The Talking Machine Forum — For All Antique Phonographs & Recordings

AmberolaAndy wrote:Bumping my own thread... Today I went to a local antique store and they had an Edison S-19 for sale with a lateral adapter and some late acoustic era 78s for $200. Problem is, I really don’t need a S-19 because I have a C-19. I don’t want to be stuck with a machine I don’t need just to get the lateral adapter and the records. Not to mention, my family would not be very happy with me buying another floor model machine. ARGH! I guess I’ll go to the Yankee Trader section to get at least a lateral adapter.

Craigslist can be your friend. I bought an Edison Chalet model tabletop disc machine to get the Edisonic reproducer that came with it. Refitted with a standard diamond disc reproducer that I bought on the Yankee Trader, it sold for enough that I ended up making a small profit on top of getting to keep the desirable reproducer.

I have heard from one who knew him, that Charles Gregory was buying up tons of plain-jane Edison DD machines just to get the rare electric DDs that came with the machines. He built up a giant DD collection, every record I think, and then wrote his four volume Edison DD Record Label books.

On at least three occasions that I recall, I've bought Edison Disc machines primarily to get the records that came with them. (Late electricals, Long Plays, and even oddball factory tests with penciled notations mentioning company personnel.)

On several occasions I've bought cylinder machines to get the records that were practically thrown in for free - - sometimes one or two hundred. It's been a long time since the last time that has happened; probably ten years.

So, YES.

George P.

I have i bought a off brand "master" floor model phonograph just to get a 2 meteor label records

I had one of these stories that backfired. I purchased a long console one time that came with over 50 records. But it turned out in the whole bunch only a couple were even listenable due to horrible surface noise. I think that happened in storage in a basement, it sort of convinced me that dampness is an enemy of Edison records.

Larry

I've done the opposite recently – I was compelled to take probably upwards of 5000 78s in order to buy the Expert Senior and EMG Mk VII I’ve recently posted about, plus a Brunswick Panatrope 42 (which I haven’t posted about yet!) and the records are a serious challenge. Nearly all classical, many had been damp in the past, had lots of mildew and smelt terrible (rats/mice). I have to admit that I've probably taken 2000 to 3000 to the waste dump which is firmly "against my religion" but just had to be done - they were mostly damaged and/or very ordinary orchestral music etc which is almost impossible even to give away. But equally there are some really fantastic records emerging. I now have the challenge to thin my existing collection down AND incorporate the best of these new records, and end up with fewer records than I had to start with - over several months - and mostly hoping to give the others away to friends (I might try to sell a small minority, any of possible significant value).

Orchorsol wrote: I now have the challenge to thin my existing collection down AND incorporate the best of these new records, and end up with fewer records than I had to start with - over several months - and mostly hoping to give the others away to friends (I might try to sell a small minority, any of possible significant value).

I remember going through this process when I moved overseas - just be careful as during this process I unintentionally took a bag load of ones I wanted to keep to a charity shop. By the time I realised it was far too late to do anything about it.