Devineau Biophone video

[TinfoilPhono]

George is absolutely correct. Knowledge is power. And there is an unbelievable wealth of knowledge to be found in the many books he co-authored with Tim Fabrizio.

But he is also being modest. He really deserves the credit for identifying the Biophone attachment when it was first uncovered. He found the information buried in tiny ads and articles in ancient microfilmed volumes of Talking Machine World. It was thanks to his research, and its appearance in one of his books, that I did know exactly what the Biophone was when I had the very good fortune of being offered the attachment (complete with phonograph) by the collector who first found it among a pile of parts. But dumb luck did play a role: I was incredibly fortunate to be in the right place at the right time when it was offered for sale.

I did add to the known body of information by continuing research on Louis Devineau with the help of the Cleveland library. There's a lot to the story, including the "Ideal" horn -- but I'll leave that to George to discuss. However there are still some mysteries yet to be resolved. Devineau is alleged to have embezzled $12,000 from the Cleveland city treasury while he was employed as a clerk. He apparently evaded prosecution by fleeing the country in 1912, never to be heard from again. But whether or not Devineau funded his many inventions (he held six patents) with stolen money, or perhaps lost so much money in his personal ventures that he resorted to thievery to remain solvent, may never be known.

[phonogfp]

You're very kind, Rene, but out of those 80-odd books on my shelf, only 8 have my name on them. I rely on the research of others - like your book on Tinfoil Phonographs - to educate myself. And you're the one who invested in that particular book, read it, and fortunately was ready when opportunity knocked. I was 3000 miles away - - the credit for being educated goes to you. You can lead a horse to water...

George P.

[Brad]

Don't you just feel the love??

[TinfoilPhono]

GROUP HUG!

But seriously, research is one of the things that makes this hobby so great. There's a huge wealth of knowledge out there but the last word has certainly not been written. There's ever so much more still left to uncover, and (as we've all seen with eBay) a lot of great machines still hiding in attics and basements. I seriously thought that in the 1980s all the great discoveries had been made, that every attic had been pillaged. Thank goodness the thrill of the hunt is still very much alive.

[JohnM]

As one who has been around long enough to remember when the number of books and newsletters about phonographs could be counted upon one hand, and the books out-of-print and scarce as hen's teeth at that, I greatly appreciate the amount of good, solid, well-presented information that today's collector has at his/her disposal. I don't take my research library for granted!

I recently purchased a genuine, marked Tiffany lampshade for considerably less than the $40K-$80K it will eventually bring when I sell it. I found it in a consignment store. I recognized it as genuine because since the late 1970's I have owned a number of books on Tiffany and Tiffany lampshades including 'The Lamps of Tiffany' by Dr. Egon Neustadt which I paid $400 for when it was out-of-print. I have also visited numerous museums and private collections and auctions so that I am familiar with the construction of them and their appearance and how they are marked. This is actually the second Tiffany glass mosaic shade I have found in the wild. I also purchased one at a garage sale in Arcadia, California for $5 that was flipped upside-down and used as a flowerpot for geraniums. I spotted that one all the way acrossed a deep yard, leaning against a wall partially obscured by the geraniums. I'm saying all this to back up what others here have already said: "Chance favors the prepared mind".

I have four rules for finding stuff:
1. Know what you're looking at -- educate yourself!
2. Be there first -- get up early, advertise, work it.
3. Be prepared to buy -- some people have fish-hooks in their pockets and just won't commit the $$$ even if they have the $$$.
4. Be lucky.

So, there are three things on that list that one can do to greatly increase their chances of finding good stuff.

[Valecnik]

Rene,

Thanks for posting. It's a very interesting video, even if the functionality of the contraption is clearly marginal. I really wouldn't be surprised if only dozens sold originally and that most were returned immediately or quickly thrown away.

[phonogfp]

I recently purchased a genuine, marked Tiffany lampshade for considerably less than the $40K-$80K it will eventually bring when I sell it. I found it in a consignment store. I recognized it as genuine because since the late 1970's I have owned a number of books on Tiffany and Tiffany lampshades including 'The Lamps of Tiffany' by Dr. Egon Neustadt which I paid $400 for when it was out-of-print.

Holy smokes - - a Tiffany lampshade in a consignment store? And another one full of potting soil and geraniums? I'd say your $400 investment paid off pretty well! Testify brother! Can I get a witness?!

George P.

[SonnyPhono]

Amen! I have seen pictures of John's recent acquisition and let me say...it is beautiful! An amazing shade for sure!!

[JohnM]

I recently purchased a genuine, marked Tiffany lampshade for considerably less than the $40K-$80K it will eventually bring when I sell it. I found it in a consignment store. I recognized it as genuine because since the late 1970's I have owned a number of books on Tiffany and Tiffany lampshades including 'The Lamps of Tiffany' by Dr. Egon Neustadt which I paid $400 for when it was out-of-print.

Holy smokes - - a Tiffany lampshade in a consignment store? And another one full of potting soil and geraniums? I'd say your $400 investment paid off pretty well! Testify brother! Can I get a witness?!

George P.

Another favorite saying of mine: "Gold is where you find it!"

[JohnM]

I recently purchased a genuine, marked Tiffany lampshade for considerably less than the $40K-$80K it will eventually bring when I sell it. I found it in a consignment store. I recognized it as genuine because since the late 1970's I have owned a number of books on Tiffany and Tiffany lampshades including 'The Lamps of Tiffany' by Dr. Egon Neustadt which I paid $400 for when it was out-of-print.

Holy smokes - - a Tiffany lampshade in a consignment store? And another one full of potting soil and geraniums? I'd say your $400 investment paid off pretty well! Testify brother! Can I get a witness?!

George P.

Another favorite saying of mine: "Gold is where you find it!"