The history of an avid pioneer collector from the 1940s

[wjw]

I bought a few things from Thomas Pollard in California and some from an old-timer named Nugent in Virginia. I finally went to Union in the early 1980's and was stunned by the abundance of machines there.

In the mid 1960's I bought an upright Victrola for peanuts and wrote to RCA to inquire about parts, etc. They replied offering A. Nugent, Jr.for such inquiries. I bought parts from him for a few years until I left the hobby for a few decades.

[phonogfp]

I never had the pleasure of meeting Ira, but I was charmed when I met Dottie Dueltgen in 2005 (I believe she was in her mid-90s at the time). She had sold off most of Ira's collection by then, but there were still a number of machines in the basement which she told us to look over and to let her know if we were interested in anything. There were cards on most every machine with someone's name on it, and I wasn't really there to purchase anything anyway. I'd heard about Ira and Dottie, and I was pleased to have the opportunity to meet her. I was smitten with her after about 5 minutes.

Before long, Dottie came downstairs (with surprising spryness)and a conversation began between her and the 4 or 5 collectors who were there. A couple of Portland collectors had brought us over, and it was clear that they were "her boys" and she had known them for a long, long time. I envied them - - she was a real sweetheart. At a point, Dottie singled me out and asked, "Didn't you find anything you want?" I told her that I had admired several machines, but they were spoken for and I was most interested in simply meeting her. Dottie, no doubt seeing that I was charmed by her, insisted that I go put my name on something. I explained to her that I lived in far-off New York State, and transporting a machine would be problematic (I didn't know about Jerry's Phonograph Hauling Service yet!). However, I had noticed a little phonographic gadget on Ira's desk (a Mello-Tone sound dampener for an external horn), and I'd be happy to put my name on that if it were available. Dottie said, "Show it to me." Once it was in her hands, she said something like, "This little thing? Why don't you just take it with you? It's yours." I was a bit embarrassed... The other collectors were all sitting there smiling as I pulled out my wallet and attempted to give her a fair price for it. Dottie was having none of it. Finally I said, "Well, if you won't take my money, may I give you a kiss for it?" She jumped at that, and so did I - - wishing I could adopt her as my own grandmother. Dottie died about a year later, and today I wouldn't take $1000 for that Mello-Tone; every time I see it, I think of Dottie Dueltgen.

As for my own stories, my experiences are remarkably similar to those of Vintage Technologies. I started collecting phonographs at age 13 in 1967. Finding a stack of Hobbies magazines in an antique shop on Cape Cod in 1968, I learned that I was not the only one interested in old phonographs and records. I bought a little antique price guide in the local drug store because it had a section on antique phonographs. That's when I learned that there were different models of Edison Phonographs. My first related book was The Fabulous Phonograph, (which I still enjoy reading through every few years). I bought some ear tubes, a couple of horns, a Graphophone floating reproducer, and and 60 cylinder records from Tom Pollard in 1972(clean 2-minute Edisons in boxes w/lids for $1.00 apiece). If I wanted to buy phonographs, I'd have to find them locally. My first phonograph purchase was a Victrola XVI in Circassian Walnut for $20. A Victor Royal minus horn for $135. A complete, nice early Victor I for $165. A nice Victor II with beautiful wooden horn for $100. A suitcase Standard for $30. I still have these (I'm a sentimental fool). There was a Berliner Trademark missing the crank for $80. An Eagle Graphophone for $55. A nearly mint Gem C for $68... I obtained the first Frow book on Edison cylinder Phonographs in 1973 (and immediately realized some mistakes I had made! I quickly learned that in the long run, education is your best investment.) I attended my first Union show in 1980. Where do I stop? Now.

George P.

[FloridaClay]

Thanks everyone for the delightful stories! Oh how I wish I had begun collecting years before I did.

Clay

[gemering]

This has just become my favorite thread.
Thank you all for the wonderful recollections.
I did not start collecting phonographs until the late 1980's, but have often wondered what I might have found as a child in the old mansions of my home town (Paterson, NJ) in the mid 1960's.
It is the stuff of romantic daydreams!
Gene

[obmcclintock]

There are still a few machines in barns and sheds in the rural upper Midwest. I still see some at farm auctions and I do see one once in a while on craigslist Minneapolis. This past year I saw probably 5 or 6 in local shops. I see standards, homes, an a q once in a while. It seems like 12 to15 years ago machines were selling at an all time high. Today those same machines are probably one half the price. A very sad experience for me was when my wife and I went to the local Lutheran home to play some cylinders. Years ago everybody used to sing along with them in the old folks homes. Our last visit very few of the seniors knew any of the ones that I played. One lady not much older than me came up to us as we were finishing and asked if we had anything by Elvis ????????? I played very popular old time songs like carry me back, old black Joe,come Josephine, and others that most of us know. Times are changing. I really hope that some of the younger generation will pick up the hobby so it won't die out when we are gone. My fear has been that the day will come when the only place that you will see an antique phonograph is in a museum. I would like to find a way to expose young people to the hobby so that it can continue.

[phonogfp]

Times are changing. I really hope that some of the younger generation will pick up the hobby so it won't die out when we are gone. My fear has been that the day will come when the only place that you will see an antique phonograph is in a museum. I would like to find a way to expose young people to the hobby so that it can continue.

The Antique Phonograph Society is doing its best. As the new website has developed, a lot of information for beginners has already been front-loaded: http://www.antiquephono.org. More is on the way.

If we're going to attract young people, we must use the web to the best advantage. Suggestions are always welcome!

George P.

