The Talking Machine Forum — For All Antique Phonographs & Recordings

I've noticed an interesting phenomenon of late. Scanning the Saleroom and Ebay I've spotted a lot of portables lying back in the sun lounger position as if to soak up a bit of sun - what I call "Sun-bathing portables". I'm sure we've all seen them - open cases, lid dropped all the way back to almost horizontal position - but what I find equally odd and amusing is that none of these sellers think it's odd that a lid-stay is attached to a lid, seemingly without purpose. No one says anything or makes reference to it.

Were these portables abused by their original owners who broke the lid stays through brutish handling or do the current crop of clueless sellers break them to show off their tans inside?

My first portable, 38 years ago, was missing one of the screws of the lid stay lower support, so you could take the lid all the way back to the sun bathing position...
Not to say that my first work was to replace the missing screw and take the lid stay to its proper arrangement!