I am unusually fortunate to have been married to a fellow collector for over 50 years. Although my wife's main collecting interest is mechanical music, she also collects children's records and recently purchased this toy gramophone in a distinctive Brown Crocodile finish.
The only wording on the machine is "Foreign", which in the UK between the wars was a euphemism for German when German goods could be hard to sell. To illustrate it's small size it is pictured next to my Brown Crocodile Columbia 112a.
In the absence of a manufacturer's name we have christened it the "SqueakyPhone", which says all that needs to be said about the sound which it produces. Any suggestions as to it's identity would be appreciated.
Unidentified Toy Gramophone
-
- Victor Monarch Special
- Posts: 5225
- Joined: Mon Oct 24, 2011 1:21 pm
- Personal Text: An analogue relic trapped in a digital world.
- Location: The Somerset Levels, UK.
- Dischoard
- Victor II
- Posts: 497
- Joined: Tue Feb 16, 2021 11:41 pm
- Personal Text: Born in the wrong century...
- Location: St. Albans, Vermont
Re: Unidentified Toy Gramophone
If small, inanimate objects can be cute, that this is adorable. Waiting to find out what it could be...
-
- Victor II
- Posts: 283
- Joined: Mon Nov 14, 2011 5:06 pm
Re: Unidentified Toy Gramophone
Yes Roger and Nicki-a very nice "juniors" gramophone, and it certainly looks in lovely condition. You may have to use LOUD tone steel needles to get enough volume out of it though! Great! I wonder if it is of French manufacture.....?
- nostalgia
- Victor IV
- Posts: 1408
- Joined: Thu Jun 13, 2019 1:58 am
- Personal Text: Keep winding up
- Location: My gramophone repair room
Re: Unidentified Toy Gramophone
What a tiny and cute little gramophone:) It is amazing to see how many unknown gramophones that still turn turn up, so many years after they originally were manufactured. I hope it will be possible to know more about its origin etc.
- physicist
- Victor O
- Posts: 68
- Joined: Fri Mar 27, 2020 5:58 pm
- Location: London UK
Re: Unidentified Toy Gramophone
I'd be inclined to agree with German manufacture. The tone arm appears to be identical to the one on the
Gama Pixie Phone:-
https://toyparadise.nl/product/gama-54- ... -with-box/
Gama toys. Founded in 1882, Nuremberg, Germany by Georg Adam MAngold.Gama was known for producing a variety of metal playthings.
Gama Pixie Phone:-
https://toyparadise.nl/product/gama-54- ... -with-box/
Gama toys. Founded in 1882, Nuremberg, Germany by Georg Adam MAngold.Gama was known for producing a variety of metal playthings.
Last edited by physicist on Thu Apr 08, 2021 12:45 pm, edited 1 time in total.
- poodling around
- Victor V
- Posts: 2158
- Joined: Tue Feb 20, 2018 11:52 am
Re: Unidentified Toy Gramophone
This looks very similar to me.epigramophone wrote: ↑Thu Apr 08, 2021 5:58 am I am unusually fortunate to have been married to a fellow collector for over 50 years. Although my wife's main collecting interest is mechanical music, she also collects children's records and recently purchased this toy gramophone in a distinctive Brown Crocodile finish.
The only wording on the machine is "Foreign", which in the UK between the wars was a euphemism for German when German goods could be hard to sell. To illustrate it's small size it is pictured next to my Brown Crocodile Columbia 112a.
In the absence of a manufacturer's name we have christened it the "SqueakyPhone", which says all that needs to be said about the sound which it produces. Any suggestions as to it's identity would be appreciated.
It is speculated that it may be from Germany or Japan.
https://www.worthpoint.com/worthopedia/ ... 1775225602
- Attachments
-
- here.JPG (27.11 KiB) Viewed 1396 times
Last edited by poodling around on Thu Apr 08, 2021 12:47 pm, edited 1 time in total.
- Inigo
- Victor VI
- Posts: 3776
- Joined: Mon Dec 18, 2017 1:51 am
- Personal Text: Keep'em well oiled
- Location: Madrid, Spain
- Contact:
Re: Unidentified Toy Gramophone
In Spain, our independent Columbia enterprise in the mid forties pressed language records for a Spanish academy of language learning by mail named CCC. They sold the records in albums, and this little toy gramophone for playing the records.
It's like a cameraphone, but has no motor nor horn. The simplest thing, with a small turntable and record fixing screwed clamp, from which a small crank protrudes upwards, with a tiny cup on top where you put your finger to spin the record. In the lid there's a tin tonearm and soundbox, and the sound is reflected on the lid. It's yet more simple than the Kammer&Reinhart.
It's like a cameraphone, but has no motor nor horn. The simplest thing, with a small turntable and record fixing screwed clamp, from which a small crank protrudes upwards, with a tiny cup on top where you put your finger to spin the record. In the lid there's a tin tonearm and soundbox, and the sound is reflected on the lid. It's yet more simple than the Kammer&Reinhart.
Inigo
-
- Victor III
- Posts: 564
- Joined: Fri Jan 06, 2012 5:22 am
Re: Unidentified Toy Gramophone
I'm 99% certain it is a "National Band". The photos show a similar shaped case and a complete machine with an identical metal motor board and a nasty pressed steel tonearm the same as yours. . Despite the very nationalistic British look of the machines, the paper label on the case says "made in Germany" in very small letters, which would explain the "Foreign" on the motor board .
- Curt A
- Victor Monarch Special
- Posts: 6426
- Joined: Fri Jul 09, 2010 8:32 pm
- Personal Text: Needle Tins are Addictive
- Location: Belmont, North Carolina
Re: Unidentified Toy Gramophone
I think Gama is correct. The Gama Pixie Phone has the exact same stamped reproducer and tonearm...physicist wrote: ↑Thu Apr 08, 2021 12:36 pm I'd be inclined to agree with German manufacture. The tone arm appears to be identical to the one on the
Gama Pixie Phone:-
https://toyparadise.nl/product/gama-54- ... -with-box/
Gama toys. Founded in 1882, Nuremberg, Germany by Georg Adam MAngold.Gama was known for producing a variety of metal playthings.
"The phonograph is not of any commercial value."
Thomas Alva Edison - Comment to his assistant, Samuel Insull.
"No one needs a Victrola XX, a Perfected Graphophone Type G, or whatever you call those noisy things."
My Wife
Thomas Alva Edison - Comment to his assistant, Samuel Insull.
"No one needs a Victrola XX, a Perfected Graphophone Type G, or whatever you call those noisy things."
My Wife
-
- Victor Monarch Special
- Posts: 5225
- Joined: Mon Oct 24, 2011 1:21 pm
- Personal Text: An analogue relic trapped in a digital world.
- Location: The Somerset Levels, UK.
Re: Unidentified Toy Gramophone
Nicki and I have been pleasantly surprised by the interest this little machine has generated. Thank you one and all.
Between them, Poodling Around and Gramtastic have identified the design. The consensus seems to be that it was made in Germany by Gama and sold in the UK under the National Band name, although there is no trace of any paper label or lid lining material on our machine.
Between them, Poodling Around and Gramtastic have identified the design. The consensus seems to be that it was made in Germany by Gama and sold in the UK under the National Band name, although there is no trace of any paper label or lid lining material on our machine.