Class M with Shipping Crate on eBay UK

[epigramophone]

The listing and the pictures look perfectly genuine to me.

Others would appear to be of the same opinion, as the bidding has already reached £1225.99 with five days still to run.

[phonogfp]

I don't think there's any question about authenticity.

Egad - I really like that crate!

George P.

[VintageTechnologies]

Okay guys, here is the teaser:

I can remember listening to Gladstone's voice over 50 years ago, but it may not have been used since, so I cannot say whether it still works!

Gladstone died in 1898, so when he made a cylinder, it was white or brown wax, and probably unique. What are the odds this guy had an original Gladstone cylinder? Does anyone know if Gladstone records were duplicated and offered for sale? The machine is real, but the guy's story sounds a mite suspicious. I would only pay on pickup.

[edisonphonoworks]

I think it is genuine and put away for a long time. The crate is amazing. I honestly think there are more class Ms out there than the community would like you to believe. I know I have seen at least a hundred of them in collections alone, way more than I have seen say an Edison studio recorder or a Triumph model F or G. I have seen few Alva machines. It would seem there should be lots of them, they were manufactured from 1889-1912 (called class M or later the Balmoral, when sold by the National Phonograph Company. Just at Union alone for sale I have seen at least 25 M's .

[Skihawx]

Auction ended early. "No longer available for sale"

I hate when that happens!

[epigramophone]

Okay guys, here is the teaser:

I can remember listening to Gladstone's voice over 50 years ago, but it may not have been used since, so I cannot say whether it still works!

Gladstone died in 1898, so when he made a cylinder, it was white or brown wax, and probably unique. What are the odds this guy had an original Gladstone cylinder? Does anyone know if Gladstone records were duplicated and offered for sale? The machine is real, but the guy's story sounds a mite suspicious. I would only pay on pickup.

Gladstone was a great admirer of Edison, and was recorded several times by Colonel Gouraud and J.Lewis Young. As these recordings were used by Edison's phonograph demonstrators, it is reasonable to assume that a number of copies were made by the transcription method which pre-dated gold moulding.

Frank Andrews' book "Edison Phonograph, The British Connection" describes a demonstration in Dublin before the Lord Mayor and three Members of Parliament, all of whom had come especially to hear the voice of Gladstone. Afterwards one of them is reputed to have said to the demonstrator :

"Thankyou sir. I have sat behind the old man for nearly fifty years and recognise every tone of his voice. I guess the man who made the record must have been a great mimic."

Although Edison did not make these recordings generally available, either as originals or in any duplicated form, it is not inconceivable that copies may have found their way into private hands once they were no longer considered to be of any commercial value.

I expect the auction ended early because the seller received an offer which they could not refuse.

[fran604g]

I don't think there's any question about authenticity.

Egad - I really like that crate!

George P.

I'm thinking that George Tewkesbury would be pretty surprised to see that people are still buying his North American Phonographs!

I love that the "box" for it is still with the machine AND the crate! How amazing...

Fran

[Garret]

It's just as well...gone to safely sit on the shelf of a rich collector somewhere.

[HisMastersVoice]

It's just as well...gone to safely sit on the shelf of a rich collector somewhere.

I'm pretty sure it would still be sitting on the shelf of a rich collector had the auction been allowed to run its course. Perhaps even a richer collector.

[Garret]

It's just as well...gone to safely sit on the shelf of a rich collector somewhere.

I'm pretty sure it would still be sitting on the shelf of a rich collector had the auction been allowed to run its course. Perhaps even a richer collector.

My point exactly.