A Mexican Collection

[gramophone78]

First I want to make it clear that I will not supply tissues to those that start to cry when seeing the pictures.This is a collection that I was offered back in the late 90's down Mexico way.This collection was 78+ machines in various states of dis-repair.Also a mass amount of parts.Anyone starting to cry yet???.No!?.Ok,I will go on.The collection was for sale for the bargan price of 38,000 USD.After determing the fact 90% of the horns were shot and over 50% of the machines were "parts" value only.I passed.The seller was firm on a all or nothing sale.To my surprise and I guess because I flew down myself just for this.The seller decided to let me buy a couple of things to take home (maybe he thought I would reconsider back home).The silver or gold lining to all this is what I did buy.A mint (hard to imagine I know) Edison spruce horn and a Berliner "J" reproducer.I remember my Sister in-law was with me when I paid the man 300.00 USD for the horn and reproducer and she told me I was nuts to spend that kind of money on junk like this.Hey,what does she know??? .Now for the sad part.......the pictures.Over the years I have lost most of them.All I have left is part of one of the three rooms that were full.

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[USlakeside]

I can't help but think I have seen part of this hoard too....

[gramophoneshane]

Damn, I thought I was going to see your collection of Mexicans
Such a pity these were never properly looked after & displayed. I wonder how many rats nests you'd find if you went through them?
I've heard of a couple similar collections here in Australia. Literally hundreds of Edison & horn machines stacked 6 feet high in rooms you cant get into, wasting away. It's heart breaking really.

[antique1973]

That is like a fantasy playground for me. Wow! My dream would be if
some old granny had a storage like that and said: "I don't know what
to do with all this old junk, just give me $5 per machine".
Ahh, well it doesn't hurt to have dreams I guess.

[Lenoirstreetguy]

This is amazing. At least this chap was pretending to sell them. I've seen smaller hoards up here when I was young back in rural Ontario. But the owners would let the stuff disintegrate rather than accept an amount of money that might not be as great as they could get from some hypothetical real collector. One day this person was going to drive in the lane , like a[i] deus ex machina[/i] in a classical Roman play and allow the owner never to have to farm again . As a teenager I'd be shown something like this but would be assured that it was for sale to a real ( read, rich) collector. " But I thought you'd like to see it , you being interested in this stuff n'all..."
I was not as full of gratitude as they probably expected.
Jim

[gramophone78]

Just a follow up on what happened to all this mess.At first the man was asking 68,000 USD.That was not going to fly.Then I heard that it went down to 38,000.After 4 years of trying to sell it.The lot was sold to a man there for 32,000 USD.That man then sold the lesser machines and parts to a US dealer that I know.As for the rest.....well,he had some badly restored and just displayed.Mice,rats,and the wood bugs were all over this mess.The Victor fancy case "D" you see.I could put my finger right thru the case.I wish I had kept the other pics.There were two other rooms that did have a few nice things.If you look carefuly at the pic that shows the two Vic 5's....you will see on the left a oak one but,on the right is a very rare mahogany 5!!! .Yes,it was in great shape but, he would not sell that separate.As I wrote,it was not a total waste of a flight.The Edison spruce horn was outstanding and it was also the only cylinder item in the whole lot.I did sell that horn and it did get good money.The "J" and the few other small parts I was able to get from him made the trip a good one.I notice that one member stated that they had maybe seen this collection.Now I'm curious about that.I take it you are Spanish speaking???.I say this because English would not have helped you on this deal. .One last comment regarding Mexico.......I have found some of the best things in some of the worst places.Places where even my Wife would not go into....."Black Widows",etc..... .Here is a pic of a house.Yes,this is where these people live.Behind me is thier kitchen.I found some great Berliner things in here.Hard to imagine living like this.That said these were wonderful and warm people that were very kind to me.BTW,in one pic on the left upper shelf you can see some record binders......well,there were some great and rare records in there.

[gramophone78]

In keeping with the Mexican flavor.Here are a few pics of what I get faced with while down there.I have to spend hours going thru a mess like this to find that "gem" waiting to be found.

[phonogfp]

This thread reminds me of an old fellow who lived 10 miles from me back in 1972. I was newly-graduated from high school, crazy about old phonographs, and owned only one external-horn example; an Edison "Standard" Model B. A local antique dealer told about Mr. Walters, who lived out on a country road and was interested in music boxes. It was reported that he usually had a couple of phonographs around. I managed to trade my "Standard" B plus $20 for a "Standard" D, and after a couple of months' cajoling bought an early Victor I in August (which I still own). But the machine I really wanted was a "Triumph" Model B with a 2/4-minute attachment, a Model "O" Reproducer, and an oak cygnet horn. This machine sat out in a crummy little tumbledown shed, where I had found the Victor I. Mr. Walters clearly didn't want to sell the "Triumph," as he had a price of $500 on it - and in 1972 that was crazy money. It was certainly out of my reach. However, by the following summer I knew more about old phonographs, and even though the price was still high, values were rising quickly, and I reasoned that within a few years the outrageous price I would pay wouldn't be so bad after all. So in the summer of 1973, armed with $500 I had earned in the interim, I ventured out to see Mr. Walters again. The sly old fox had raised his price to $650! I decided I'd never be able to pry the machine loose from the man. When I asked why he kept such a prize in this old shed, he replied, "My wife won't have it in the house." I naively pointed out that I would clean up the machine and give it a good home in a dry, temperature-controlled environment, which of course got me nowhere.

Five or six years later, I was married, gainfully employed, and living 75 miles distant. I wondered if Mr. Walters still had the "Triumph" of cherished memory. I obtained his phone number through Information (remember that?), and his familiar voice answered on the other end. After the usual pleasantries (and his offer to buy back the Victor I!), I asked about the "Triumph." It turned out that the roof of the shed had leaked , the oak cygnet horn had become wet and came apart , and Mr. Walters had "unloaded it" to an antique dealer from New Jersey.

For the past 20 years I've lived back in my old youthful stomping grounds. I occasionally ride my bike past Mr. Walters' nice old farmhouse (the shed is long gone), and think of the "Triumph" that I pined for long ago.

George P.

[Valecnik]

George that is a sad story.

He probably sold it to the NJ dealer for much less than $500 after that too.

I'm actually amazed though at how well some of those machines are able to survive in incredibly poor conditions. The below pictured Amberola III was an unheated shed refugee and was purchased by a collector friend of mine who's pretty good with wood and general restoration. The bedplate was so dirty you could not even tell if there was paint left and everything was incredibly oily for some reason. The finish was totally gone on the outside. I bought it from my since retired collector friend for the outrageous price of $700 on the condition that I could back out if not satisfied with the restoration.

[gramophone78]

Great pic George.That "vintage" can of Pledge in the pic is worth more than 5.00 now!!!!