Walnut Columbia

[Mr Grumpy]

Brought to you by the Dixie Lee Fried Chicken Company and Journey's End Motels,
A Walnut Columbia in Belleville Ontario
(with the nifty push-button lid release!)

http://www.kijiji.ca/v-art-collectibles ... nFlag=true

$_20.JPG (40.85 KiB) Viewed 1789 times

[De Soto Frank]

I have a similar Grafonola in mahogany.

I think this model is either the "Mignon" or the "Non-Pareil".


A nice machine, the Walnut is nicer yet.

[Phono-Phan]

I have this one in Walnut also. The graining and color is great. This might become available for the Union show. I just don't know what to ask for it.

[Mr Grumpy]

That's a gorgeous grain! You can't really see the beauty in the faded one but It must be under there.

I wonder how rare the push-button lid release is? Relatively common option?

[Phono-Phan]

I have never seen the push button lid release before. I wouldn't believe it was a dealer added option.

[Mr Grumpy]

My friend has an oak model that has the exact same release, that's the only way I recognized it.
It releases the lid latch so that the lid can close when it's in the upright position. You don't push the
button to open the lid.

I wonder if it's a Canadian thing?

[De Soto Frank]

I don't think it's particularly a Canadian feature, but then nothing seems to be definite in "Grafonola-Land"...


I have seen the push-button strut-release on a number of floor model and table-model Grafonolas that have traversed e-bay over the last few years.

They almost always seem to be on three and four-spring models, and usually with this lid design which has the vertical "skirt" at the bottom of the lid.

Here is such a lid from a mahogany "Favorite" or "50" table-model:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Columbia-Grafon ... 25a0596418

Just-added: and here's the PB hardware -

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Columbia-Grafon ... 234b944da4

It is a nifty little feature.

My Mignon / Non-Pareil came out of SW New Jersey, and aside from some veneer and finish issues (damned Mahogany ), and missing the reproducer and tone-arm, it is a good-running machine.

For as shabby as the exterior is, the interior finish is like new.

[Edisone]

560 mile round-trip from Buffalo, so beyond my means - but a nice looking Graf!