Have You Ever?

[Jmcmahan67]

Have you ever bought an old talking machine just to get the records? I have not, but I’ve come very close to doing so. I just wondered if this is something others have done.

[Damfino59]

Have you ever bought an old talking machine just to get the records? I have not, but I’ve come very close to doing so. I just wondered if this is something others have done.

Oh boy do I remember the line “the records go with the Victrola!” I learned to ask first if the records were for sale? From years of attending flea markets, garage sales, antique shops, estate sales & others. Didn’t want to put all the effort digging through a cabinet, finding something interesting, only to have my efforts dashed by a grumpy dealer.

But there was the one time at an estate sale back in the 1980’s. A teens or twenties bungalow with a nice golden oak Gennett Star phonograph in the basement. The Star was $125 and the records were $1 each, separate from the phonograph. It was the second day of the sale, late afternoon with prices one half off. So I spent about thirty minutes choosing 20 records in mostly original sleeves. The majority acoustics, many Victor batwings, Brunswicks and some Gennetts. Nothing rare or extraordinary valuable. Dance music, comic songs, Billy Murray type stuff.

Well one of the workers came down and of course put a red mark sold on the price tag. I asked did the records sell too? Naw she said, we just threw them in. So that left me haggling with some woman & her daughter about the records, as the sale vendor said it wasn’t their problem. So after another thirty minutes she agreed to the original price of $1 per record. So she got her Gennett phonograph for $42.50. And I lost my dignity pleading my case, as after all I could be taking all of the valuable “victor-ola” records. I think their general plan was to eventually re-purpose the cabinet anyway. So why the hassle over the records?

As for why I didn’t buy the Gennett, I already had a nice golden oak VV-XI. And didn’t have the room in my bedroom at home as I was attending community college. And still living with my parents. Who were basically tolerant of my collecting habits. And even back then I was aware of pot metal issues with some machines.

So for me at least, it was never worthwhile to buy a machine, just to get the records. But I’ve seen other people do it at the old Union phonograph shows back in the 1980’s. Particularly a late Edison W19 with a stash of 5200’s records. But that’s another story.

[gramophone-georg]

Yes- more than once!

[Marco Gilardetti]

Have you ever bought an old talking machine just to get the records? I have not, but I’ve come very close to doing so. I just wondered if this is something others have done.

No, not really. But I remember at least one purchase where an interesting bundle of records made me definiltey lean towards buying!

The interesting thing is that they were mostly not really related to the gramophone: early rock & roll 78s, definitely stuff for radiograms!

[phonogfp]

Yes, several times!

George P.

[drh]

No, but a few years ago I did take a bunch of records I didn't want (as I recall it, beat-up second-tier big band stuff from the '40s) to get the generic storage albums that housed them.

[epigramophone]

I once bought an Edison Home in a local auction to get the 100+ cylinders, including two pink Lamberts, which came with it.
It was the logistics of posting that quantity of cylinders which deterred the internet watchers from bidding against me.
The Home was swiftly sold on (I have an Opera) and I spent several weeks auditioning the rest, which were mostly BA's including many 28000 Series, before deciding which to keep and which to sell.

[JerryVan]

I bought an Edison Banner Case Standard because it included a pink Lambert. Also, because it was a mahogany cased Standard with an automatic brake attachment. That Lambert was the icing on the cake though.

The haggling and the purchase itself was a whole other story. Multiple offers were made only to be met with "NO". At one point, the guy, (who was a longtime friend of mine), just said, "Oh, okay, I guess you don't really want it. I thought you liked these things. Just wait until I'm dead and pick it out of the trash, where my daughter will put it." When I finally hit the number he had in mind, he simply said, "Yup, that's fine, why didn't you say that in the first place?" UGH! Why wouldn't he tell me what he wanted in the first place!? In the end, I paid well enough for the machine & record. We both had a good laugh over it when all was said & done. Sadly, he has now passed on. Anyway, that's way more history than anyone asked for. Sorry...

[Jmcmahan67]

That’s a great story. I bought a Victor III about three years ago, which was my first outside horn machine. I drove seven hours to pick it up. I was surprised to learn that it came with about 50 records that were original to the machine. This included a handful of 7 inch victors as well as 5 Excelsiors and 1 Leeds gold foil. The rest were pre matrix Monarchs and a few early Columbias. The experience made the 7 Hour return drive much shorter!

[52089]

Have you ever bought an old talking machine just to get the records? I have not, but I’ve come very close to doing so. I just wondered if this is something others have done.

No, but I have bought records (Diamond Discs) before I had a correct player for them. I have also bought large lots of records just to get 1 or 2 treasures.