The Talking Machine Forum — For All Antique Phonographs & Recordings

I just bought this really nice garage kept oak Silvertone upright on EBay because it was from a local seller only 55 minutes from my house. It is in near perfect condition and plays very well yet it is missing the ID or model number / serial plate. Can anyone ID this model, the year, etc?

I've never seen a Silvertone machine with a plate giving a model- they just have a plate or decal reading SILVERTONE. The ones with an attachment to play vertical cut discs are a bit earlier than the ones without.

It looks like a very nice clean machine. Thanks for sharing. Jerry B.

Some have about a 3" nickel-plated medallion that looks much like the early single-sided orange-label
/white text Silvertone record labels only molded in bas relief.

This machine looks pretty plain-Jane but it is quite interesting that is has (see my two photographs) that is has a push-pull knob attached to a cable (right rear upper on the outside) that seems to send the sound to a nickel device located just to the right and just behind the tonearm. It looks like a rubber connector can be attached to this device and the machine can play through an externally mounted horn of some type (?-maybe I'm just guessing) I wonder if this machine was made or modified for school house use? It is a very unusually short standing but heavy machine being only 41" tall at the highest point. It also has a double spring motor and a locking lid. The oak is very beautiful except for a couple of loose veneer spots inside the record storage doors. Does anyone know what this device actually is????

You've got it a bit wrong. The knob on the right rear is the volume control- it operates a slide in the horn throat.

The device inside is the adapter to play vertical cut records. You take off the reproducer, insert it, then put the reproducer back on. There are little holes in the plate where you stored the jeweled ball and point fore Edison and Pathé discs. I'd say your machine is late 'teens- by the 20's they were leaving off the vertical cut adapter.

THANKS estott, I could not figure that out, I appreciate your response! This is my first Silvertone upright that looks like a bady's phonograph next to my other uprights

estott wrote:The knob on the right rear is the volume control- it operates a slide in the horn throat.

Aeolian Vocalion machines over here in the UK had a similar arrangement called a Graduola device.

I wonder why Silvertone built this model machine so short? Maybe for a childs room possibly? Can we all post some additional photos of other Silvertone models on this thread as I find this particular machine very well made and would like to see other collector's Silvertone models pictured here? (if there is an interest in these Sears machines)

briankeith wrote:I wonder why Silvertone built this model machine so short? Maybe for a childs room possibly?

Since it looks rather plain. I would think it's size is just based on being a lower end model offered by Sears. You may want to check out old catalogs to find it.