The Talking Machine Forum — For All Antique Phonographs & Recordings

stevel wrote:

Jerry B. wrote:How many models of Lulmieres are there? Jerry

In England there was the table top 460 and the cabinet 510. I've also seen a French model 460 that has a tilted turntable.
Steve

There is also a French cabinet art deco model, with the same machine as the French table top (with the quasi-horizontal diaphragm). And the French models were also sold in both light oak and mahogany, I have one of each, and a dark mirror-polished English one which I suppose is oak veneer, like the one shown in the ebay ad. The French diaphragm is not gold painted like the English, it is in the natural white paper color. Its lid acts a reflector and its height can be adjusted to control the volume.

The Lumières are nice machines to collect, but their sound reproduction does not compare to horn gramophones of the period, and they are not gentle to the discs: although lightweight, the drag of the diaphragm exerts too much pressure on the grooves.

I had the Lumiere at Orlando two years ago. It was among six that I have sold in recent years, most going to Taiwan, where there is a very active antique phonograph society, whose members seem to favor Victors and HMV's.

Most people are astounded by the sound and virtual simplicity offered by this uniquely distinct phonograph.

Currently there are two more Lumiere's on my website: http://www.musicaltreasuresofmiami.com/6f-hmv.html that I recently acquired. Both are in excellent shape and have the added benefit of a "secret compartment", which I can explain to a buyer (it wouldn't be much of a secret if I disclosed it here). I actually just learned about this quite recently myself, never having noticed it on previous ones that I've owned.


Raphael

there was one, I believe a 460, at the wayne, NJ show either last spring or the year before that. I arrived late, so saw it late, meaning it had been there for some time. I can't recall the exact asking price, but I remember it was only about 650 or 750, something like that. I intially passed on it too because of the condition, even though it wasn't that bad... the case was oak, there were a few tears to the diaphragm/diffusor/whatever, I think there may have been a broken spring, but what hit me most was that several of the veneer panels were lifting... at the time I had lazily sworn off such work... at least until the end of the show when I figured I'd take a chance, at which point I learned it had just sold, as in just sold, right at the end to a collector from europe who happened to be in the US. that's definitely the cheapest I've ever seen one of these... either way, they definitely seem to be one of those models, like certain hmv re-entrants, with prices that have been driven through the roof in recent years by certain expanding markets overseas.

Mr Grumpy wrote:I'm guessing you've seen this one?
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Phonograph-Gr ... 259ea48ca4

I´d be wary with this one... the motorboard is not original to the machine (this one is black and screwed on, the original is oak and has no screws as the motor is accesed from the bottom by a board you take out) also, the diaphragm mechanism has been moved to the corner instead of being in the center where it was originally. I wonder why? Perhaps someone wanted better tracking, although the tracking isn´t a problem with this one... it is hard to know.

The fungus spots are a nuisance but can most probably be taken care of, but this would be a hard one to restore...