The Talking Machine Forum — For All Antique Phonographs & Recordings

Tomorrow is sale day.

Rich Gordon

It is hard to look into a crystal ball and estimate what this will go for. I thought the Edison Idelia on Ebay not too long ago would have gone for much, much more than it did. I am going to guess close to $10K on this XX.

Sight unseen, I would be learly simply because of what alterations have been made. If I was interested, I would have had to make the trip to put eyes on it.
And, btw...that Idelia on eBay was a steal.

Does anyone know how many were made either with or without the gold leaf embellishments? I have read 300 approx. total, which is less than the Auxetophone, but no differentiation on the two variations...

$8,800 hammer price. Plus the premium.

18% in house BP or 21% on line. So we are looking at $10,384 or $10,648, plus tax if applicable.

That's a strong price for a machine missing a few things. Mind you, since there were only 530 manufactured (according to LFTD), there will always be a demand.

The earliest serial number recorded to date is 4453 and the highest 8655 (according to the Victor Victrola website).

This one is serial number 5113. Just a bit lower than mine.. . So, early production. I wish I could find another with the added Berliner Gramophone plate (Canada) like mine. Surely, a few of them sold here too.

Does anyone know how many xx survived ? I had the once in a life time experience of picking up two in one day, your probably thinking sure you did , I wouldn't believe me either , I had been working on buying a XX from a St Louis antique shop for months, while at the same time trying to buy one from Walt Belham after he closed his museum. well as it worked out I got both, I picked up the one in St. Louis the same day that Walt was passing through in his big bus delivering mine. Walt was amazed as I had to make room in my van for two XX's . I sold one to a good friend in California and kept the other. Who ever the fella was that said it would bring $400 tops, I would suggest if you not familiar with a machine don't give advice. I paid 10 that each 20 years ago.

As it turns out I got two of these, very close together, but not on the same day. The first one, in the Maine auction, has just been repaired, French polished (original finish retained) and re-gilded (with real gold-leaf) by my restoration shop. I found a replacement tone arm and reproducer, added a complete set of record boxes and it's now in my living room, a place that my wife has 100% control over. It displaced my B-375 Edison, which has been banished to storage.

This was an expensive project from start to finish, but I haven't had one of these in a few years. The 2nd one is en-route to me and will undergo a similar restoration.

Raphael

Stunning!

Andreas