The Talking Machine Forum — For All Antique Phonographs & Recordings

Here in Toronto things are pretty slim, in terms of finding machines in the wild. Records one does run across...I've found a surprising number of cylinders recently...but machines not so much. This surprises me since Toronto was home of the largest Edison jobber in Canada and both Brunswick and Columbia had Canadian branch plants here. A story I've heard that might explain the lack of Edison cylinder machines concerns a dealer here in the 50's 60' s and 70's who exported hundreds via Buffalo into the American market. But that doesn't explain why Victrolas are relatively uncommon. I've actually seen more Orthophonic machines than the pre-1925 range. The situation isn't any better in Montreal where the Berliner Company had a huge manufacturing plant. Years ago one did see a lot of " off brand" machines from the 1914-1920 era. It seems every piano manufacturer in Ontario...and there were dozens....took a flyer into the phonograph business for a year or two.
The last really old machine I saw in the wild was about a year ago: a Model D Standard in atrocious shape...rusty..no lid...no crank...no belt...no half nut ..,traditional frozen bushing....$ 400. And somebody bought it before I got back to dicker! If you look at Craiglist for Toronto you'll see what I mean: not much...not very interesting....and not cheap!

Jim

In Southern Italy is not so difficult find a gramophone in (rare) antique shops - mostly are off-brands items, and too high priced, in my opinion: meanly at 500 euros! I found some months ago a theoretically good object: an HMV 103 in fine external conditions, prized at 200 Euros - it was out of horn!!! Some years ago in the same shop was sold a Pathé (I don't remember which model was).

I've never seen a Victor or a Victrola model in my areas. However never seen, fortunately, crapophones for sale. My HMV 130 and Victor M were boughted on line.