The Talking Machine Forum — For All Antique Phonographs & Recordings

eBay Item #251384092896

starts at $22,750.00

This same machine was offered for sale about 8 or 10 years ago at an auction in Germany. I'm sure it's all legit and I'd love to have it but… probably not in the cards.

I know these are pretty rare and desirable, but do they really bring that kind of money?

Clay

When that one sold at auction in Europe it went for just over $30k. An even nicer one with the 11 panel sold for just over $40k a couple years later. I've seen at least one nice machine, no horn or crane that sold at Union for over$20. Based on that the starting price does not seem unreasonable but the market has softened a bit as we all know. For something this nice, this rare it's just hard to say.

The Idealia phonographs do fetch high prices when sellers and buyers know the significance of that model. However, they can surface "out of nowhere". A old guy called me up in 1986 by referral, asking if I would repair his Edison phonograph. I asked, "what have you got?", and he didn't know; an old geezer friend had sold it to him for $100.00, but it did not run well. He brought it over and I dropped my teeth, an Idealia! I asked if he had any interest in selling it, but no, a local fledgling phonograph/record dealer (who would be embarrassed by this story and shall remain nameless) had already offered him $500.00 but this guy refused and kept searching for a repairman until he found me. I explained the significance of what he had, but even I did not foresee the prices these machines would come to sell for now. At the time I figured its value was equivalent or a bit higher than an Opera. Needless to say, I fixed the problem (governor) and relished the opportunity to fix a glorified Triumph in an Opera cabinet.

This is a nice rare machine. The only negative issue is the Opera lid. Opera lids come by every so often. To find an original Idealia lid, will be next to impossible. I don't know if there are reproduction Idealia lids available. They would have to be custom made.
Harvey Kravitz