The Talking Machine Forum — For All Antique Phonographs & Recordings

I bought a late 102 portable three years ago that despite having a near mint interior with 5B soundbox sounded decidedly muffled. On removing the tone arm I was exited to discover a tightly stuffed package..... which upon careful unwrapping disappointingly turned out to be a 1950's "Lavatory" towel.

bikesteve wrote: Wed Feb 03, 2021 5:03 am I bought a late 102 portable three years ago that despite having a near mint interior with 5B soundbox sounded decidedly muffled. On removing the tone arm I was exited to discover a tightly stuffed package..... which upon careful unwrapping disappointingly turned out to be a 1950's "Lavatory" towel.

They probably ran out of socks to put in the horn

Found in a 1929 Victor RE-45--


Owner's manual which is nice because the controls are unmarked
Kakti needle packet (empty)
1920s-1930s business card for a camera shop--it's a photograph
Literature from Peter Grey, Inc., makers of Kakti needle, two different flyers printed on very delicate tissue papers
Blue raffle ticket or something.

Not shown: two manila tags with presumably the original owner's name (Gerard Brodecki.)

And many, many needles, none of them any good.

These were nice things to find but I would have loved to find the original power cord, which it does not have--not that it matters because it does not actually run.

I removed the tonearm of a Victor II and small brown pellets began to drop onto the carpet. The pellets were mixed with seeds, so I suspect that it may have been rat poison. So it looked like someone packed the tonearm with rat poison for some strange reason. My cats were sitting nearby, so I frantically vacuumed it all up, went outside and cleaned out the tonearm. The experience freaked me out so badly that I sold the machine at a loss.

MikeB wrote: Wed Feb 03, 2021 9:55 am I removed the tonearm of a Victor II and small brown pellets began to drop onto the carpet. The pellets were mixed with seeds, so I suspect that it may have been rat poison. So it looked like someone packed the tonearm with rat poison for some strange reason. My cats were sitting nearby, so I frantically vacuumed it all up, went outside and cleaned out the tonearm. The experience freaked me out so badly that I sold the machine at a loss.

Disgusting! but I have every idea that wasn't exactly rat poison, but rather something else. Rats & mice like using radios, clocks, and talking-machines as a combination pantry & W.C.

Two notable finds are a love poem written from a guy to his wife, and a W2 tax form!

Maybe I should stop searching for Excelda and start buying bigger machines in order to increase the chances of finding a treasure.

This is the underside of a small orthophonic horn, the area you'd never usually see---unless you're taking the entire machine apart. I can't really see VTM Co letting this one slip out the door like this, given their rigorous inspections, and it could be the handiwork of a later phono or radio technician (horn goes to a VE7-25). I'm wondering who the artwork is supposed to represent? Maybe the artist found more success as a cartoonist later on?

Looks a little like Andy Gump.

To me, he looks a bit more like Mutt, of Mutt and Jeff, with a less hair.
Gump is good too.

James.