The Talking Machine Forum — For All Antique Phonographs & Recordings

travisgreyfox wrote: Sun Apr 10, 2022 8:38 pm Awesome record player Tom and thank you for sharing. I hope to eventually get my hands on one too one day.

Here's your chance.

https://pennsylvania.hibid.com/lot/1166 ... f=lot-list

estott wrote: Sun Apr 10, 2022 5:12 pm Waters Conley made many machines under the "Phonola" trademark- Part of the firm was the Conley Mfg. Co. a major builder of cameras in the early 20th c. most of which were sold by Sears. They may have supplied some components to the Sears Silvertone phonographs.

You are right about the Conley Company. They were one of the earlier camera producers and got into phonographs right before WWII.. They seemed to have made several off brand ones for various stores and companies besides there Phonola brand. Sears sold the Conley company March 1940 to Waters forming the Waters Conley Co. They added the amplified phonograph then.
They made many things during WWII such as 40000 emergency fishing tackle containers, armored-tank intercom systems, recorder for the signal corps, radar guided missile with Western electric. and others. Seems like a lot of manufactures made a lot of different products for the military. They resumed phonograph production in 1946 along with automatic milk pasteurizer for home use. And you thought they only made cameras and phonographs Tom

The question of what records are appropriate for what machines is much-discussed and I see it comes up here too. Notice one of the machines has an instruction card mentioning V-Discs, which, as most 78 collectors know, were mostly made of vinyl (or at least vinyl-like) material. I've seen many V-Discs made unplayable by scratches, scuffs, and general abuse but very few that were actually worn out despite the many plays they must have gotten from machines like these portables.
-Dave

stetam wrote: Mon Apr 11, 2022 6:24 am

travisgreyfox wrote: Sun Apr 10, 2022 8:38 pm Awesome record player Tom and thank you for sharing. I hope to eventually get my hands on one too one day.

Here's your chance.

https://pennsylvania.hibid.com/lot/1166 ... f=lot-list

Thanks! I'm going in, wish me luck

If you can let me know what the gavel price was. I do not know what the rarity of these phonographs as per manufacture. I wonder if there is a data base out the lurking around the corner. Good luck They are sturdy phonographs. Tom