The Talking Machine Forum — For All Antique Phonographs & Recordings

Common machine, needs cleaning and maybe refinishing. $100-$150 if the stylus is good (and you don't mind a small project), almost nothing if it's not.

I own an oak S-19 and think they are lovely machines. They are in the middle of the pack in terms of Edison value, so if an S-19 goes only in the vicinity of $150, what's an A-100 worth, for example? Or the cheap London models? Or the consoles? The S-19 is among the more compact and tasteful of the Edison machines. You won't go wrong buying it, condition of stylus or no.

BTW, mine is serial No. 88554, just a hundred or so behind this one.

Ralph

P.S. Note also discussion of S-19 in this on-line essay by Tim Gracyk:

http://www.gracyk.com/phonovalue.shtml

Check the condition of the glue at the joints and edges of the veneer...

I've seem my share of Edison ( and similar "Sheraton" cabinets ) that are loose at the glue joints, and the veneer loose at the edges.

Presumably these machines saw a damp environment, but I haven't run across this phenomenon with Victor cabinets.

On the plus side, my first Edison machine was an S-19 that I got at a fall antique fair in NE Pa in 1988 for $80. Hauled it home in the back seat of my '48 Chrysler New Yorker.

It had the above-mentioned loose joints and sick veneer, but it played well and had a pretty nice sound. In fact, I think the motor was quieter, and the sound better than what I'm getting out of my present C-250.

It was a "good runner", and I would buy another if a nice one came my way...

pughphonos wrote:I own an oak S-19 and think they are lovely machines. They are in the middle of the pack in terms of Edison value, so if an S-19 goes only in the vicinity of $150, what's an A-100 worth, for example? Or the cheap London models? Or the consoles?

The amount I quoted was what I thought was fair to pay a Craigslist seller for a common machine that needs a fair amount of work. In the last 2 years, I have bought both a C-150 and a C-19 for under $100, knowing that one machine needed a spring and the other would need major cabinet work. I have passed on several others that were under $100 on Craigslist including an A-100 that had been painted.

I would certainly expect to pay more than $100-$150 for a machine that was properly restored and/or sold by a full-time dealer, particularly one who had a store.

Thanks, 52089. Just wanted to get a sense of perspective. I know you were talking about challenged S-19s, specifically one requiring reproducer repair. It was just that, under those circumstances, you'd essentially only offer to "take it off the hands" of the current owner for virtually nothing. What, then, about models of lesser virtue? Logically those sellers would have to pay you, right?

I know the market for this stuff is determined by market and haggling--not relative values based upon the potentialities of the machines. Guess this is why I am not in business. Among ourselves we discuss how wonderful these machines are, and we devote so much of our lives to them--but if a "civilian" lists one of these machines on Craig's List or elsewhere, let the seller beware.

Look, all you hard-headed business/dealer types on here. You gotta love sentimentalists like me, because someday I'm going to buy from YOU at what I consider a "fair" price and you're going to make a 400% profit.

pughphonos wrote:Thanks, 52089. Just wanted to get a sense of perspective. I know you were talking about challenged S-19s, specifically one requiring reproducer repair. It was just that, under those circumstances, you'd essentially only offer to "take it off the hands" of the current owner for virtually nothing. What, then, about models of lesser virtue? Logically those sellers would have to pay you, right?

Well, not exactly, but when it goes from a "machine" to a "parts machine", then I personally don't pay much because the parts are so easy to get. In the last 2 years I have bought 3 complete works from Diamond Disc machines - that is, everything but the reproducer and cabinet - for $25-$35 each, only because the springs were good and could easily be swapped into a machine that needed a new spring. The typical bedplate, horn, turntable, etc. are of virtually no value to me. No one needs them because they don't break!

True. Well, glad you're bringing more machines back on-line. I'm just a particular fan of the S-19, is all; do think it's really a nice way to go. I've decided to allow myself only one console model, and that's currently a Victor Granada; if I replace it with another console, it would be another Victor orthophonic. So the Edison has to be an upright.

I don't go on much about orthophonics--as their virtues are so readily apparent. But in the pre-orthophonic world, Edison was managing to stay ahead of the pack (technoloigically, at least) with odd-ball approaches.

Thank you for your even-tempered reply.

The machine is either a C-250 or a C-19. It's hard to tell with the door closed. It is a common model, and the price is right for today's market.
Harvey Kravitz