The Talking Machine Forum — For All Antique Phonographs & Recordings

The perfect pinstripe on the bedplate tells the story - it was hardly used. Somehow, I never heard of the automatic reproducer variant that has a slanted neck and heavier weight. The grooved mandrel is certainly unusual too. Great find!

What a beautiful and interesting machine. Thank you for featuring it.

I, too never saw a grooved mandrel before. Does anyone know the purpose of the grooved mandrel? Were they used on the earliest Long Case Homes and the earliest New Style Standard? How about the late Spring Motor machines and early Triumphs? This is very intriguing. Great find and nice machine.
Harvey Kravitz

Phonofreak wrote:I, too never saw a grooved mandrel before. Does anyone know the purpose of the grooved mandrel? Were they used on the earliest Long Case Homes and the earliest New Style Standard? How about the late Spring Motor machines and early Triumphs? This is very intriguing. Great find and nice machine.
Harvey Kravitz

These are photos of my Red Banner Home No 46248, which I'm sure Martin will be able to say how early in the production run it was.
As you can see it has the normal smooth nickel mandrel, and also a sidearm B reproducer.
I have also included a shot of my Squarebox Standard 4 clip grooved mandrel, SN 38595.
Alistair

Nice machine Steve! I also have this same mandrel on one of my homes --- Ser. No. H37543. When I bought that Home, a very advanced/knowledgeable collector told me the mandrel was wrong and came from a dictating machine, but it sure looked right to me. I have seen one other in person a few years ago, but didn't think to note that machine's Ser. No.

Congratulations,
Bob

BOB,
I was also initially told that my Standard Mandrel, being grooved, was from a later Ediphone.
Having since examined several Ediphones of different periods I have not come across this style of mandrel being utilised. They are also longer to fit dictation blanks.
Alistair.

Just to follow up on the grooved mandrel topic. Anyone else have one and I can add it to the list.


So far we have a data base of 4 Homes with the grooved mandrel.

H37543
Red Banner - H38919
Suitcase - H40145
H41613

And one Standard:

Standard 4 clip - S38595.

We have another, I bought this last month. All original except for reproduction horn and crank. Model C reproducer. Serial number H42430 I was told it left the factory in August 1901.

Hi Steve,

I dug back through my photo archives and found another candidate for your list --- Suitcase Home SN 19211 with Grooved Mandrel and Bettini Reproducer, displayed for sale at Union, IL 06/14/2008. The SN of this machine is not at all in the range of the other Homes reported thus far --- I'll let you decide what to make of this. I have a total of seven pictures of this machine (if you need to see more).

BTW, my previously reported Home SN H37543 is also a Suitcase Home with the red banner on the lid.

Hope this helps,
Bob

Truly stunning! Drooling over every pic onto my keyboard.