The Talking Machine Forum — For All Antique Phonographs & Recordings

tictalk wrote:While buying a machine you really want is rewarding , sometimes the story of events leading up to that purchase are equally fun. The story of acquiring My favorite machine was a total fluke. About 20 years ago I had just returned home from visiting the magical kingdom of Jasper San Flippo , I had seen many wonderous machines I had never seen before. Later that week I was talking on the phone to a music box collector/ dealer who I might communicate with once or twice a year, at the end of his call, I just light heartedly mentioned, if you ever hear of this certain machine for sale to let me know. Not really expecting any positive response, much to my surprise he said he had just received a call a couple of hours earlier from a collector whom he had brokered said machine for several years ago and he was going to sell it. Well I had no idea what one was worth, I had only ever seen the one at Jaspers. Anyway I nervously committed on the spot to buy the machine sight unseen, for his clients,( whom I did not know) asking price.I immediately sent him a cashiers check and drove 16 hours a couple of weeks later to pick it up. Later I found out if I would have delayed but a few hours I would have missed the sale. If I could only keep one machine this would be it.

Well, this sort of machine is truly a "once in a lifetime" find...

Nearly all others are "common" by comparison...

Well I guess that's why I'm a phonograph collector because there's no way I could pick just one. If it's still in my collection than it's a favorite, otherwise it would have been gone. As of right know I can only think of one reason why I would have one phonograph. That's if the collection was being liquidated and than when there was just one left I guess it would be my favorite since it's the only one I would have.

Best Regards, Larry

It is certainly not the one that is used the most, but I would call it a favorite.
James.

My favorite - if I had it - would be the Victrola from my grandfather's summer house in Vermont. I think it was just a common mahogany XI, but it was, at almost age 6, the first time I had ever seen or heard a Victrola. I was fascinated and permanently hooked. Unfortunately, due to family squabbles, I do not have it, nor do I know if it still survives.

Of my current machines, I have 3 favorites.

The first machine I ever owned was an Edison long case Model A home, purchased in 1976 from Dennis and Patti Valente's Antique Phonograph Store in Floral Park, NY. I quite literally emptied out my small savings account to buy it. It was sold to me stripped of its finish, but mechanically complete, with an original Model C reproducer and reproduction witch's hat horn. Dennis later gave me a complete shaver for it as a gift. To this day I still have not refinished it and I probably never will.

The first machine I ever did any significant work on was my Edison C-150 (Sheraton) Diamond Disk. Although it's a very common machine, I have a soft spot for it, simply knowing I helped bring it back to life and made it look and work almost as good as new.

The machine that I think would be the last I would give up would be my Amberola 1A. I bought it from a board member who was kind enough to deliver it to Wayne at no charge. It is by far the most significant phonograph in my small collection. It came with a Diamond A reproducer and I subsequently bought an M reproducer as well, so now I can play virtually any standard cylinder on it (other than brown wax of course).

The 1A and the C-150 can be seen in videos on my Youtube channel "TheseGoTo80".

My favorite must be the VV 500 Chippendale that I begged, borrowed, and worked for when I was sixteen. Though the junque shop
had stratospherically tagged it at $125, I knew that somehow this ridiculously ornate shellac spinner would be mine. Made in 1920, it was only 46 at the time.
It made a few moves with the family and my mom restrained herself from throwing it out for twenty years or so in my absence-so I still have it!
While it's my favorite machine, it is not the most used. Unlike many of us, I like to play the records and my little sharpened thorns most often frequent a sundry 8-30X.

I would have to go with my Gold Plated Gram-O-Phone which date right around 1900 possibly a little earlier. This machine has a celluloid tag with its attribution to Berliner Gramophone Company, in Philadelphia Pa.. If you look at Tim & George's reference book titled Discovering Antique Phonographs, this would be the what I refer to as the centerfold on pages 62 & 63. The two page spread gives a little background on the litigation between Frank Seaman and Emle Berliner and show a closeup picture of both the machine and the celluloid tag. All the hardware on the machine had been gold plated with the exception of the horn. I have not touched the machine and have never tried to play a record on it even though the spring appears to be in tac and the turntable spins...LOL, in fact it sits on the top of a hutch cabinet out of the reach of little hand... LOL.

fmblizz wrote:I would have to go with my Gold Plated Gram-O-Phone which date right around 1900 possibly a little earlier. This machine has a celluloid tag with its attribution to Berliner Gramophone Company, in Philadelphia Pa.. If you look at Tim & George's reference book titled Discovering Antique Phonographs, this would be the what I refer to as the centerfold on pages 62 & 63. The two page spread gives a little background on the litigation between Frank Seaman and Emle Berliner and show a closeup picture of both the machine and the celluloid tag. All the hardware on the machine had been gold plated with the exception of the horn. I have not touched the machine and have never tried to play a record on it even though the spring appears to be in tac and the turntable spins...LOL, in fact it sits on the top of a hutch cabinet out of the reach of little hand... LOL.

I'm just curious.....why is the reproducer on backwards...??. Is how this model is supposed to be...?.

your absolutely right. The elbow and horn support got flipped around during the photo shoot. not sure if it would make a difference.

good pickup... changing the pic right now

it's a tough getting old LOL

like I said,,, it's not a player...
blizz

This thread is titled, " Your favorite machine from your entire collection?"

In spite of the very clear title of the thread, very few of the contributors were able to stick to the rules and just mention one machine!

In spite of the very clear title of the thread, very few of the contributors were able to stick to the rules and just mention one machine!

LOL! That's precisely why I haven't nominated a personal favourite yet: it's impossible! On any given day I can see merits in most of my machines, although there are exceptions (the Phonocone!), and depending on the mood my "favourite" can change from hour to hour!

It would be far easier for me to choose my top ten.

Maybe I should try the voting system of choice to arrive at that short-list.