The Talking Machine Forum — For All Antique Phonographs & Recordings

I watched the ebay auction with envy for the winner of the BRUNSWICK CORTEZ Panatrope. Quite an impressive looking machine. Having never seen one I was wondering if it is a rare find and did the winner get a great deal? http://www.ebay.com/itm/262392451760?_t ... EBIDX%3AIT

That's a lot less than I paid for mine, but the finish on mine is better and I have a spring motor. Is the spring generally preferred over the electric or vice versa?

They're slightly "rare" but do show up. They have a very nice sound. Different than an Orthophonic, but still very good. As to price, I've seen really nice ones from $350 - $1200. I guess now I've seen one for more than that. Obviously, the low end represents a real bargain.

bigshot wrote:That's a lot less than I paid for mine, but the finish on mine is better and I have a spring motor. Is the spring generally preferred over the electric or vice versa?

I prefer the spring motors. For me it's part of the fun of playing the machine.

JerryVan wrote:They're slightly "rare" but do show up. They have a very nice sound. Different than an Orthophonic, but still very good. As to price, I've seen really nice ones from $350 - $1200. I guess now I've seen one for more than that. Obviously, the low end represents a real bargain.

On the west coast they go for double your high end in really good condition- twice the price of a minty Credenza. So if you see one for $350 again buy it. No matter how much it costs to ship, you will make a good profit.

I'm glad to see that these big mid-20's orthophonic type machines are getting some respect again. I own all three, a Credenza, a Columbia 800, and a Cortez. Both my Credenza and Cortez have electric turntables. A nice Columbia Viva-Tonal 810 just sold on Ebay with some fast and furious bidding at the end for over $800!

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Columbia-810-Vi ... true&rt=nc

I wonder how many still exist?

That's a good question. Since both the Brunswick Cortez and Columbia Viva-Tonal 800/810 models only sold for a couple of years, 1926-27, and were much outsold by the Victrola competition, there can't be many left.