The Talking Machine Forum — For All Antique Phonographs & Recordings

Hi all

I thought I would share this with you.

Last week a very old machine advertised as an "open works" (I think) gramophone sold on a local
online website that I normally check quite regularly, but as I was busy I left it a day, and missed out.

The asking price was AUD$750, which I believe converts to approximately US$540, and therefore I
was hesitant. I have absolutely no idea of the value of these.

I'm guessing these machines would only appeal to certain collectors. At first I was very unsure if it was
genuine and scrambled to consult my Fabrizio & Paul collection, and I believe it to be an E R Johnson
Gramophone type D with a Toy Gramophone type horn?

Nevertheless, I thought you might be interested.

ade

Unless you are joking... you missed the bargain of the year - and next year...

I think you are safe. To many anomolies for me to think it is original. Base board way to narrow, wooden arm is not tapered, the horn rest comes straight out of the wooden arm, crank knob doesnt look right to me. Now if it is a european version that I am unfamiliar with, then you missed something. If it was a $500 reproduction machine, well it was probably worth it if you had to have one. IMO John

Thanks Curt & John for your comments.

It was real sale Curt, and part of the problem was trying to contact the seller as there is 3 hour time difference between
Perth and Sydney, with the machine being in Perth, plus I saw it the day after initially advertised, however…

I still have all the other machines to work on, and I'll treat it a bit like fishing, the one that got away...

If the opportunity arises, my aim is to offset my outlay from when I initially launched (blindly) into this a few years ago, and paid
way too much for a not insignificant number of machines, including a couple of C19s…

I don't want to get caught up in chasing the $, I just want some fun and satisfaction from this hobby..

And John, thanks, and I take on board your information. Having looked at the Fabrizio & Paul's "The Talking Machine",
p 96, illustration 3-56, it seems to me to be a close match except for a couple anomolies, so possibly it may have been
repaired. The timber base does look narrower than the one in the book, and the horn and horn mount are different, although
the timber arm seems to be similar. Also the metal plate that the reproducer attaches to on the timber arm looks different
from what I can make out…

Anyways, this is just one aspect of this incredible hobby…

Greetings of the Festive Season to one and all…

ade