The Talking Machine Forum — For All Antique Phonographs & Recordings

I thought I would relate a little story about a phonograph I found yesterday. First of all, yesterday was my birthday and amid the things we had planned, we had a couple of hours before dinner and decided to go into a new pawn shop that had opened in a nearby town in lower Delaware. I wasn't expecting to find anything really interesting so was looking around at the tools, and guns, and jewelry and looked at a shelf high up on a back wall and saw a phonograph with a big black horn on it. At first I thought I was looking at a "crap-a-phone" but taking a closer look, I saw a Victor plate on the front of it, so I asked the clerk if it was for sale or just a prop for display. He said, yes it was for sale so I asked if he could get it off the shelf and let me look at it. He had several other customers and didn't seem too happy about getting it down as I thought he didn't think I would an old thing like that at the high price he had on it, but he got it down without damaging it. It was very dusty and dirty and had obviously been setting in the store and the one that they had moved from for quite some time. He told me they had to contact the owner when they got it to make sure he would accept it because it was old and dingy, but the owner agreed and there it went, onto the shelf. I looked at the phonograph, inside and out and checked the horn, motor, reproducer, crank, etc., and found nothing missing, but with some damage on the horn and reproducer. I figured the price would be a bit high for me but I asked anyway and was told they wanted $250.00. My best friend, and my love, piped up and said, "is that the best you can do", before I could say "I'll take it", and they agreed to sell it for $150.00. I was a bit amazed but managed to give them my credit card and we carried it to my car before I started shouting. I am including some pictures of my new machine. What do you think?

Wow! A Victor 6 with what looks to me like a Mega Phono Horn? That's quite a deal, to say the least!

Deal of the century!!

Holly Cow!! What a super find. A Vic VI for $150!! I would like to see some clearer pictures taken with better lighting but it appears you have a machine that could be worth at least $4000. It should clean up well. It looks like you may need a better gold plated Victor reproducer. Those early black paper Mache horns can be nicely restored.

Pete

Damn.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!
Congrats on getting a great machine!!
I may have the correct gold plated round hole exhibition reproducer. I'll do some digging here for it.
Ken Brekke

I will try to get some better pictures when I get some time. I took these right after I got it home. I will need to either get another reproducer or rebuild the one on it. I would like to keep everything original if possible but the guts of the reproducer is damaged as is the edges of the horn. The motor is nickel plated and looks as new. I'm not sure the crank is the original but is what came with it. The motor runs fine. The label on the bottom of the case says it originally sold for $100.00 and is dated March 1, 1902.

MAGNIFICENT FIND!!! What a birthday present. That horn is incredible. Thanks for sharing. Steve L.

Oh how wonderful! Thank you for sharing your amazing birthday experience with us--what a great present!
And my favourite part--the haggle on the $250 asking price: "Is that the best you can do?"
well if that isn't the icing on the (birthday) cake ---I love it

Best wishes on your happy birthday!

Steven

Fantastic buy!!