was all but forgotten. It nearly ended up at the dump and I’m so glad I brought it home w me. I will be able to give it life again. From your details, I understand why I didn’t see any like it online. I wonder how many are still around..


There are a couple technical details mentioned I don’t understand. I will more clearly understand as I become more familiar with it.

Thank you to everyone for commenting, asking questions and helping in any way. I truly appreciate it.

Kind Regards,
Chip Douglas
Fairview, California