The Talking Machine Forum — For All Antique Phonographs & Recordings

This display has been very carefully done, but is it by Garrard or is it the creation of an enthusiastic collector? Anyone capable of dismantling a No.20 motor could have made it.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Garrard-Swin ... %7Ciid%3A1

I can't say for certain, but I think it's a fantasy creation by a collector. Hard to say without actually seeing it in person.
The case appears to be a lot deeper than it needs to be, and I'm not sure why Garrard would think such a display would help sell there products.
Especially with no indication of what model motor it is and without labelling of components and/or quality.
It just doesn't look right to me.

It is a fabrication , why would Garrard make such a display ? It has no purpose `. The giveaway is the winding handle , NOT GARRARD under any circumstances so basically it is FAKED !

It's not a shop window display, and it's not a sales display, I'm 99% certain I've seen it before in about 1978/79 . It was mounted on a wall along with several other cabinets of the same size but each with different contents.
I made an offer and bought it and it may well end up serving a similar function to what it was being used for then rather than sell it on to an interior designer at a nice profit.
Wish I could get hold of some of the other display cases and their contents.
It's not a fake - it's just not what the description says.
Any guesses?

Gramtastic wrote:Looking at it again, the handle is out of its original place so could have been replaced. The shape on the velvet in the background does look more Garrard like. All the parts are immaculate, there is no sign of wear,scratching or old grease on any of them so it must have been done from a new motor. Also, the way the velvet backing has faded suggests it was done a long time ago . For me , it is too soon to dismiss as a fake just because I've never seen one before - the jury is still out as far as I'm concerned!

Dicky Blighter wrote:It's not a shop window display, and it's not a sales display, I'm 99% certain I've seen it before in about 1978/79 . It was mounted on a wall along with several other cabinets of the same size but each with different contents.
I made an offer and bought it and it may well end up serving a similar function to what it was being used for then rather than sell it on to an interior designer at a nice profit.
Wish I could get hold of some of the other display cases and their contents.
It's not a fake - it's just not what the description says.
Any guesses?

It's a fair point the faded velvet does suggest some age and a replacement winding handle. The cabinet does look unnecessarily deep unless designed for table or counter standing. If this item is original I can imagine it being displayed in reception at the Swindon factory... a useful tool to show visitors exactly what is made there and promotional in showing exactly how many parts go into a motor. Visiting customers who require a replacement part could use it as reference where the part number is not known. That said I would expect the parts to be labelled.

Dicky Blighter wrote:It's not a shop window display, and it's not a sales display, I'm 99% certain I've seen it before in about 1978/79 . It was mounted on a wall along with several other cabinets of the same size but each with different contents.
I made an offer and bought it and it may well end up serving a similar function to what it was being used for then rather than sell it on to an interior designer at a nice profit.
Wish I could get hold of some of the other display cases and their contents.
It's not a fake - it's just not what the description says.
Any guesses?

My guess - I wonder if it could have been displayed in a museum ?

jamiegramo wrote:If this item is original I can imagine it being displayed in reception at the Swindon factory... a useful tool to show visitors exactly what is made there and promotional in showing exactly how many parts go into a motor. Visiting customers who require a replacement part could use it as reference where the part number is not known. That said I would expect the parts to be labelled.

That seems to be a logical explanation!

Do the parts show any wear at all? Jerry B.

Calling it a "FAKE", is not a proper description, since the word suggests a dubious copy. To be a fake, would mean that someone intentionally created an item exactly like, or similar to, a more valuable original item in order to deceive a potential buyer (like an Indian crap-o-phone). So, if it is a dubious copy, what was it copied from and where is another original to compare it with? It is made using original motor parts that appear to be NOS and since no one has seen one of these before, it can't be a "fake", it is some type of original creation, not necessarily made to deceive someone.

Maybe a collector made it or maybe it was used in the showroom as suggested, but it is a one of a kind item. It really makes no difference if it is a fantasy piece or a one of a kind original... if you like it, that's all that counts. Personally, I like it for what it is and would buy it myself... it's a great display piece.

Jamiegramo and Poodling around have got it between them - it was in the Swindon Factory, where I went on a visit from college - there were loads of different ones along a corridor from reception that from memory lead to the board room. There were also some in another room on boards with all the part numbers listed which I think was a training room as it had some rather nice cut-away drawings on the walls and wooden boxes with sets of all the parts to assemble a complete motor.

I don't know what happened to all the stuff in the factory, I think it was closed down at short notice not long after, probably went to auction.

Interesting point about the handle, I'll see better when it arrives but the "shadow" doesn't look like it matches the crank, as the glass is missing the original could have gone missing at some point and replaced.

Whatever it was originally meant for is irrelevant really it's still an interesting unique conversation piece with a link to the past for me and will look great in my shop/exhibition of mechanical and music machines with the cabinet cleaned and waxed and glass replaced.