The Talking Machine Forum — For All Antique Phonographs & Recordings

Part 1. Currently in France there is an empty cabinet for sale. This was a sturdy and very decorative model often for public places, operated by coin. there was a version with spring motor, and another with electric setup. The mechanics were unique to these models. Thus an empty cabinet has a minimal chance of being correctly and accurately being completed.

This one is for the electric setup

Part 2, The difference is that the spring motor version had a huge handle sticking out the front, and with the electric version, the front decoration had no winding hole - as above. BTW, seller is taking offers for the empty cabinet - apparently now around 1500 euro.

Phonomuseum Paris has a fine spring operated one, the winder visible at the bottom of the pressed steel decoration
And here another

Part 3. Hopefully someone has the electric mechanism, and there is a happy union

However - a needle in a haystack
and another
with a fair description from the auctioneer

Large Pathé-ConcertCafé Gramophone, 1909 Floor model, formerly coin-operated machine (some parts thereof remaining), tone-arm and reproducer replaced . We can't guarantee that the motor is original.It's made of pressed tin, original paint, but faded, signed by the artist.The size of the gramophone: height ~173cm x width ~80cm x ~73cm (weight ~80kg). for lateral shellac discs, good playing condition !

This was no doubt an empty cabinet

Thank you for posting. I have always thought this was the most decorative Art Nouveau coin-op machine with its bold maiden playing the lyre.

Presumably the only way to complete this would be to have the parts made but the electric motor would present a special problem.

I’m curios, where would the coin slot have been on the empty cabinet that is currently for sale? The other machines show it at the front or at the side. The empty cabinet appears to have neither.

Yes, I was also wondering that , also that the side door is also different - being quite plain.

Increasing my knowledge: Seems there was one without coinop in the 1914 catalog. May be easier to complete if this the case. However from the last auction prices I have seen - around 4600 for a complete electric coin op one, 2500 for a slightly botched spring motor version, one could probably get a fairly nice result from the empty cabinet?

A really beautiful gramophone.

It reminds me of the way in which large 'music boxes' were created / presented.