The Talking Machine Forum — For All Antique Phonographs & Recordings

This is an interesting round Columbia that I stumbled across for sale. What is the model? Is it rare? Ive never seen one before. Thanks

??? It's nothing I've ever seen so I'm skeptical. I'm guessing it's a fantasy machine made with some original parts. I see the Columbia decal and they were pretty consistent with fancy support and travel arms using their name in the casting. The travel arm looks like a Columbia client arm. Others?

Jerry B.

It looks like a fantasy to me. As Jerry pointed out, it's a BA/client type traveling arm, which Columbia wouldn't have used on a machine this elaborate. The support arm looks like a Victor. It also looks like the speed control is hanging over the edge of the cabinet.

There's a late-style decal (looking like a repro) but an analyzing reproducer; all of which could possibly happen, but not with a mechanism that late (note the crank).

A Tea Tray horn patent decal (used on Edison flower and Cygnet horns) is on the side of the cabinet - the perfect touch for someone who doesn't really know what they're doing.

George P.

It's a Frank-En-Phone with a new cabinet with old and new parts. If the machine is cheap, I would get it for the parts.
Harvey Kravitz

Thanks guys! I knew I had not seen anything like it. They want $400.00 OBO for it. I think I'll pass.

The only round Columbia I know of is the "Colonial" model Grafonola, which was disguised as a round end table. When I saw the heading, I thought you had found one of those...

Bill

I never saw anything like this before, either!!!! Thank goodness there is only 1 of them. If the machine is $200.00 or less, the parts would be worth it. Glad you passed on it. This is the purpose of this Forum, to guide fellow collectors to avoid such purchases.
Harvey Kravitz

hearsedriver wrote:Thanks guys! I knew I had not seen anything like it. They want $400.00 OBO for it. I think I'll pass.

Thanks,

That’s what I thought too. Sad that what looks like a collector is trying to pass this on as real.

It has a nice horn for a frank in phone. Explain to the seller what he has and maybe a deal can be struck. Some people do not care and jut want a sucker to buy it. Tom

If that brass horn is real and not a repo and the other parts are real, then $400 doesn't seem out of line for just the parts. But, think of the fun you would have showing it off...

As George noted, it would be a good idea to ditch the horn patent decal...