MY BARN FIND - LITERALLY

[PHONOMIKE]

I never really had much luck in the past but now I have one of those stories to tell. If anyone remembers, a few years ago I was at a local collectors place. A farm property with a couple barns. The old man and son were clearing them out. You could say the old man was a “collector” of everything. They heard I was a phonograph collector and asked if I wanted to buy some stuff they had. If you remember I bought almost 500 record storage albums. Some were complete sets or I made them into complete sets. Some were one offs and were sold and some were only good for the fire pit in their condition.

Well the son called me back this summer. His dad has passed and they found more phonograph related items and he wanted to know if I was interested. So I went back to the barn on a 95 degree August day. Walked in the barn with the son and the temp went up 10 degrees. We had to climb the wooden ladder to the hay loft. Add another 10 degrees. There were still some hay bails up there and zero air flow. Add another 10 degrees.

There was an old Victrola Consolette that the chickens/birds/mice had made a home for who knows how many decades. More record storage albums that had water leaking from the roof on, more animals making homes in, some crates with records. Some protected in albums, others cracked and in pieces. A Victor 1-70 in fair condition. Several upon several tins of parts in boxes, crates, totes and storage boxes of all sizes and materials. I took a look and wasn’t even sure if some of the parts were for phonographs.
We brought it all down. Add another 10 degrees for the work to carry all this down a steep wooden ladder in this already sauna like barn. I made an offer and he helped me carry them to the truck. It felt like air conditioning outside that barn in only 95 degree temps under the sun while packing everything into the truck.

I brought everything home and unloaded it that night. It was hot in my garage also so I piled everything at the back of the garage corner and on the workbench for a later day. Fast forward a couple months to now. After looking at the pile a few times and it being cooler, I finally decided to go thru it. The consolette was very rough and was barely parts salvageable. There is a mechanical adding machine marked Victor. At some point did Victor have an adding machine division or was this a totally separate company all together?

But when I started going thru each box, crate, jar, tin, box inside box, tin inside tin, tin inside box, I was pealing away at the layers of this onion parts lot and I found awesome surprise after awesome surprise.

I found protected in an album some Elvis records in good condition. Not a bad find. Then found wrapped nicely in a garbage bag The Wizard Of Oz book with all 4 original albums from 1939 and maybe only played once. A banner record “Safe at home” A tribute to Babe Ruth. Then I found a Beatles 78 RPM album. Not a Parlophone (that would have been too sweet) but one on a Prime record. It’s vinyl so I’m thinking maybe from a jukebox?

There were tons of reproducers. Exhibitions, a couple #4’s in original boxes, improved concerts. Even a couple wooden boxes and one had the long throat still in it and in almost new condition. A bunch of needle tins. Many rare and even a Berliner tin amongst them.
Other containers had a large collection of nickel and gold bolts from motor boards or horn supports and motors. A whole bunch of Victor cabinet knobs. Some complete XVI sets with the L-door record shelf and knob for the door in the back and a couple needle cutters.
There was a box with an old VE electric motor and the resistors (not tested yet) There were various parts machines with parts removed or missing. A couple were just the wood box.

And the best in my opinion, was an old large tote with just about everything phonograph in it. Everything was loose like it was just tossed in. Screws, governors, all sorts of parts and a crap load of keys. Cabinet keys, blank keys, Sonora keys, edison key, and a bunch of Victor V keys. A key for a Victor 100. But in this mix was 2 very special keys. Not 1 but 2 original keys for a Victor Victrola 330. Yup, you read that right.

Now the only bad part to this story, the property is sold. The old barn demolished. There will be no more treasures from this place for me. But I’m happy I met the old guy. Happy for the talks and the stories we shared and happy I could bring home some nice finds.
Here’s some pictures once some of the dirt, grease, dust, hay, animal remnants and who knows what else has been cleaned off.
This is my found in the wild or barn find (literally) story. I hope you can all find the luck I did someday.
Mike

[Roaring20s]

The stuff of dreams!

James.

[Granby]

Thank you for sharing! And, I does provide some "hope" that there are still opportunities out there to stumble onto some great items. It is easy to get discouraged and think everything will make it onto Facebook to be bought in less than one hour or end up on ebay and go for full market price.... where is the fun in that?

But, I have had a little luck buying... by being personable, honest, and treating people right. It sounds like that approach did well for you, also.

[52089]

If memory serves, the Beatles 78 on Prime is a bootleg and may contain performances from the Hamburg Star Club recordings instead of the "official" releases. Still nice to have and highly collectible.

[tictalk]

Nice Find and great story, stories like that are what keep us on the hunt. Congratulations, Larry

[Phono-Phan]

Great story and items. Congrats!!!!

[VanEpsFan1914]

The Victor adding machine isn't related to Victor Talking Machine, but that is a treasure trove for sure! I love the assortment of reproducers, and finding good clean, rare, high-condition 78s is always a treat. You won the phonograph lottery.

[tomb]

All that sweat and work paid off. The great stuff sometimes seems to come from unexpected places. That is why it still there. Tom

[Hoodoo]

Terrific score! I am always happy to see a treasure trove like this go to an enthusiast and not to the landfill.

[epigramophone]

Well done. Your experience confirms what I have always found. If you are nice to people and generous with your offers, you are more likely to be asked back than if you disparage their items and haggle aggressively.