Zonophone Champion

[nostalgia]

This beautiful horn gramophone is for sale in my area, priced at € 400.
I could not find good photos of the machine in my HMG book so I upload photos for reference, and wish my wallet was bigger right now.

Out of general interest, what price level are these sold at on auctions in the UK?

All this said, when taking a closer look, the winding handle seems positioned at a strange position to my eyes....or? And the turntable...seems far too big?
Re motored?

[Curt A]

What looks strange about the crank? You have shown various views, but none showing the side with the crank...
The turntable looks too big, but that doesn't mean it was re-motored, just a change of turntable...

Are there extra holes in the case?

[nostalgia]

I don't have more photos than the ones uploaded. I compare the photo showing part of the winding handle and its position with the drawing of the same machine in the HMG book, and the winding handle is positioned close to the front on that machine, while on this machine it looks like the handle is positioned to the far back. The winding handle itself also looks atypical to me, but I could of course be wrong...
I will see if I can get hold of more photos...

[jamiegramo]

If you look at page 58 of HMG you will see this machine but badged for G&T so you can use these pictures as reference. Page 222 explains that the New Victor was also sold as the Zonophone Champion.

Perhaps the seller has been careful not to show the winding handle side...

The horn elbow, winding handle, brake, speed control and soundbox are not correct. Possibly, well likely, the machine has been remotored. I would avoid at 400 euros. Save your euros for another bargain!

[Steve]

As Jamiegramo has said, avoid it like the plague or Covid. It's a complete dog.

As well as the parts Jamie said are wrong, I think the soundbox might be too. It's a complete mess.

Don't ask what a good one would make here in the UK - most collectors wouldn't buy it if it was right under their noses for £300. Zonophone just doesn't have the same appeal as HMV, similar to Columbia sadly.

[Inigo]

The elbow is a monster, and the crank seems from a pathé machine. The speed control is another monster.

[Curt A]

The horn actually looks like a cut off cylinder machine horn stuffed into a metal funnel and attached to a plumbing elbow...

[nostalgia]

The more I looked at the photos, the more I disliked what I saw, and that actually was a good thing, since my wallet would never tolerate another gramophone buy now.
Thanks for adding your comments and observations, I was able to get in touch with the seller and he had no idea the gramophone was a frankenphone.
I am uploading the last photo received that confirms everything said. Re motored, monster...etc. It is a terrible photo, how someone could ruin a gramophone this way....

Interesting to know though that a complete and genuiine Zonophone Champion would not reach more than € 300 in the UK, I would have thought they were more sought after.

PS. I am ashamed I called this gramophone beautiful in the first post, but I will leave the post as it is, exposing how delusional one can become after a long warm day in the sun, and forgetting everything you ever learned about gramophones when suddenly seeing an obvious frankenphone in a listing.