Combination music box / phonograph on Craigslist

[estott]

http://albany.craigslist.org/atq/2062729438.html

A Miraphone. This large upright machine has a concealed horn in the fretwork above the disc area. The turntable is missing but it looks as if the tone arm is there. It's a big machine- that disc is 18" diam, so I'd guess it's near 30 inches wide.

[estott]

Here's an open horn version on Collector's World


Item number: 209 18.5" Duo-Empress (Miraphone) Concert Grand Music Box & Phonograph
[18.5 Duo Empress music box] The Duo-Empress, sold by Lyon & Healy - Chicago, was the Mermod Frères (Swiss maker of the Mira and Empress music boxes) attempt to compete with the tremendous success of the phonograph after the turn of the 20th century. This rare mechanism is housed in an unusual console model Chippendale pinstriped mahogany case. All components are fully restored and refinished and play like new with a full rich tone. The 78 RPM phonograph system uses an original Columbia tone arm with a mahogany Music Master wood horn. With 18 bright and clean original Mira-Empress discs. Serial No. 9169 Approximate dimensions - 30" wide 25" deep and 40" high
Price: $14,000.00

[Sidewinder]

http://albany.craigslist.org/atq/2062729438.html

A Miraphone. This large upright machine has a concealed horn in the fretwork above the disc area. The turntable is missing but it looks as if the tone arm is there. It's a big machine- that disc is 18" diam, so I'd guess it's near 30 inches wide.

WOW - the link draws a blank - do you still remember what the asking price was?

The upper part of the cabinet looks like an amazing piece of woodwork

[gramophoneshane]

I think it was $8000.

[estott]

I think it was $8000.

That was the price- it might actually be worth that much, but this isn't a good time to sell high ticket items. Mira discs are also slightly hard to find- they weren't the huge sellers that Regina, Symphonum and Polyphon were.

[JohnM]

Mira was manufactured by the same company that produced Stella, the difference being that Stella's star-wheel mechanism was spring-loaded which allowed projectionless tune sheets. Mira required projections on the tune sheets.

[edisonsclone]

I dont use this site much and find this rather funny...this was my machine on craigslist and I cant believe it made it to this site, the machine was sold to a man in North Carolina

[FloridaClay]

$8,000 would be a real bargain for this machine, even in these times.

Clay