Do you still have your first phonograph?

[Inigo]

I still have it, ready for renovation of the outer covering, and possibly the case, yet procrastinating the issue.... It's an assembled portable branded Diana (possibly of Italian origin) made of Thorens hardware. The horn is a bad copy of HMV101's, but not very well made, as the dimensions aren't exact, so the sound is a bit shrill, not as deep and good as the 101. The tonearm was also a rigid one, very simple Thorens model, with only a bearing at the base, which lets a big air escape. I've acquired a better unit, also Thorens or Paillard, similar to the HMV101's to be installed there instead.
The alignment was horrible, so I expect to improve it with the new tonearm and slight change of dimensions of the motorboard...?

[LimeTree99]

My first phonograph was an Edison Standard model B with the banner decal. It's still in my collection. Got it at an antique store back in December 2022.
Only change that's been made to is is a new reproduction decal, since the original was mostly flaked off.

[howardpgh]

I still have mine. I got it for a BarMitzvah/Birthday gift in 1968. Its a Victrola #16 in Mahogany and full of records in books. The date on the form glued to the back is 1913. It was 55 years old when I got it, I have it for 57 years now.

[randymullx]

A Pathéphone Model 100 was my first antique phonograph purchase. I bought it at an auction in Bartow County, GA when I was about 10 years old. We were visiting my grandmother and she sometimes attended a local auction on Friday nights, mostly for entertainment as she seldom bid on any of the items. My Mom and I went along for the fun. I had $5 that I had earned so I asked if I could bid on the old phonograph. Mom agreed as I’m sure she didn’t think I would be the high bidder. I bid my entire fortune, not knowing that old broken wind-up phonographs were not real popular at that time and much to everyone’s surprise, I was the high bidder and purchased it for $5. The mainspring was broken but we could get it to kinda play by spinning the platter by hand as we played around with it as kids. The phonograph was a fixture in Mom’s living room for over 55 years. While I intended to restore it at some point, I left it a Mom’s for several years after I began to collect antique phonographs just because that is where it had been for so many years but I finally brought it home with me in September, 2020 and began working on it. Based on the tonearm with separate vertical and horizontal reproducters, it was likely manufactured in 1917 before they started supplying the "universal" tonearm which I understand began in 1918. The grill was missing and I was never able to find one so I did my best to create a replacement that looked like the original.

[outune]

I bought my first phonograph in September of 1976 at an antique shop in Arlington, VA.... a very nice HMV 130 with a 5B reproducer that played beautifully- Loud and clear-

I SOLD that machine at the last Wayne, NJ show parking lot sale on April 26th-- just about 6 weeks ago. I had owned it for over 48 ½ years!
It went to a young collector named Sam. Sam is very knowledgeable and represents an enthusiastic group of young, new collectors. He was thrilled to get the machine and played it in the back of his car almost non-stop throughout the morning

I was thrilled that my first phonograph had found a new home with a great young man!

Brad Abell

[An Balores]

My parents bought me a very good condition HMV 102 for Christmas when I was 12 (paid £1 for it in a jumble sale!) I still have it 54 years later and it still looks/plays really good.

[Sonicfeather]

My very first machine was an early 20's Plaza PAL Portable (the model eludes me) but it was similar to the second version of Victor's VV-50 with an S tonearrm that was convertible to play hill and dales with a stylus. That's the first one I bought for myself when the collector bug bit me in 2005, and I no longer have it. I would love to find another, I remember it being a dependable and pretty loud little machine for it's time. I do have a few pics to remember it by.

Ken

[edisonclassm]

The first wind up phonograph was given to me by a customer on my paper route when I was 11 years old. It was a barn dirty, beat to hell Victrola VV-XI that someone had taken a shotgun to and nearly blown off one of the legs. Someone had retrofitted another incorrect victor motor to it no doubt the original having broken in some way. The incorrect one that was in it had a broken spring that I was able to repair. (My first phonograph repair) There was one record on the turntable that came with it and I still have that record. Worn out and played to death with a bad needle dig in it. It somehow came up in conversation at one of the phonograph meets a few years ago and I mentioned I would love to find a decent copy of this obscure record. Shortly afterwards I received in the mail an exceptionally clean copy of it thanks to Shawn O'Rourke who was present in the conversation and was able to find one on eBay. Thanks again Shawn! Years ago when I got this victrola, it was the only 78rpm record that I owned so I played it over and over. It's not a great title but I've come to like the tune having played it so much in the past. I no longer have the Victrola but I still have the record and a nice playable copy thanks to a kind and generous fellow collector!