Has Anyone Ever Seen One Of These?

[SonnyPhono]

This is great! I would love to see/hear one.

[gramophoneshane]

Imagine having that strapped to your wrist!
I've seen the ad before, but never the real thing. I cant imagine they sold very well, and judging by the look on that womans face & the horn pushed in her ear, I cant imagine they worked very well either.

[SonnyPhono]

Good point...she looks pretty enthralled huh?!

[Brad]

Isn't that a close up of the woman standing in the giant Credenza on the Victor Bldg?

[bbphonoguy]

Isn't that a close up of the woman standing in the giant Credenza on the Victor Bldg?

I was thinking that this is something I'm willing to believe is an April Fool's joke!

[SonnyPhono]

Yep...maybe I posted it a bit too early. But I'm with you that this is probably fake.

[OrthoFan]

I was thinking that this is something I'm willing to believe is an April Fool's joke!

Possibly not. There actually was a miniature gramophone constructed earlier, in the 1920s, for Queen Mary's Doll's House -- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Queen_Mary ... s%27_House

It played the smallest records ever produced. A few were even sold to the public --



From: http://www.tastebymerrell.com/shop/view_item/708900865

I've never seen any clear photographs of the gramophone, itself, but have spotted grainy color postcards from time to time on ebay.

Dollhouse gramophone.JPG (36.99 KiB) Viewed 2163 times

[OrthoFan]

Interesting. The Watch Case phonograph pictured above is from 1936, but there was actually an an earlier (1928) reference to a slightly different looking version--identifying the actress Gwen Lee -- http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0497344/ (Don't think they would have faked that, since Ms. Lee would likely have sued them.)

watch case phonograph.JPG (36.24 KiB) Viewed 2127 times

From Google Book Search -- Click Here

[estott]

I'm willing to believe that these existed, people have always been building "World's Smallest" items as stunts. It's doubtful that these went into anything like production.

[OrthoFan]

I'm willing to believe that these existed, people have always been building "World's Smallest" items as stunts. It's doubtful that these went into anything like production.

A more contemporary version did go into production, but it used a battery powered motor, instead of spring-wound. Rather anemic sound quality, but considering it's all acoustic, not to bad for its size:

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TMwdR__UCcc[/youtube]

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EE5krSqgswc[/youtube]

I remember seeing these for sale on eBay a few years ago. (Wished I had gotten one!)