Can one have too many machines?

[barnettrp21122]

A collector friend of mine says "If you can see the floor there's room for more!"

Bob

[Edisonfan]

Yeah! No! :

[marcapra]

For me, if I have to double park a floor model to put it in my home, then I have crossed the line to having too many! For those who don't know what I mean by that, I mean if you have to put a floor model in front of another floor model. One guy said, I could build big industrial strength shelves and put floor models up on the wall like paintings! that would be going way too far! Then someone would have to call the Hoarders show to give me an audition. I live in So. Calif. so if the San Andreas blows, I could see the headline: "Man dies when large Columbia Viva Tonal 800 falls on him during big quake!"

[emerson]

Bigshot defined the situation---I have crossed the line AND with a Credenza and two more Emerson consoles coming with NO room and running out of $. ----OH MY, here is another fine mess I have gotten myself into.

[Victrolacollector]

I tend too find quite a number Victrola’s in the wild, but i don’t buy them, because, i already have a nice floor model. Also, I would not buy one to resell, because it took four years to sell one, and i took a price loss. If I found a decent affordable orthophonic, i might consider it? However it can’t be a large credenza. I do have four nice cylinder machines. Two Edison and two Columbia’s. Plus i have a nice portable machine as well.

If I have to be honest. I love the more unique machines, that only turn up at auction.

The one thing that keeps me from buying more machines is money. Most goes towards paying bills and my mortgage. So, that helps me too not buy a machine, because i want it. Although i did splurge, and buy a Mandolinia Organette, because it is not a phonograph, but something i like. Needs repair though. SIGH!

You have a organette, those are nice, I only have and wanted one , it’s a Concert Roller Organ. I had mine rebuilt and wasn’t cheap, not something I could do myself. At least with phonographs, I can repair them myself.

[Edisonfan]

This is the one I picked up! I found someone who lives in Missouri who can do the repair.

[Victrolacollector]

This is the one I picked up! I found someone who lives in Missouri who can do the repair.

Very nice, thanks for sharing. I also had a guy named Harold in Missouri that restored mine.

[dutchman]

I told myself 15 machines is enough - I had an auction house pick up about 17 machines long time ago, I still have about 45. I have one bedroom full of machines, covered up and too much work to get to them. I know there is a Brooks Repeater, an off brand upright which I fell in love with stashed away in there, couple of
Edison's, few table top machines and an Arentino. Like many others some of the machines have great stories and memories. HELP !!

Bill K

[tomb]

I got into the Edison rescue business which morphed into I need every model of the Edison standard to now most of them are stacked in my garage on shelfs. In some instances I have several copies of the same phonograph. That was from the rescue period. Not too many of my phonographs are valuable like a Opera . I am also getting hints from the family of when am I going to start selling the ones I have repaired. Most of my phonographs are various portables, Edison standards, or homes with a sprinkling of Victrolas. I have debated about putting them in Craig's list or E bay but I do not know if I want the trouble to sell, box, and ship . I am also into collecting Zenith portable tube radios. I am starting to max out on them also. Next year I probably will at sell at the APS show which seems the best way to go. I need to thin the herd. Tom

[epigramophone]

I try to keep the total down to about 30, which is not as bad as it sounds because the majority of my machines are portables. I like the different colours and finishes on portables, and am hoping eventually to complete my collection of HMV102's. Needless to say it is the rare brown and grey versions that I am still looking for.

I still cannot resist machines which look down on their luck, are local and cheap. Once restored I usually pass them on to beginners looking for a reliable first gramophone, as I feel that buying a bad one might put them off the hobby for life.