So how do you build an interesting collection?

Jerry B. · Post by **Jerry B.** » Sun Mar 13, 2011 12:03 pm

I see a lot of posts that imply or simply say that the poster will not pay large amount for a particular item or I'll have to find one of those at a garage sale or I buy only fixer uppers. What is your strategy for building a collection that is interesting to yourself and others?

solophoneman · Post by **solophoneman** » Sun Mar 13, 2011 12:13 pm

Jerry B. wrote:I see a lot of posts that imply or simply say that the poster will not pay large amount for a particular item or I'll have to find one of those at a garage sale or I buy only fixer uppers. What is your strategy for building a collection that is interesting to yourself and others?

That is an excellent question Jerry. Someone who is setting those sort of financial and searching restrictions for themselves in this age of on-line information and Ebay and the internet, will render their ability to build a diverse and interesting collection, next to impossible !! unless those individuals making those comments have no intention of accumulating and finding rare, valuable, and diverse collections, interesting to themselves and others.

Henry · Post by **Henry** » Sun Mar 13, 2011 1:22 pm

I take you to mean phonographs, not records.

Nat · Post by **Nat** » Sun Mar 13, 2011 2:22 pm

I think part of it is having a clear idea what it is that you find interesting. Once you know that - and it can shift with time - then the other secrets, as I find them are:

1) Really knowing your limits - having a firm idea how much you are willing to spend, and
2) Finding a place or website where you can find stuff that interests you at prices you are willing to pay.

In my case, the real interest is records, and Seattle is a bad place to find the,. So I do a lot on eBay, but with a fairly firm limit. And this being the case, my interest in machines is in ones that play the best.

it takes time - you need to feel your way in, and even get stuck a few times. But it's a wonderful hobby!

De Soto Frank · Post by **De Soto Frank** » Sun Mar 13, 2011 4:17 pm

"Interesting" to whom ?

I would suggest lots of reading, both in books and on-line research, to learn about the various makers & machines, and get a feel for what interests you... then go from there...

Are you into the machines themselves? The records ? Both ?

Are you interested in static display pieces, or useable machinery ?

Cylinders or Discs (or both), and if discs, which format: Lateral cut or Vertical ?

The first wind-up phono I was introduced to was a circa-1914 Victrola IX that my parents brought home from an estate-sale when I was about four years old... so, that era Victrola has kind of been the "defining" talking machine for me...

Forty years later, I have four Victrolas: 1909 XVI "L-Door", in very good original condition, a 1919 XI in Oak, my great-grandmother's 1927 Orthophonic VE 8-12, and a 1927 VV 7-11 Radiola combo... G-Grandma's Orthophonic arrived when I was 19, the others have been acquired within that last ten years (after marriage and permanent house.)

I still feel that it's "hard to go wrong" with a Victor machine; they're all well-made, quality stuff. Some are rarer / more valuable than others, but that's another story.

Along the way, while in college, I ran across an Edison S-19 "Sheraton" Diamond-Disc player at an antiques fair ... the cabinet was so-so, but the machine worked, so I bought it... now my collecting had expanded to include things Edisonian.

As I began to read more about the history of the talking machine, I began to get interested in cylinder machines and recordings, and a few years ago, I acquired a nice original Edison "Home" B, with 2&4 minute gears, and reproducers for both 2 & 4 minute cylinders, and I started collecting that stuff as I ran across it. Now I have three "Homes" and a fairly nice Tea-Tray Company 30 inch painted horn.

As I get older, and I realize that my life ( and marriage )has some limitations in terms of space, money, time, spousal hobby tolerance

, etc. I find myself less inclined to pick-up a machine "just because its' there", or "it needs a good home", or "this price is too good to pass-up", etc.

I am gravitating towards odd or unusual machines / cabinets, or perhaps more common machines in excellent original condition...

I would love to add rarities such as a Class M Edison or external horn Victor, but these are VERY pricey machines, and really would be more museum-pieces than user talking machines... then there are things like the Vitaphone, Pathé "Actuelle", and early electrics like the Brunswick "Panatrope"...

