The Talking Machine Forum — For All Antique Phonographs & Recordings

This seller has a near complete edison amberola, a rare open bottom floor model - I can't recall the specific model name offhand. Despite that it looks mostly intact and in decent restorable condition, this seller is breaking it up and selling it piecemeal... Why???? I don't get it. Are the parts really worth more than the whole and is it just greed? Ugh.

A very decent mahogany Amberola III-B , S/N 304. He's trying to sell the horn in 2 pieces, the back door, the grilles, reproducer, motor assembly, and even going to remove the ID plate & sell it with the lid. Sad.

The seller claims that he is in an isolated area and it is easier to ship small parts.

I contacted him via eBAY. Politely suggested it would be worth more as a unit rather than disassembled and urged him to re-list it that way. Told him I'd bid on the complete machine but wouldn't bid on any of the pieces. I also asked for his phone number and provided him with mine.

he replied, "How much will you pay for all the parts?" No phone number provided.

Traded a few more mails, asked twice more if I couldn't speak to him by phone.

He replied he'd decided to piece it out.

As far as I can tell it's complete except for the speed control, auto stop and the knurled nut that holds the reproducer in place...

Really a shame.

these people only care about money, and dont give a blind eye to the history or rarity of the thing they are destroying, dont buy from them so as not to encourage them to destroy more history!!

Since he wants to ship only small pieces, what will the idiot do with the cabinet, burn it? People that irrational should not be allowed near large machinery or voting booths.

VintageTechnologies wrote:Since he wants to ship only small pieces, what will the idiot do with the cabinet, burn it? People that irrational should not be allowed near large machinery or voting booths.

He'll probably break it down and sell it let by leg

And such a low serial number, stamped into the wood on the cabinet and also of course on the ID Tag,... oh but he's selling the ID tag with the lid...

The serial no. on the works is 106 he told me. (they often don't match on the B series). The fact that the combination of numbers has been together for 100 years is sad.

I've tried emailing a couple of times too, sent my phone number as well. if the seller cannot be reasoned with, let alone reached directly (s/he probably just doesn't feel like getting involved in such a debate/discussion), then someone should just bid on every part being separately offered, astronomical bids that cannot be outbid. then if need be, just back out of the sale afterward... but then do the same each time the stuff is relisted until the machine is offered as a whole.

brianu wrote:someone should just bid on every part being separately offered, astronomical bids that cannot be outbid. then if need be, just back out of the sale afterward... but then do the same each time the stuff is relisted until the machine is offered as a whole.

Unfortunately there are consequences for doing this, which I imagine the seller would pursue.