The Talking Machine Forum — For All Antique Phonographs & Recordings

Welcome to the forum, Shawn!

Your Singer is one of the several hundred talking machine brands that popped up during the 1914-1924 period. Collectors commonly refer to machines in this genre as "Off Brands." Sometimes these machines are interesting and feature nice cabinetry (as I suspect is the case with your Singer). Most often, "off brand" machines were meant to sell for a price. All in all, it's an interesting area with wildly varying values. One interesting point is that most off brand machines can be considered rare, however, most of these rare machines are pretty bare-bones and of limited interest among collectors. As I said though - there are exceptions. We'd like to see photos of your Singer.

There's an excellent article on the Antique Phonograph Society website that covers off brand talking machines. Although it does not list "Singer" among known brands, it does include "Singerphone" (#343). If there's a company address on your machine, you may find that it's the same firm...

http://www.antiquephono.org/brand-talki ... j-wakeman/

Congratulations on acquiring the Singer, and again, welcome!

George P.

Shawn, please post some pictures of the Singer when you get a chance.

And a hearty second to George's welcome to the Forum.

Clay

Thank you gentlemen, it's great to be here! At this moment, everything that I possess phonograph related is being displayed at the school that I work for. I am a supervisor for The Dover Area School District & everything will circulate within all four elementary schools within our district. There are three tables filled with a description & educational facts on each item. The teachers & kids are absolutely going "koo koo for cocoa puffs" over this exhibit. I do have a meeting w/ all the music teachers later today, & at that time I will snap some pictures of the set up & most importantly The Singer.
As I've only been involved in the world of phonographs for less than three months, I do consider myself still somewhat of a rookie. I purchased an Edison Home Phonograph (Model A) in February, & after that it was full speed ahead on everything phonograph related. I will communicate back to you no later than tomorrow (Saturday). Till next time,
Shawn

And another warm welcome Shawn. I went to school in Dover myself - Dover in the UK! If you'd like a few period printed gramophone shop sleeves from the town, you'd be welcome to them f-o-c to add to your display - might be a curious addition!

As I promised, here are some pictures of the Singer & of the display that I have provided for my school district. I'm considering adding another fresh topic on exhibiting phonographs & such for public display. Anyhow, the first group of pictures are of the phonograph presentation at my school district. Then of coarse, a couple close ups of the Singer Deluxe...
Orchorsol, I might take you up on your offer. What's your offering price for the sleeves?

Yours free of charge with pleasure. I'll just need to check how much they'll cost to ship to you, but as they're just cardboard, hopefully that will be low. I'll send you a PM.

Great photos, well done for bringing our stuff to life and spreading awareness and interest amongst the next generation!

Welcome Shawn,

So that's what the Singer is. I was confused, and I am curious --- what happened to the machine which I assumed was a curved/bowed Brunswick 35/135??? Was it still there, and did you get it too?

Thanks,
Bob --- Pathé Logical

There were only two phonographs that were physically present, as being the Victor & Singer. This was just a sheer mistake in identity. When I arrived to inspect, I ask him if the other machine was a Brunswick. He stated that there were quite a few calls in reference to the mystery phonograph as being a Brunswick ~ as he chuckled a bit. He did however post the Singer on Craigslist separately. I walked away very happy, for I purchased both phonographs for a measly $100.

Shawn,
Welcome to this great and sometime crazy hobby. There is no known cure for a phono-holic. Very nice display!!!! Let's hope that it will spark some interest and generate another collector or two.
Ken

Great display, and a great way to plant some seeds of interest in our hobby.

The Singer looks good. I take it that the grille is missing?

Clay