I have a decent, solid Brunswick upright model 117 with the Ultona reproducer head out in my garage... I would love to bring it in the house, but we just don't have a place to put it... and I really don't want to sacrifice another machine to make room for the Brunswick...

My wife's big "condition" is that anything coming into to the house must "look nice" - it can't look like I dragged it home from the dump...

Unless you have unlimited space and money, and are a confirmed loner or have a very understanding other-half, be selective about which machines you buy, and how much you pay for them.

Be cautious about buying / accepting machines that are missing parts or have suffered cabinet damage... unless you are handy, and have shop facilities & space, you may not be able to repair / afford to have it repaired (especially if it is a common machine that might not be worth all that much in perfect condition ).

Also be careful about using talking machines as an investment strategy... collectibles as a commodity can be very fickle.

Read, look at various phono sites like Tim Gracyck's, Phonofan, Victor-Victrola, etc.
Read books like Eric Reiss's "The Compleat Phonograph", or any of Fabrizio & Paul's excellent books; Frow's Edison machine books; Baumbach's "Look for the Dog" (Victor); and so-on...

No sense in spending hard-earned money on a machine that you don't like the looks of, or "looks great but doesn't play worth a hoot", just because it's rare or "collectible", in my estimation... there has to be something about it that means something to you...

Once you've got some ideas about which machines are interesting to you, then you can zero-in on them in terms of research for value, usability, parts, etc.

When you go shopping, carry a flashlight, cell-phone camera, and cash. If you can make friends with a "guru" that you can call in a pinch, that can help you grab a good deal, or perhaps avoid buying a real albatross...

Some random thought based on my 30+ years as a semi-active collector...

Phonofreak · Post by **Phonofreak** » Sun Mar 13, 2011 7:02 pm

I'm on a retirement budget and live within my means. I don't have deep pockets like some collectors. I buy machines on lay away and fixer-uppers. I buy what appeals to me. My collection is interesting and diverse to me. I'm not out to impress anyone. I have been lucky to find rare and desirable machines on the cheap. That's the fun of this hobby.
Harvey Kravitz

Starkton · Post by **Starkton** » Sun Mar 13, 2011 10:05 pm

Anytime it is possible to build up a nice and interesting collection if you search off the beaten path. By contrast it is not advisable to blow away your lifelong income on a stamped out playground for millionaires like Edison Class M's, Bettini products or Robert Johnson 78s.

Why not concentrate on a small, only regionally distributed or neglected brand. At the beginning there is always the diligent gathering of information, incidentally to gain advantage over potential competitors. There is still much to discover and it is easily possible to become a recognised expert if you create a new field of interest, which includes the publishing of your findings in this forum or in relevant collector's magazines.

gramophoneshane · Post by **gramophoneshane** » Sun Mar 13, 2011 10:12 pm

I'm pretty much the same as Harvey. I buy what appeals to me for a price I can afford, and couldn't care less if someone else found my collection interesting or not. I'm the one that lives with the collection 24/7.
I also like variety. I find collections that consist of nothing but Edisons &/or HMV/Victors deadly dull.

gramophoneshane · Post by **gramophoneshane** » Sun Mar 13, 2011 10:21 pm

Starkton wrote: it is easily possible to become a recognised expert

I dont believe there is such a thing

I think those who like to think they're experts or like their ego stoked would be a better discription.
Unlike a math expert who has a set of rules to work by, this field has far too many variables, and new discoveries are made all the time, so I think it's possible to be extremely knowledgible, but not an expert.

Starkton · Post by **Starkton** » Sun Mar 13, 2011 10:35 pm

gramophoneshane wrote:
Starkton wrote: it is easily possible to become a recognised expert
I dont believe there is such a thing
I think those who like to think they're experts & like their ego stoked would be a better discription.

Don't be too shy. Don't you think you are an expert yourself?

So how do you build an interesting collection?

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