The Talking Machine Forum — For All Antique Phonographs & Recordings

How much do you think I should sell a fully rebuilt and refurbished Columbia AZ Graphophone Phonograph for?

It is in excellent condition the nickel plating is all intact with a nice shine as is the paint, decals and varnish on the case

fully rebuilt and refurbished

I'm not quite sure what rebuilt and refurbished means. Some good photos would be a great help. I'd like to see the decals and finish. Jerry Blais

Does your description mean the nickel, finish, and decals are all original?

Certainly cleaning and refurbishing the motor is a good thing, as is rebuilding the reproducer.

To put it another way, how much of the machine uses reproduction parts?

Bill

Non of the machine is reproduction all nickel plating is complete as is the horn and decals

Good to know that. Original finish, and no repro parts, are a great plus for any machine.

That said, there is no hard and fast guideline for pricing. Your best strategy is to search for similar machines (in similar condition) on eBay and other sites, and see what they sold for - not what the seller posted.

If you are going to sell it directly, you can base your price on this research. If you auction it off, you should set the starting price at a figure that will be attractive to buyers, and give them enough time to reach a maximum bid.

Remember: An item is worth whatever the buyer is willing to pay.

Bill

How can one decide when one has no photos ??

Howard Hazelcorn's Columbia cylinder phonograph book includes a price guide dated 2002. At that time, he gave the AZ an estimated value of $500-$700 with a note that he considered it to be somewhat undervalued in the market at that time.

Of course, since then the availability of eBay, Craigslist, etc., has brought a lot of machines out in the open and prices have softened. Common machines have become even more common, and machines previously thought to be scarce or even rare are showing up much more frequently. The above quoted price range must be adjusted accordingly as your machine is relatively common, rated R-2 (R-10 being the rarest) by Hazelcorn.