The Talking Machine Forum — For All Antique Phonographs & Recordings

Translation: Do you have the reproducer? No. Do you have the mica? No.

What are the odds of a seller having no reproducer but they happen to have
a spare mica laying around.

I think people just come up with these ridiculous $2,000 prices just from wishful thinking. It's big and it's really old and probably rare because you don't see them around much, so what the heck it might be worth $2,000 right? It's like a rule of thumb for dummies... if it's big and heavy, and old, and you don't see them much yourself, it is therefore probably very valuable and worth several thousand dollars. I collect pinball machines, and ignorant sellers do this same absurd pricing routine with them.

From a sellers stand point I just don't understand. I mean I would be just as concerned about screwing myself as seeming like an idiot asking for an outrageous price. Could you imagine if she asked 2k for an Auxetophone (or if he said no because it wouldn't crank up)? I just can't comprehend the concept of pulling a dollar amount out of the air, in total ignorance.

That was pretty pathetic. Where was his expert? I would rather ssee that on American Pickers. They would have put some drama in it for sure.

Jim

I too watched this episode. It was a shock to here the $2K thrown out but honestly Big Rick I am sure knows the value of common items such as this. And he seems to know when to bring in the real experts.

Pretty dang funny. You see people on craigslist and a couple on eBay asking ridiculous prices like that. It's always worth a chuckle.

I sometimes wonder if that show does odd things(puts totally wrong values on things, gives the wrong information about it) just to get the audience talking about it. Here's and example of how I can't believe they could be this clueless: On an episode last year they foolishly bought a hulk of an old coke machine(bullet holes, missing most of the front door) made by a company named Victor. The they sent it out to their "restoration" guy and at the end of the show it was revealed looking beautiful, except it was now a totally different machine manufactured by Jacobs! Were we lied to, or were they?