Columbia Reginaphone. $14,0000

[EarlH]

I found part of one of these in a dump out in California 30+ years ago. I didn't know what it was for a long time after I gave it away. The turntable was stuck on the shaft, and I couldn't get it off, but I did wonder why it was so heavy.

I have no interest in this thing, but they are kind of curious. It does make me wonder what all they did to it when an electric motor was installed. I think that would be kind of a difficult conversion, but who knows. They think it's a simple fix but I would sure be suspicious of that as well...

https://maine.craigslist.org/atd/5902153598.html

Original 1910 receipts from the Columbia Phonograph Co., 174 Tremont Street, Boston, and seven discs included. This piece was converted to electric from crank circa 1920's and no longer offers the combination phonograph turntable option but can be easily converted back to crank with 78 rpm turntable and stylus option for less than $100. On the other hand, discs will play without cranking or slowing down for as long as you like. In good working order and extremely rare. Last seen offered and sold at Solvang Antiques of California for $22,450.00.

[De Soto Frank]

$14k ? Where is the Grafonola part of the outfit ?

[brianu]

I don't think a single antique store price is the best means of determining a fair market value, especially when that same store is asking as much as 1125 and 1225 for common victor uprights (appear to be XIs) in mahogany and oak, respectively.

[FloridaClay]

Even apart from wondering what kind of damage might have been done in the electric motor conversion, I am somewhat suspicious of this. These handsome cabinets were used both for Graphonola phonographs and for Reginaphones. If it started life as a Reginaphone, that name should appear inside the lid, not Graphonola.

The Columbia Phonograph Companion, Vol. II, does mention that this model was available with a music box attachment, or as a music box alone, but I just don't know whether the music box equipped variants were sold bearing the Graphonola name or just with Regina or Reginaphone inside the lid.

It does look like the record spindle and the opening for the tone arm to fit into are present.

Clay

[EarlH]

My Dad came up with the regular phonograph version of one of these when I was about 12. He called a guy that kind of messed with those thing back 50 years ago and when Dad described it to Bud, I think Bud was out in front of the house almost before Dad had the phone back on the hook! Both Bud & his wife came into the house and after Bud lifted up the turntable, he was no longer interested in it. I didn't know what that was all about for another 15 years or so, and then I saw one with a music box disk on it. Dad and I bought had a good laugh over that one. We didn't keep it for very long as we both thought it was kind of ugly.

The pictures on the craigslist ad itself shows some pictures of it a little better around the turntable area and that doesn't look altered. Plus, I don't remember the storage area on the one Dad had being set up like it is with the one on craigslist. The musical box people will know. The motorboard that I found in the dump also had a brass ID tag on it that said Reginaphone on it. I wonder if that one has a metal ID tag on it? I honestly know very little about Columbia machines. They always seemed to be problematic to me with the pot metal tone arms and all.

[FloridaClay]

My Dad came up with the regular phonograph version of one of these when I was about 12. He called a guy that kind of messed with those thing back 50 years ago and when Dad described it to Bud, I think Bud was out in front of the house almost before Dad had the phone back on the hook! Both Bud & his wife came into the house and after Bud lifted up the turntable, he was no longer interested in it. I didn't know what that was all about for another 15 years or so, and then I saw one with a music box disk on it. Dad and I bought had a good laugh over that one. We didn't keep it for very long as we both thought it was kind of ugly.

Too bad your family didn't keep it. While not as much as a Reginaphone, the lions' head Graphonola phonographs have significant value.

Clay

[rizbone]

The Graphanola Deluxe decal is the one on my reginaphone as well. I think you would get different decals based on who you bought the machine from. 14 K seems a little steep when you could probably get a beautiful one from musical treasures of miami for less than you would have to pay to purchase and fix this one.

[EarlH]

My Dad came up with the regular phonograph version of one of these when I was about 12. He called a guy that kind of messed with those thing back 50 years ago and when Dad described it to Bud, I think Bud was out in front of the house almost before Dad had the phone back on the hook! Both Bud & his wife came into the house and after Bud lifted up the turntable, he was no longer interested in it. I didn't know what that was all about for another 15 years or so, and then I saw one with a music box disk on it. Dad and I bought had a good laugh over that one. We didn't keep it for very long as we both thought it was kind of ugly.

Too bad your family didn't keep it. While not as much as a Reginaphone, the lions' head Graphonola phonographs have significant value.

Clay

I honestly did not care much for the looks of the thing. My Mom really thought it was horrible and you couldn't play it because the tone arm was stoved up on it. It was really hard to find parts in those days and if someone offered my Dad $20 more than he gave for something, it was pretty much sold! I don't think it was in the house for more than two weeks, so I really don't remember much about it. The guy that came up to look at it did know about those things, but Bud really never told me much. Those old collectors back didn't talk much. Knowledge was hard won before all these books came out and that's pretty much how it was. My Dad drove semi in those days and would drag stuff like that back home with him on the truck! Once in awhile it was something big like a cookstove and that wouldn't fit into the cab, so we would go pick it up the following weekend in his pickup. He probably bought it from an antique store for $25. He wouldn't have given anymore than that for it I do know that.

[ChuckA]

Regina made 356 of these units, some were sent to Columbia where all traces of the Regina name were removed,
they even made a replacement ID tag. A few were sent to Wurlitzer with no ID plate and no name in the lid.
Regina sold the majority as Style 240.

You can tell the difference between Columbia unit and Regina unit by the storage compartment.
Regina 240 has 4 music disc slots over a drawer on the left side and two rows of record slots on the right side.
You can see the Columbia layout in the picture posted above.

Chuck

[Curt A]

Did this machine originally have a music box or phonograph motor? Since it has been changed to some sort of electric motor doesn't this make it a Frankenphone/box?

I would like to know also where you can obtain the parts to change it back to original for less than $100...