The Talking Machine Forum — For All Antique Phonographs & Recordings

I know that there were Polly Portables and Brunswick Parisian machines and they both appear to be identical. Did Polly Portable make these for Brunswick? What was the market for these machines? How well did they sell? Were they intended to be a serious portable model like a VV 2-55 etc. ?

Don't forget the Guiniphone.

Retrograde wrote:Don't forget the Guiniphone.

Oh....that is right, I forgot. My bad.

I am also hoping to learn about the differences, if any, between them.

Obvious differences exist between the various oscillators (that's the horn), but there are differences in the construction of the cases. Some cases are made of wood while others are stamped steel. The black leatherette covering varied among models as well. The overall construction of the motor board, tone arm and needle chuck were basically the same.

That's may observations.

I don't know how well they sold or in what numbers, but they're not hard to find now.

The Guiniphone was a British made copy of the Polly Portable and was marketed by the Guinea Portable Gramophone company in the late 1920's. Most examples have a leathercloth covered wooden case, but some were made with all metal cases.

I don't know how well they sold, but their light weight would have made them easy to carry on summer picnics at a time when car ownership in Britain was still the preserve of an affluent minority.

Considering the fragility of their folding cardboard cones, their survival rate is remarkable.