The Talking Machine Forum — For All Antique Phonographs & Recordings

Had a friend (back in the 80's) who was into picking up old furniture at auctions for mere dollars and restoring it. He hit most auctions in the area and one Sunday he called and said I picked up a victrola for you - $80.

Went to pick up the machine and it was a Brooks Repeating Phonograph in deplorable condition. Most of the mechanism was in a cigar box and the cabinet in terrible shape.
In addition the tone arm base was in pieces (damn pot metal).

Played with this machine for at least a week. George V. had a tone arm base and a copy of the instructions on how to operate the machine. Needless to say I finally got it working properly and played it the other day after uncovering it in my over packed storage room where it has resided since the early 80's.

It sure helped having another set of eyes out there. Bill K.

That's a nice story and a surprise rediscovery.

I have a story too. Earlier this week, I paid a visit to a local antique shop. The following day he phoned me. A visitor at a nearby resort had called wanting to buy 78s. Not stocking any, he gave me the phone number. I followed-up and we met at my home. We have the same taste in music and the conversation was great. He looked over the discs I had to offer. We chatted more and played a few records. No money changed hands, and after 90 minutes it ended as a delightful chance encounter with a fellow collector.

James.

I find that the more people know of my collecting interests, the more items I am offered.

A friend who is a record collector rather than a machine man spotted a portable in a local secondhand shop for £20 with, he told me, "a funny soundbox". The soundbox turned out to be a pristine Meltrope III worth rather more than £20 on it's own.

I have restored the portable and fitted it with a soundbox more appropriate for a cheap and cheerful machine. It will soon be sold, but I will be keeping the Meltrope .

I've been on both sides of that kind of story. Lately I've been more of the "finder". Last year, I bought a nice cylinder cabinet filled with 140 cylinders, 30+ of which were religious, and didn't interest me (or most collectors) in the slightest. This past April at Wayne, I struck up a conversation with another random collector and asked what he was looking for. He told me he had just gotten into Edison and was now looking for hymns on cylinder to play at his church events, where he goes into detail about the history of each hymn. He bought all those religious cylinders from me immediately. Since then he has also bought 3 inexpensive machines, and is buying a fourth from me soon. At this point, I don't even tell him when I get new religious stuff, I just let it accumulate and give it to him for free whenever he comes by.

Another of my friends is a collector of antique radios, especially crystal sets, who put me on to a Victor packing crate. I bought the packing crate and have since sold it. When I first met the gentleman he said he had an Edison 1-B cabinet I could have. Unfortunately the motor, crank and reproducer were stolen years before while the machine was stashed in an outdoor shed..

I got it anyway and it has been residing in my shed. Still has all the hardware, wood which surrounds the motor plate, horn, motor prop, 1-B tag, and the top is in nice shape but the decal has bit the dust.

My heart skipped a beat when he called and said he had a 1-B. I've long since given up trying to find a 1-B motor etc.