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Yes, I'm the person who "stole" it! It'll cost me 3 times the hammer price to persuade a friendly Shiply courier to collect it under the strict auction house regime and then deliver it to me at my convenience.

Here's hoping I receive the complete machine.

Steve wrote: Thu Jan 16, 2025 2:30 pm Yes, I'm the person who "stole" it! It'll cost me 3 times the hammer price to persuade a friendly Shiply courier to collect it under the strict auction house regime and then deliver it to me at my convenience.

Here's hoping I receive the complete machine.

Well done, Steve! You got certainly something quite rare and obscure. Please enlighten us about its details - motor, soundbox etc - when you get it in your collection. And even adding shipment at three times the hammer price, it is still dirty cheap!

CarlosV wrote: Thu Jan 16, 2025 3:22 pm

Steve wrote: Thu Jan 16, 2025 2:30 pm Yes, I'm the person who "stole" it! It'll cost me 3 times the hammer price to persuade a friendly Shiply courier to collect it under the strict auction house regime and then deliver it to me at my convenience.

Here's hoping I receive the complete machine.

Well done, Steve! You got certainly something quite rare and obscure. Please enlighten us about its details - motor, soundbox etc - when you get it in your collection. And even adding shipment at three times the hammer price, it is still dirty cheap!

Thank you, Carlos. Yes, it is still cheap. I would have happily paid £300 for it. I still believe it could be one of THE first Pathé gramophones offered in the UK, until someone can prove otherwise.

Speaking of Pathé, are any of the advertising roosters ever found in Europe? I have two different versions standing on 10" record bases and Mike Lund has one on a 12" record base.

Curt A wrote: Thu Jan 16, 2025 3:52 pm Speaking of Pathé, are any of the advertising roosters ever found in Europe? I have two different versions standing on 10" record bases and Mike Lund has one on a 12" record base.

I have never seen one in Europe. I think they were only produced in the USA.

Curt A wrote: Thu Jan 16, 2025 3:52 pm Speaking of Pathé, are any of the advertising roosters ever found in Europe? I have two different versions standing on 10" record bases and Mike Lund has one on a 12" record base.

I don’t remember seeing one even in France but they might exist. Rene Rondeau might know. There is a rare stereoview of one with Edison which is well worth looking out for!

Congratulations on buying this unusual machine. At the moment the only example seen by the learned folks on here!

jamiegramo wrote: Thu Jan 16, 2025 4:12 pm

Curt A wrote: Thu Jan 16, 2025 3:52 pm Speaking of Pathé, are any of the advertising roosters ever found in Europe? I have two different versions standing on 10" record bases and Mike Lund has one on a 12" record base.

I don’t remember seeing one even in France but they might exist. Rene Rondeau might know. There is a rare stereoview of one with Edison which is well worth looking out for!

Hi Jamie,
I made that Edison stereo view as a joke... I also discovered the original NewYork sculptor who designed the roosters, but wondered if they only existed in the US...

From Curt A, with love... Curt... How'd you make TAE appear behind the chicken? Fine work!

I'm extremely grateful to Paul Baker, forum member, "Dulcetto", for providing a scan from Talking Machine News and The Soundwave which confirms this is a 1908 machine and called the "Rigoletto", available from £15. It was joined by two other more expensive cabinet models, the Tosca at £20 and the "Carmen" at £39, the latter two both in Chippendale style mahogany.

What is even more surprising is the same ad which confirms that Pathéphone models 2 - 14 were indeed available to the British market albeit with letter designations. This new information (to me) has given rise to a number of questions, for instance, if the Pathé 14 - an incredibly rare machine, even on the continent where only 2 or 3 are known to exist - was available here as the "O", have any survived?

Thank you again, Paul, I will try to add the scans here shortly.
Best,
Steve