Cute little mysterious phonograph

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Zenger
Victor II
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Cute little mysterious phonograph

Post by Zenger »

For a summer project I've been going through some of my machines in storage and have come across a few that have puzzled me ever since I found them. This one has no markings at all, save for the reproducer, which says "Universal Talking Machine." Is it a Zonophone? If so, what model? (And is there a site somewhere that describes all the various Zonophone models, with pictures?) If not, what might it be?

(Oh, and for scale, that's a 7" turntable.)

Thanks!
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phonogfp
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Re: Cute little mysterious phonograph

Post by phonogfp »

That appears to be a Type D Zonophone with an incorrect crank Several articles on Zonophones have appeared in the APS magazine over the years. They have also been covered in several books such as Reiss and the Fabrizio-Paul books.

George P.
Last edited by phonogfp on Tue Aug 13, 2024 8:47 pm, edited 1 time in total.

JerryVan
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Re: Cute little mysterious phonograph

Post by JerryVan »

Yes, it's a Zonophone. Looks very much like a Model D.

Ha! George beat me...

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gramophone-georg
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Re: Cute little mysterious phonograph

Post by gramophone-georg »

JerryVan wrote: Tue Aug 13, 2024 8:46 pm Yes, it's a Zonophone. Looks very much like a Model D.

Ha! George beat me...
He beat you? And you let him?
Do you guys do this often?
On the other hand- I don't wanna know, really. :lol:
"He who dies with the most shellac wins"- some nutty record geek

I got PTSD from Peter F's avatar

Zenger
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Re: Cute little mysterious phonograph

Post by Zenger »

Thanks! It didn't have a crank when I found it, so I used whatever was handy. If someone could post a picture of what it's supposed to look like, I would appreciate it. (And if anyone has one to sell -- original or repro -- please let me know!)

When would this have been made?

JerryVan
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Re: Cute little mysterious phonograph

Post by JerryVan »

Zenger wrote: Tue Aug 13, 2024 9:31 pm Thanks! It didn't have a crank when I found it, so I used whatever was handy. If someone could post a picture of what it's supposed to look like, I would appreciate it. (And if anyone has one to sell -- original or repro -- please let me know!)

When would this have been made?
See if this one is right for you... https://www.ebay.com/itm/222821670802?_ ... R56jmJaqZA

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Zwebie
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Re: Cute little mysterious phonograph

Post by Zwebie »

Hi Jerry,

It's a Zonophone Type "D" as others have stated.

Here are pictures of the crank on mine.

JAS Antique Phonograph on Ebay sells the correct replacement:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/323049136987?_ ... R-Tmhr2rZA

Cheers, Bob S.
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phonojim
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Re: Cute little mysterious phonograph

Post by phonojim »

Those original Zonophone cranks are very hard to find and expensive. I would consider a repro by Justin. I bought one for a Victor II and am very impressed with his work.

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