Do you collect "ordinary" phonographs?

[VanEpsFan1914]

We all love the rarest of the rare, but does anyone on here like to buy regular conventional machines like the average Joe & Mary Homeowner might have used?

I just was curious. Lots of Victor VIs in preservation but not a lot of love for the Victor 210, the Edison LU-37, and most things with Columbia on them.

[EdiBrunsVic]

Yes, we have "ordinary" machines and maintain a small collection of eight. When the desire comes along to sell one and replace it, buyers are few. For example, I had hoped to sell the LU 37 and get a Brunswick phonograph, but so far there is no interest. Perhaps advertising it locally may be an option.

Even though I have a Victor III, my favorite machine is the VV 4-3. In the next few weeks we will play some Christmas music too. We keep busy with church work so time for the hobby is very occasional.

Don

[phonogfp]

My interest is in the story of early sound recording and the development of early talking machines. Collecting only rare machines would not represent that story, so I too collect "ordinary" phonographs. Like most collectors, I especially enjoy rare items, but that frosting needs to be supported by the cake (at least in my world).

George P.

[tomb]

My interest is in the story of early sound recording and the development of early talking machines. Collecting only rare machines would not represent that story, so I too collect "ordinary" phonographs. Like most collectors, I especially enjoy rare items, but that frosting needs to be supported by the cake (at least in my world).

George P.

I think most of have a combination of everyday phonographs and some higher range ones. It depends on how you define higher range. That could be in rarity or demand. Some people ( like me ) wanted all of the Edison standard and home phonographs. Most are common but there are a lot of models so there is a large investment in quantity. Even the ordinary phonographs can be accessorized to become very expensive. The accessories like the repeaters or good quality wood horns can add a lot of money to an ordinary phonograph. I guess it in not ordinary now. Tom

[fran604g]

Yes.

Best,
Fran

[epigramophone]

In the UK Mr & Mrs Average, if they had a gramophone at all, would have been most likely to own a portable. I currently have 27 of them in my collection, a few of which are far from ordinary, and two of which are to the best of my knowledge the only surviving examples.

The better off might have had a cabinet machine indoors and a portable for outdoors, in the garden or on picnics with the family car.

In well over 50 years collecting I have made a conscious decision not to specialise in one make or type of machine, so my collection ranges from E.M.Ginn Expert to mass produced portable, with all sorts in between. I like variety!

[zenith82]

There are a lot of machines that fall into both the "ordinary" and "rare" categories. A lot of the machines produced by the smaller companies during the boom years fall into this category. Many of the companies weren't in business long and the phonographs themselves weren't anything special, but they are representative in quality of what the average family of 1918-21 would have had in their living room.

I personally like machines that were made in the South. These were usually for local or regional markets, though a few of them advertised in TMW. Most have the usual Heineman parts and the cabinets are usually simple designs.

[Phono48]

My collection is made up of 76 portables, mainly HMV and Columbia, with some quite rare "Colonial" Columbias and a recently acquired HMV 113 "Transportable". The majority, however, are "ordinary" models.

[Jerry B.]

I think the term "ordinary" is all relative. We saw a collector friend on our trip to the Pac 12 Championship football game. Go Ducks! (Had to get that in. ) We left a week early and enjoyed the wine country area north of San Francisco and all the antique shops and wineries. We had a great time and I finagled a stop at a phono collector's home. I was amazed at his collection which included a string driven (round leather belt) Berliner which was beyond complete because it had its original packing crate! His collection also included a mahogany glass sided Zonophone A. From my perspective machines like this represent the "rarest of the rare." From his perspective a Bergman tinfoil might be the pinnacle of collecting.

I've always enjoyed whatever is available. As a young collector the hobby was a more local or regional hobby. I bought Standards, Homes, and Victrolas. First generation collector friends did not value uprights or Columbia products so I started buying nice Victrolas and Columbia cylinder machines with their beautiful cabinets. I bought what I liked and could afford as I do today.

You absolutely can't go wrong if you like what you buy. I admire the collector that buys strictly projects and brings them back to life. I visited a collector that had a wonderful variety of portable disc machines. He demonstrated several and the performance was amazing. I enjoy seeing a collection of oddball internal horn machines and the unusual cabinets that were promoted by various companies.

Yes, I collector ordinary machines as well as some up the ladder of rarity. But the important things is the fact that I love them all.

Jerry Blais

[cjstoessner]

Great topic and my answer... yes! For some strange reason, I do have a soft spot for a Columbia Grafonola, why - I don't know, LOL. Due to space/storage issues, I plan to do a massive thin out this year and get down to a core group of Granby phonographs and rare pieces. But, I may end up keeping one Grafonola or Victrola console for fun (until I need room for another Granby).

And, I think seasoned collectors and historians appreciate the rare pieces because we understand the importance. The general public is just as fascinated with an ordinary Edison Home or Standard. Trust me on this as I have done living history events and antiques booths... those shutter doors on a Grafonola or the simple concept of a cylinder record blows peoples' mind - the simplicity.... There is always a place and purpose for the ordinary phonograph.