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CDBPDX wrote:[Any idea what the final bid was on this auction?

The lot was passed, but the auction estimate in 2014 was 1500 - 2500 euros.

Here's the auction description...

A rare and early dictating machine in a wooden case, a so-called "Parlograph" Case: metal table top unit, chest shaped and lidded, electric motor, mechanical recording and reproducing device, extensive accessories: several wax cylinders, mouth piece, tube, headphones. The "Parlograph" The Parlograph was an early dictating machine developed by Swedish engineer and manufacturer Carl Lindström in Berlin. Lindström's device, which he started producing in 1913, was based on Thomas Alva Edison's Phonograph. Advertisements presented the machine as a replacement for shorthand. The Parlograph had a wax cylinder and a mouth piece for mechanical recording and reproduction. The cylinder was powered by 110 V electrical current. The machine was sold in various European countries from 1913 on but production was disrupted by World War I. From1916 on the Parlograph was also offered by the American Parlograph Corporation. The author Franz Kafka immortalized the Parlograph as a bizarre instrument of torture in his short story "In der Strafkolonie" (In the Penal Colony, 1914). In a 1913 letter to his girlfriend Felice Bauer Kafka jokingly wrote: "Isn't it a funny thought that a Parlograph in Berlin and a Phonograph in Prague are talking and having a little conversation over the telephone..." Source: http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parlograph, as of 02/11/2014 Excelsior - Excelsiorwerke Cöln-Nippes (EWC) EWC were possibly the largest cylinder phonograph manufacturer in Germany. They were based in Cologne. EWC produced phonographs not only under their own name, but also manufactured for other companies, such as UK Lambert. Source: http://www.noedison.com/ewc.shtml, as of 11/02/2014 Cond.: Case: good, slightly worn. Movm.: good, to be restored, capable of running.

James.

Roaring20s wrote:

CDBPDX wrote:[Any idea what the final bid was on this auction?

The lot was passed, but the auction estimate in 2014 was 1500 - 2500 euros.

Here's the auction description...

A rare and early dictating machine in a wooden case, a so-called "Parlograph" Case: metal table top unit, chest shaped and lidded, electric motor, mechanical recording and reproducing device, extensive accessories: several wax cylinders, mouth piece, tube, headphones. The "Parlograph" The Parlograph was an early dictating machine developed by Swedish engineer and manufacturer Carl Lindström in Berlin. Lindström's device, which he started producing in 1913, was based on Thomas Alva Edison's Phonograph. Advertisements presented the machine as a replacement for shorthand. The Parlograph had a wax cylinder and a mouth piece for mechanical recording and reproduction. The cylinder was powered by 110 V electrical current. The machine was sold in various European countries from 1913 on but production was disrupted by World War I. From1916 on the Parlograph was also offered by the American Parlograph Corporation. The author Franz Kafka immortalized the Parlograph as a bizarre instrument of torture in his short story "In der Strafkolonie" (In the Penal Colony, 1914). In a 1913 letter to his girlfriend Felice Bauer Kafka jokingly wrote: "Isn't it a funny thought that a Parlograph in Berlin and a Phonograph in Prague are talking and having a little conversation over the telephone..." Source: http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parlograph, as of 02/11/2014 Excelsior - Excelsiorwerke Cöln-Nippes (EWC) EWC were possibly the largest cylinder phonograph manufacturer in Germany. They were based in Cologne. EWC produced phonographs not only under their own name, but also manufactured for other companies, such as UK Lambert. Source: http://www.noedison.com/ewc.shtml, as of 11/02/2014 Cond.: Case: good, slightly worn. Movm.: good, to be restored, capable of running.

James.

Thanks!
The description sounds like a totally different machine. The motor is spring powered, not 110 V electric. The cabinet is wood, not metal. I don't think it was a Parlograph, either.

CDBPDX wrote:The description sounds like a totally different machine. The motor is spring powered, not 110 V electric. The cabinet is wood, not metal. I don't think it was a Parlograph, either.

I agree, there is a disconnect between the unit and the supplied description. Other images on the internet show a metal cases. On the bright side, this is one of two machines on the internet, EWC/Lindström is the likely manufacturer (per applied plate on auction machine). Possibly an early version of the Parlograph? I did not find the advertisements the auction text mentioned. You now have some information to conduct more google searches.

Good luck,
James

PS: Add your video link to this post,too.

Roaring20s wrote:
PS: Add your video link to this post,too.

Be careful what you wish for...
https://youtu.be/iae64se_28Q

Officially, this is an EXCELSIOR DIKTIER-APPARAT (Dictation Apparatus)

The case very nearly fooled me - try and find a picture of the "Edison Business Phonograph" - introduced 1908, and succeeded by the Ediphone (1918 ?). Even the upper works are similar, though of course the reproducer and recorder are quite different ( Columbia-esque ).

It is an Excelsior manufactured dictation Machine from about 1911/1912. It is missing the makers brass plaque that would have been attached on the base plate. You can see the screw holes, one just to the left of the E and the other by the Start/stop lever.