The Talking Machine Forum — For All Antique Phonographs & Recordings

Today, the Antique Phonograph Society received a request for information from a collector in Belgrade, Serbia. He attached the following pictures of his machine, marked "Edison-Bell Penkala Ltd. Zagreb." The model number appears to be "216."

The APS has (as far as I know) no information on this portable, so I offered to post it here in hopes that a kind collector from across the pond will share some information. Can anyone help?

Thanks in advance - -

George P.

Edison Bell Penkala Ltd was founded in 1908 as a joint venture between Edison Bell and the Croatian inventor Slavoljub Penkala (1871-1922). Penkala held some 80 patents, including developments of the fountain pen and the propelling pencil. His business interests included the Penkala-Moster pen and pencil factory in Zagreb. Once one of the largest such factories in the world, it still exists today.

Originally a pressing plant and gramophone factory, Edison Bell Penkala introduced it's own record label in 1924, but ceased trading in the early 1930's when it's UK parent company went into terminal decline.

epigramophone wrote:Edison Bell Penkala Ltd was founded in 1908

After my information Edison Bell Penkala, Ltd. was founded on October 15th, 1926 in Zagreb, Croatia. Management and factory (discs and gramophones) were located in 43, Branimir street, the recording studio, operating from 1927, was nearby in 7, Nicolice street.

Starkton wrote:

epigramophone wrote:Edison Bell Penkala Ltd was founded in 1908

After my information Edison Bell Penkala, Ltd. was founded on October 15th 1926 in Zagreb, Croatia. Management and factory (discs and gramophones) were located in 43, Branimir street, the recording studio, operating from 1927, was nearby in 7, Nicolice street.

By October 15th 1926 Slavoljub Penkala had been dead for over four years. He died on February 5th 1922 of pneumonia contracted whilst on a business trip.

epigramophone wrote: By October 15th 1926 Slavoljub Penkala had been dead for over four years. He died on February 5th 1922 of pneumonia contracted whilst on a business trip.

Yes, he was already deceased when his company merged with Edison Bell.

Edison Bell's Yugoslavian branch, the first factory of disc records in that country, was founded in 1924 in Zagreb. In 1926, Edison Bell merged with the Penkala-Moster pen and pencil company to become the Edison Bell Penkala, Ltd. on October 15th, 1926.

I see where you got your information from. If that was true, it should be easy to locate at least one original source earlier than 1926, isn't it?

The earliest source I could find, listing Edison Bell Penkala, Ltd., is the "Industrie-Compass Yugoslavien 1927/28", Zagreb 1927, pp. 225 + 566.

I just found this: http://mz.nsk.hr/zbirka78/en/sound-recording-croatia/

"The majority of gramophone records were recorded abroad (Vienna, Berlin, London, Prague) until 1924 when the owner of the Edison Bell company from London set up the company’s branch in Zagreb. First it was publishing licensed records, while in 1926, when it merged with the Zagreb pen-and-pencil factory Penkala into the stock company Edison Bell Penkala (EBP), it not only started recording and publishing its own records, but also manufacturing both records and gramophones."