[obmcclintock]

George, here in Minnesota we have a local program hosted by a man by the name of Jason Davis that looks for and televises different collectors or local craft makers. One time there was a radio collector, a doll collector, bike, motorcycle, and weather vane collector as well as wild rice harvesters and hand crafters. I have never seen one done for phonograph collectors and there are quite a few in the twin cities.My collection is small but others have extensive collections. I am wondering if some of us would contact the local stations in our areas about doing a segment on our collections and if that could spark an interest. Maybe the locals that are interested in such could contact the collector and they would already have an in place authority and guide to beginning a collection???? These are all free. They just need to get wind of the fact that we are doing such a thing. Just a thought???

[zenith82]

Times are changing. I really hope that some of the younger generation will pick up the hobby so it won't die out when we are gone. My fear has been that the day will come when the only place that you will see an antique phonograph is in a museum. I would like to find a way to expose young people to the hobby so that it can continue.

The Antique Phonograph Society is doing its best. As the new website has developed, a lot of information for beginners has already been front-loaded: http://www.antiquephono.org. More is on the way.

If we're going to attract young people, we must use the web to the best advantage. Suggestions are always welcome!

George P.

A lot of the problem with attracting the younger crowd isn't so much the lack of interest - it's the lack of time, funds, and space. I'm 32 and I'm one of the youngest collectors I know. I know of several folks younger than me (25-30) who have an interest, but they either: don't have a stable job or source of income, work multiple jobs trying to make ends meet, and/or are stuck living with two or three roommates in a tight apartment, or still at home with their parents. None of these conditions are conducive to collecting anything. I consider myself very fortunate to have been a member of the group who just missed this lifestyle by a couple of years.

[obmcclintock]

I don't think that it takes a lot of room or money to get started. I see a lot of 78's and an occasional cloth covered portable crank 78 player in places like Goodwill and Salvation army. In those places have I found 78's such a [n****r] loves his Possum, and other coon songs for 50 cents each. The little suitcase hand crank portables are around all the way from $40 to $60 and they don't take up a lot of room. They are excellent items to at least get started. One thing that I have encouraged beginners to do is to scour the thrift stores for early 78's. If you look for them they can be found and often you will snag a few desirable ones that you can ebay to make a little money to get started with other items. If there is a will there is a way. Let me share a little story about one of my first machine acquisitions. I was still at home. My dad was NOT into anything old. He wanted the new and modern in his home. One day I was at a garage sale at a dairy farm. There was an Amberola 30 in kinda rough shape but it played. I very reluctantly spent $35. for it that I had planned for something else. I worked in my dads store in northwest Iowa for 50 cents an hour, Saturdays and each evening after school. The phonograph cost me 70 hours of hard work!!!!!! When I brought it home my dad said,"What on earth would possess you to buy such a thing? What did you pay for it?"I sheepishly said $35.00 Oh my god, I felt like i just traded my families last farthings for a few Jack in the beanstalk beans!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I loved my dad but he made me feel like total krapp. I felt so bad that I decided to put it up for sale. I advertised it in a local paper but I had the wisdom enough to do as my dad did in business and to mark everything up in price so I put a price tag of $75 on it. I really didn't want to sell it anyway. The day that the paper came out I received at least 3 or 4 calls one of which was glad to pay it. That night at dinner I told dad that I had sold the phonograph. He said that he hoped at least that I got my money out of it.I told him that I didn't! he said, "I knew it!!!! I told him that I got $75. for it. You should have seen the look on the old farts face!!!! I took that money and started buying inexpensive but desirable and collectible items. I have waited for 50 years for a 5 inch mandrel phonograph and this last year I found an inexpensive working A B MacDonald. What I have found over the years is that everything is still out there. It just a matter of patience and if you are short on cash just save a few bucks till you get what you want. My collection basically started under my bed. I have had a blast and i did not have to spend a fortune for any of it. I just kept looking and in the most unlikely places have I found some inexpensive yet amazing things. In time you develop a kind of radar for them. When you are about to drive by an old junk or thrift store and you get a strong feeling to go in,there is probably something there for you.I have at times gotten up in the morning and felt to go to some quaint unlikely spot that I have haunted in the past. More times than not I have found something there. I know that there are others on here that have done this as well. I like to encourage new people in their collecting and once the bug bites,it is forever, although I don't think that any of us would change a thing. !!!! Just my 2 cents worth.

[NateO]

Thank you for sharing this story! It is fascinating to learn about previous generations of collectors.

A lot of the problem with attracting the younger crowd isn't so much the lack of interest - it's the lack of time, funds, and space. I'm 32 and I'm one of the youngest collectors I know. I know of several folks younger than me (25-30) who have an interest, but they either: don't have a stable job or source of income, work multiple jobs trying to make ends meet, and/or are stuck living with two or three roommates in a tight apartment, or still at home with their parents. None of these conditions are conducive to collecting anything. I consider myself very fortunate to have been a member of the group who just missed this lifestyle by a couple of years.

I'm just starting out in the hobby, and I have to agree, time, funds and space are the main issues I encounter. The disc records are easy enough to find, and fairly cheap(though in 4 years I have still never seen a Cylinder). I rarely find phonographs, and when I do they often seem overpriced, or are in awful condition. As a college student, it is hard to devote time to the hobby, and money is also a big issue.
At 19, this can also be a rather lonely hobby. I don't know of any other collectors in my area, or even any of my own age. I still am very happy to be a part of this hobby. I have had my VV-VI for 2 months now, and I really enjoy it! I often wonder how many of my generation will be interested in collecting phonographs, and where the hobby will go.

Nathan