Smallest Phonograph?

Mlund2020 · Post by **Mlund2020** » Sat Mar 22, 2025 10:22 pm

Queen Mary’s Dollhouse Gramophone is by far the smallest working phonograph. It was made by the Gramophone Co. of England for Queen Mary’s dollhouse, with several miniature playable records. Not commercially available and a one of a kind machine on display with Queen Mary’s Dollhouse in Windsor Castle, however copies of one of the miniature records ‘God Save the King’ were sold as souvenirs to the public.

mrvic2 · Post by **mrvic2** » Sun Mar 23, 2025 1:14 am

Not the smallest, but one that is pretty small is the Stollwerck Phonograph, made to play chocolate discs, and another more permanent type they made out of a material i forget the name of (maybe cylinder material?)
Here's a link to one playing.
https://youtu.be/s55E-b72JrA?si=cuNjxXXz6qG6cl62

Sidewinder · Post by **Sidewinder** » Mon Mar 24, 2025 2:34 pm

Garjen127 wrote: Sun Mar 16, 2025 7:27 pm Does anyone know what the smallest working cylinder/disk phonograph ever made is?

Are you aiming to see phonographs in miniature that play standard size discs and cylinders. There are a few unique mini machines that have been shown here, like the Queen's dolls house machine that plays mini discs etc.

If its machines that plays standard size media, there is a disc machine called "Kuraun Phonograph" which comes in a box which has the footprint of a smartphone, and maybe 4 smartphones high, and expands out to a hand wind disc phonograph that plays 10" discs (& maybe 12"). Principle is similar to "hand-phonolio".

I have one locked away but will try find & photograph it this week

Post by **Inigo** » Mon Mar 24, 2025 6:49 pm

In this link to one of the German forums
http://www.sprechapparate.de/elist.htm
You'll see a photo of a small hand propelled phonograph named Kuraun
It has an aluminium diaphragm soundbox

Sidewinder · Post by **Sidewinder** » Mon Mar 24, 2025 7:59 pm

Inigo wrote: Mon Mar 24, 2025 6:49 pm In this link to one of the German forums
http://www.sprechapparate.de/elist.htm
You'll see a photo of a small hand propelled phonograph named Kuraun
It has an aluminium diaphragm soundbox

Exactly! BTW its not a forum, its a collectors website

Here it is folded & packed in its box:

Garjen127 · Post by **Garjen127** » Mon Mar 24, 2025 10:03 pm

These are all very interesting. Does anyone know what the smallest non commercial or one off cylinder or disk phonograph?

mrvic2 · Post by **mrvic2** » Mon Mar 24, 2025 10:57 pm

Garjen127 wrote: Mon Mar 24, 2025 10:03 pm These are all very interesting. Does anyone know what the smallest non commercial or one off cylinder or disk phonograph?

Scroll up to see the Queen's doll house for the smallest one off disc player

Post by **Inigo** » Tue Mar 25, 2025 1:58 am

There is the hand propelled Spanish CCC disk phonograph, but I think it is the same size as a cameraphone or as the Peter Pan clock phonograph. Nevertheless I am a photo of it, there is always one for sale in Spanish collectors sales websites.
CCC was a mail order language teaching enterprise, that also has academies. They sold records and accompanying books, similar to Linguaphone or other similar language by correspondence teaching businesses. It was founded in early 1940s, still alive.. and early diversified in courses of many other disciplines as accountants, tailors, general education, TV and radio technicians, general aechonomics careers, bank clerks, marketing and advertisement, etc.
Very popular in Spain.
The records in the 78rpm era were made by our independent Columbia co. They gave for free (as said) this little hand propelled phonograph for listening to the records, as said in some websites, made by Nikito, designed by Josh Toreno, measuring 17x11x9 cm, when you acquired a language learning course. With things they also sold other more conventional portable gramophones.
I add some images from the web, including one of the later microgroove 45rpm records. They also diversified with cassettes etc