The Talking Machine Forum — For All Antique Phonographs & Recordings

I don't have an electric machine but I'm starting to want one.

Advantage of spring wound: you can put the machine any place you want in the room

Advantage of electric: at 53 winding up a 4 spring Credenza is getting a bit painful.

I think it's interesting that there is so much difference in value between a Triumph and an Alva. At Union you would have your choice of nice Triumph for under $1000. If there's an Alva at Union, it will be over $10,000 and it's a big "if" that there will be one there. Edison chose to market his electric Triumph as a different model. Today that model is worth crazy money. With Victor the electric motor was an option like a special finish which was identified on the ID tag as "VE". I didn't realize that some collectors had a preference until I noticed that spring driven Credenzas were an easier sell than an electric Credenza. Is that because record collectors see the Credenza as a utilitarian device and a spring powered machine is safer around the house? Maybe a record collector could give his opinion. Today it seems that machine collectors assign no extra value to a VE machine. A VV-XVI outsold a VE-XVI about 22 to 1. (Victor Data Book- VV-XVI 197,000 and VE-XVI 9,000 both figures rounded off by me) Despite this huge difference, a VE seems to have no difference in value to the VV machine. The body of collectors determine current value. That's why a circassian machine is worth crazy money and an American walnut machine is worth a bit more than a standard finished machine.

Thanks Nipper, it's good to see you have my best interests at heart!

Happy collecting, Jerry

I'd definitely keep the electric version for all the reasons stated by others (who agree).

With that in your collection I can see little point in keeping another example, purely for the sake of the mechanical motor. You have a lot of mechanically motored machines after all, making the electric machine the 'special' it undoubtably is.

Our upstairs is uncluttered territory. Maybe I could put it upstairs! Is my best approach to just hope that DeeDee will not notice a XVI or is bribery my best approach? Jerry

LOL! When did you last take her on holiday?

Id go the bribery route. Deedee's bound to notice a tall beauty lurking upstairs

I bought her a Lladro figurine for Christmas. Maybe Christmas will come early for us this year!

Jerry B. wrote:Our upstairs is uncluttered territory. Maybe I could put it upstairs! Is my best approach to just hope that DeeDee will not notice a XVI or is bribery my best approach? Jerry

Definitely bribery! My wife notices if I move a vase or a lamp a couple of inches one way or the other. She'd CERTAINLY notice (and has noticed right away) when I've tried to slip another one in. Could mean a night on the couch...

I mentioned bribery to DeeDee and the words "diamonds" and "big" came out of her mouth. I think the upstairs will remain unclaimed territory. Jer

Jerry B. wrote:I mentioned bribery to DeeDee and the words "diamonds" and "big" came out of her mouth. I think the upstairs will remain unclaimed territory. Jer

So diamond styli from Expert pickups or some NOS from Edison would not do?