The Talking Machine Forum — For All Antique Phonographs & Recordings

I recently found two machines at a flea market for a VERY reasonable price, which I couldn't pass up. The Victrola can only be described by using the standard eBay & Craigslist listing terminology. It is "a very rare - one of a kind machine", since someone at some time decided it would look better with genuine Confederate bills decoupaged to the top of the lid. At first, I wondered why someone would actually do this, but as time went on, the folk art look grew on me. I am attaching pics of both machines. The second one is an Edison DD C-19 in oak, which I thought was a little unusual. Anyway, have a look and let me know what you think...

Fortunately for posterity I do not think that those are genuine Confederate bills but replicas. Real Confederate bills aren't actually rare though- reams of them were saved as souvenirs. Same thing with Confederate government bonds- bales of unissued ones were discovered in the 1970's.

When do you think the bills were attached to the top? It is interesting. Jerry

Certainly worse "improvements" have been lavished upon poor Victrolas "what never hurt nobody"...

I say leave them there...


As for the oak C-19, I like it a lot.... Chippendale furniture in oak is a little unusual, but it looks nice... I think I prefer it to my mahogany C-250. In general, I think oak finishes ( at least "golden" ) tend to age better than "piano-finish" mahoganies that all wind-up alligatored...


Good hunting !

Jerry B - No idea when they were attached, although it does not appear that they were put there in the recent past. It would be fun to know who owned it and when they did this...

Estott - These are definitely genuine bills, since they are actually rare state issued bills, for example Florida. Also, one is a 500 dollar note. None are marked "facsimile" on the bottom, as fake ones are. This machine is from North Carolina, which also lends credence to their authenticity... You are right that the bills are typically common, at least in smaller denominations, but they are historically interesting...

Estott - your comment about bonds found in the 1970's, made me think about some worthless stock certificates that I have from my IRA... I think I will decoupage them to the top of one of my other machines, just to remind me that it was a better investment...

Well, strange indeed, but quite a conversation piece you now have. Kind of fun.

Clay

Decoupage was very big in the 1960s, I remember. This 8-12 looks like it's been completely refinished, except for the underside of the lid and turntable compartment.

Whoops, my mistake: 4-20 it is, not 8-12. Another

Putting Decoupage atop a Victrola reminds me of seeing massive tattoos on a FAT ugly woman. Did she really think they would help?

Not something I would do, but would definitely leave them if the bills are genuine, as someone suggested. Removing them would destroy them and I suspect they might be worth lots more than the Victor. If I were going to fiddle with it I'd just be on the hunt for a replacement lid, but really I would just leave it as is as a nifty conversation piece if I had it.

Clay