The Talking Machine Forum — For All Antique Phonographs & Recordings

According to their 1929 catalogue, Columbia offered the Model 112a portable in red, blue or brown crocodile finish.
Green is not mentioned in the catalogue or in any period advert that I have ever seen, yet I recently acquired this green example, pictured before and after remedial work.
Has anyone else got one or seen one?

epigramophone wrote:According to their 1929 catalogue, Columbia offered the Model 112a portable in red, blue or brown crocodile finish.
Green is not mentioned in the catalogue or in any period advert that I have ever seen, yet I recently acquired this green example, pictured before and after remedial work.
Has anyone else got one or seen one?

This very well thought of website supports the view that the colour green was not an option.


http://www.graham-ophones.co.uk/columbi ... 4586714793

Oh, I am probably wrong, but is it actually red in the first photo along the front side ? Could it have been dyed green later ?

That's beautiful! In over 50 years of collecting, I've never seen a green one. I have the brown crocodile model.

The small amount of red paint cleaned off to reveal the original green underneath. It would have been impossible to change the case colour whilst leaving the original lid transfer untouched.

It is most definitely green!

HMV produced the 102 in colours which never appeared in any catalogue, including pink and pale green, so perhaps Columbia did the same.

Bit odd as it is green BUT the turntable mat is BLUE wouldn't a green portable have a GREEN mat ? could it be a BLUE gramophone changeling to GREEN by some ageing process ? This can happen sometimes with other items , is it green under the turntable ?

Is it green under the motor board with the turned over covering ?

soundgen wrote:Bit odd as it is green BUT the turntable mat is BLUE wouldn't a green portable have a GREEN mat ? could it be a BLUE gramophone changeling to GREEN by some ageing process ? This can happen sometimes with other items , is it green under the turntable ?

I would think that the fabric on the inside would be closest to its original condition, being protected like that. It does not look like a faded blue to me: it looks definitely green.

Bill

strange that the inside of the horn is painted blue as well as the blue turntable - you would have thought they would both be green ??

I had to dismantle the machine to repair the broken end of the alloy internal horn (a horrible job), which pivots inside a larger tin horn, and can confirm that every bit of the case covering is and has always been green.

I also wondered why a blue turntable and internal horn were fitted, there being no doubt that they are original to the machine. If the machine was a prototype or limited edition, Columbia may not have considered it worthwhile to produce green fittings for it. The fact that no-one else has seen a green one suggests that very few were made.