The Talking Machine Forum — For All Antique Phonographs & Recordings

I absolutely love everything about the maroon Edison Gems!
I know a few of you have them. Mine is a model D that's either been factory or collector modded into a model E (small carriage with a H reproducer and 4 minute-only gearing) It's loud and clear and plays consistently with little regular maintenence.

I got really lucky at Wayne Fall 2023 when I found it, and I wasn't even looking for one. It was a total basket case. I bought it from Charley Hummel's remaining estate. A bad earlier refinish had flaked off and was beginning to rust in some spots. It was siezed up and the spring was rusted with a full wind, but complete (minus the Model H and a horn)
It was a perfect candiate for a full resoration, which I performed myself in May of last year. I bought a newly rebuilt Model H from Wyatt, and found it a nice repro Gem picnic horn (the short one, which I hear is very rare) paired nicely with it. It's been the heart of my small collection ever since.

I will start a new thread of the restoration I did, from bringing the machine home to the first video of it playing a cylinder once it was complete.

Show me YOUR Gems, I love hearing stories about how you came across them.

Wow! You've done a great job. I've seen so many where the color is just a shade off. Yours appears to be spot-on!


Here is mine...

I was lucky when I found mine in the Wayne NJ parking lot back in October 2016. A longtime collector (who sadly is no longer with us) was selling items out of his collection. This Gem had many years of dust and grime on it, but any experienced collector could see that it would clean up well. And that's all I had to do to it, other than lubrication and rebuilding the Model K Reproducer. I was pleased that it came with a one-piece "Fireside" horn, which are typically (always?) factory-repainted maroon over black. That treatment holds up pretty well over the years if not abused or exposed to temperature extremes. The paint is all-original, and the horn matches the machine better in real life than in these pictures.

George P.

Sonicfeather --- can we please see better pictures of your "repro Gem picnic horn (the short one, which I hear is very rare)"? Your horn looks like a common, black, eight-panel, Edison Gem horn. What is different about yours that makes it rare? I've never heard the term "picnic horn" either. What does that term denote, and can you provide a picture of an original? Thank you for any insight about this horn you can provide!

Thanks for starting this thread,
Bob

Beautiful machines! Here's mine.--a Model D with a Model K combination reproducer. I got it at auction about 10 years ago for a relatively low price. It's in beautiful condition. That said, the horn looks like a reproduction, or it may have been aggressively repainted. The horn lacks the translucence I've seen in original examples. The crane is a reproduction.

It plays wonderfully.

Thanks for starting this thread! I have a "thing" for Gems and have managed to collect all but the elusive, (and expensive), Model E. There are some nice examples here. Hope to see more!

Here is one of the rarest of the rare!

Here is one of the rarest of the rare!

JerryVan wrote: Fri Jun 06, 2025 6:23 pm Wow! You've done a great job. I've seen so many where the color is just a shade off. Yours appears to be spot-on!


Here is mine...

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Thank you! It's actually a combination of color and 2 coats of orange flake shellac. I was lucky enough to to have the original preserved color under the ID tag, and matched that. What you see, is how they appeared when brand new.

phonogfp wrote: Fri Jun 06, 2025 7:03 pm I was lucky when I found mine in the Wayne NJ parking lot back in October 2016. A longtime collector (who sadly is no longer with us) was selling items out of his collection. This Gem had many years of dust and grime on it, but any experienced collector could see that it would clean up well. And that's all I had to do to it, other than lubrication and rebuilding the Model K Reproducer. I was pleased that it came with a one-piece "Fireside" horn, which are typically (always?) factory-repainted maroon over black. That treatment holds up pretty well over the years if not abused or exposed to temperature extremes. The paint is all-original, and the horn matches the machine better in real life than in these pictures.

George P.

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George, I love your Model D (yours is only a couple numbers earlier than mine)

I've never heard the story about how you got yours until now.