The Talking Machine Forum — For All Antique Phonographs & Recordings

Here's a rather handsome console on Ebay: http://cgi.ebay.com/ANTIQUE-GEORGE-P-BE ... 286.c0.m14

The thing I find interesting is that the hardware is identical to what is found in Silvertone machines. The Bent Co. may have made the cabinet, they were a large piano and organ company, the trade name was "CROWN"

It is a handsome machine indeed. I like how there are two grills and one has become a door for the record storage.

I wonder if the Bent Co. might have built some of the Silvertone cases for Sears.

Hrmm, I have no idea but you may be right... the Silvertone in this craigslist ad looks very similar to the eBay console... at least when talking about the tonearm and mechanics, they look almost identical.

http://raleigh.craigslist.org/atq/1283742465.html

(Generic) parts is (generic) parts.

Now, will someone please email the seller and politely tell them it is a post-1917 generophone, the parts are pot metal and gold-plated (not "brass"), and it ain't worth a nearly $500 starting bid! LOL!

John M

estott wrote:I wonder if the Bent Co. might have built some of the Silvertone cases for Sears.

It could also have been a situation where the company that produced Silvertone phonographs for Sears supplied some models to the Bent Co. for their showrooms. This would not have been unusual--other manufacturers did this. This would have spared Bent, which manufactured and sold pianos, from making the investment to tool up for something that may or may not catch on with the public. (Apparently, they didn't catch on, since this is the first model bearing their name I've seen in my 51+ years.)

As noted, the parts are generic. It would be interesting to locate some Sears catalogs--circa 1918-1924--to see if the same model appears under the Silvertone name.

BTW, to add to the confusion, there was another "Silvertone" produced by the Crescent Talking Machine Company, 89 Chamber Street, New York City, New York starting in February 1917. ( http://www.gracyk.com/makers.shtml) No relation to the Sears products, apparently.

I have a 1926 Sears catalog and the Geo Bent console case is much more elaborate than anything illustrated. BTW- the most expensive console listed is 98.00 and it is far outstripped in looks by their $125 "Majestic" upright- which must have been a good seller as I've seen quite a few examples.

estott wrote:I have a 1926 Sears catalog and the Geo Bent console case is much more elaborate than anything illustrated. BTW- the most expensive console listed is 98.00 and it is far outstripped in looks by their $125 "Majestic" upright- which must have been a good seller as I've seen quite a few examples.

I've seen a 1927 Sears catalog, and all of the Silvertone models were part of the new Tru-Phonic series. Are they listed in the 1926 catalog as well?

No, all the 1926 models are of the traditional sort.

estott wrote:No, all the 1926 models are of the traditional sort.

Interesting! So, they lagged behind about a year and a half, probably selling off their remaining cabinet stock.

I know that even once the Tru-Phonics hit the market, Sears was still selling mostly acoustically recorded records in their catalog.

An earlier post mentioned late-production acoustic cabinet models, and Wards had one based on old Brunswick technology. I spotted this Sears ad from 1935, which shows a single acoustic cabinet model:
Only wish the darn thing were bigger, but it looks to have a long saxophone style horn pointing backwards into a reflection chamber: