Interesting - but what is it ? Auction.

[poodling around]

I haven't seen anything like this before.

When the lid is lifted is that a 'flange' for an external horn - like EMG's sometimes had?

https://www.the-saleroom.com/en-gb/auct ... 32011e4756

[Inigo]

Could be a base for the tonearm. The sloped boards inside, seen through the motor hole, seen to be part of an internal horn...
What intrigues me most is that enormous wooden stick with a handle at the end, seems like something you can slide in an out of the machine... Like an enormous volume control?
or a rage and disgust escape device; if you don't like the music, you pull the stick out and then use it to jump the machine upside down!
or it's a simple stick, that you can pull out completely, to give the machine some gentle kicks when the needle gets engaged into a locked repetitive groove!

[epigramophone]

It could be a very rare Uglyphone . With no stretchers, the legs look barely capable of supporting it's weight.

[bearcat]

A rare Laundryola.
Opposite the agitator (bat handle) at the bottom is a watertight 'tub' which dirty clothes would be placed. Water and soap added. The bat handle agitator would then be pushed and pulled, agitating and cleaning the clothes while you listened to some Uncle Josh.
On the inside of the laundry lid are instructions.

1-10" record light wash or delicates.
2-10" records for medium wash.
3-12" records for heavy soil.

bob stutz

[Phono48]

Laundryola?

[Lah Ca]

I had been thinking an early commode/watercloset to gramophone conversion, but then I didn't want to say anything so foolish because with second thought it seemed that the spindly legs would not have stood up to such original usage.

Also I have learned here that as soon as patents expired, every ambitious cabinet shop and piano manufacturer under the sun started making gramophones. Maybe a cooperage firm decided to try their hand at it, too.

[bearcat]

I didn't want to say anything so foolish

So your telling me...