(Repro) Tinfoil on eBay!

[Blimpy]

A "fanatic" in Holland made this in 1990, along with 10 others. It's selling for $2500 for those tinfoil lovers!

http://cgi.ebay.com/EDISON-TINFOIL-PHON ... 864wt_1165

[1923VictorFan]

Hmmmm, that's kind of cool but $2,500.00 ????
It's not THAT cool!

[TinfoilPhono]

It's very attractive but I'd like it better if it were a real reproduction of an existing original. It's really just an interpretation based on the standard design of all tinfoils -- two upright supports, a shaft and mandrel, and a recorder/reproducer. It's not a copy of anything that existed back in the day, just a generic representation.

Edit to add: given the cost of making a quality replica, the price is not really out of line even if it is a fantasy design. Even reproduction tinfoils take a lot of work to make a good one, and those are never cheap.

[brianu]

I've been amazed at what I've seen those reproductions sell for over the past few years. although I don't really use that particular seller as a reasonable gauge for pricing in general... he does offer some pretty nice and unusual machines, but the prices, it's like that place, musicial treasures of miami, but of europe.

[VintageTechnologies]

Guido's prices are high, but I will vouch for his integrity. He is a great guy to do business with.

[brianu]

I was strictly referring to the pricing, nothing else.

[MTPhono]

It's a beautiful faux-tinfoil example. I'd proudly display it my collection though the price does seem a little high.

I've dealt with Guido a number of times and his prices are rarely cheap. Personally he seems like a good guy and his shipping crates are works of art. I believe his pricing may reflect the US$ vs the Euro.

Rene - any idea who made this? Was it the same guy who made the Hardy of the same period?

[TinfoilPhono]

I have no idea of the story behind this one; this is the first of its kind that I've seen. But it does appear nicely made and decorated.

I'm sure the pricing is affected by the hideous exchange rate; it has to be. The Euro is just about 50% more expensive relative to the dollar today than it was when it was introduced in 2002, and for some time thereafter. I bought a lot of phonographs in Europe -- including from Guido -- before the dollar tanked. Today I simply can't afford it. A 50% premium just for the exchange turns a fair price into a high one.

I hate to even think of what my original Hardy tinfoil would cost me at the current exchange!