Art Case Diamond Disk on eBay

[FloridaClay]

Out of curiosity, I have been watching an Edison Diamond Disk French Gothic Art Model on eBay. I see it brought $2,000 even though the lower part of the case had some significant water damage. An interesting machine you don't see very often.

Clay

[NEFaurora]

Definately worth the $2000.00 in that condition if you ask me. They made so little of those French Gothic machines that probably only a handful survive. I'm surprised that it did'nt sell for more.

Tony K.

[Valecnik]

I missed that one. Can someone post the ebay link? Thanks

[gramophoneshane]

This is it.
I only kept this one so I could copy the photos and add them to my Frow DD book. I think this is the first French Gothic I've seen, so I thought it was a good idea to add the pics to the book as the Ebay photos are a much better record of what this machine actually looked like, and the books single black & white photo doesn't show the beautiful guilding that was used on this model.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Antique-Edison- ... 7461551748

[Valecnik]

Thanks for posting. You are right Shane. Many details are here that are not available in the Frow book, like the winding mechanism, decoration of the cabinet, color or reproducer, felt, serial no, seemingly quite high, and more. I'll copy them too. I've never seen another.

[Kirkwood]

Let me put my thanks in here too, for posting the link so we can all see the details. This was very much part of the phonograph-as-furniture era, and it's a fine example of the wood carver's skill. So many other makers used stock composition ornaments, tinted to match the surrounding wood, but this all looks like real hand-carved oak. So while I'll probably never get the chance to own one of these, it's great to be able to see more than a single B&W image in a book.

[NEFaurora]

Anyone else notice in the pic all of the C-19's and C-250's in the background?

Was I the only one??

The seller must be an antique phonograph dealer/restorer.

If that was me, No way would I have sold that one.. He must be hard up for cash..

Tony K.

[NEFaurora]

From the pic on Ebay, The turntable for this unit is transitional. It is the postwar turntable japponing with the earlier speed control. I peg the machine to 1918 to very early 1919. Most Post 1919 Turntables did not come with the speed control in the upper left corner. This one has one. The speed control was dropped from the upper left of the turntables in Early 1919. Edison was using what was left over from the Prewar style turntable mechanisms. Since the turntable has the Postwar paintjob and an earlier speed control, The unit has to be from 1918 to Early 1919.

Tony K.

[gramophoneshane]

Most Post 1919 Turntables did not come with the speed control in the upper left corner. This one has one. The speed control was dropped from the upper left of the turntables in Early 1919.

Are you sure? As far as I can tell, my C19 dates from 1922 & my L35 from 1926, and they both have the speed control on top of the bedplate, in the upper left corner. I've only seen 2 LP machines in person, but both of those also had a visible speed control in the upper left corner.

AFAIK, the speed control wasn't moved to below the bedplate until 1927 with the introduction of the Edisonic machines, and it wasn't long before the "visible" speed control disappeared on all models, instead having a knurled wheel located underneath the bedplate, but still in the same position in the rear left corner.
I assume this was done partly because the speed control was seldom used unless you played shellac, and to prevent it being accidently moved, but probably it was mostly done as a cost cutting measure.

[Valecnik]

Anyone else notice in the pic all of the C-19's and C-250's in the background?

Was I the only one??

The seller must be an antique phonograph dealer/restorer.

If that was me, No way would I have sold that one.. He must be hard up for cash..

Tony K.

I noticed all of them too but if he needed cash he'd surely get more for this one machine than for the sum of the others.