The Talking Machine Forum — For All Antique Phonographs & Recordings

My better half asked me a question last night that I honestly cound not give a good honest answer to in regards to my 30 years plus of collecting talking machines, mainly Edison because we live near West Orange New Jersey. And she puts up with my hobby even when I decided to build a heated pole-barn to display my growing collection in. She has also become quite knowledgeable about these machines in general over the years and has learned how to use them and enjoy them. Her question to me last evening is why the simple and poor sounding, fairly common, cheapo Edison Gem seems to sell for so much money on EBay and other auction sites? Now please understand, she was not talking about the maroon Gem, or the odd balls and rarities. Just the common BLACK crank or key wind Gem. We have seen them go for upwards of $800 plus without a horn or with a repro horn! I remember when I started collecting back around 1980 I coundn't give these macines away, now look? I'm just throwing this question out for her to see what you all think about the black Edison Gem.....

The Gem sold in quite small number in the United States. I once saw an order placed by an Edison jobber for about two hundred machines. Ninety percent of the order was fairly equally divided between Standards and Homes and the remaining ten percent was split between Gems and Triumphs. I know that is only one order but it indicates how small sales were for Gems.

We all know that Gems suffer from noisy weak motors and a small horn but they are so charming. I use my Model B Gem, with four minute gearing, as my machine of choice when I travel. The motor is a bit noisy but it regulates accurately and it plays through a four minute cylinder easily. There's nothing like watching Independence Day fireworks while playing Sousa's Star and Stripes Forever on the Gem. It even provided music for our Son's wedding. I coupled the little Gem with a five foot all brass auditorium horn and played Mendelssohn's wedding music. The wedding was held at a little fishing cabin along the Little Santiam River in the Cascade Mountains in Oregon. It was perfect. Jerry Blais

It seems like most of the GEMs that have sold recently were in very good condition with excellent pin stripe. Most GEMs I have run into over the past 20 years were not in that great of condition.

On a side note, I used to own a GEM B and was on pins and needles every time I cranked it up because it sounded like it was ready to break. The spring finally snapped and that was it, time to go!

I have a GEM ICS Model E and a Gem Model D but never play them because they are just to fragile to use.

Gems are popular because they display well and do not take up much space. Any machine in excellent unrestored condition brings a premium. Stephen Madara

Stephen_Madara wrote:Gems are popular because they display well and do not take up much space. Any machine in excellent unrestored condition brings a premium. Stephen Madara

Is that the same horn in both pics? If so, I bet Transitions glasses got their idea from that horn! Nice setup!

Where can you buy those beautiful glass horns anyway? Maybe at the Wayne N.J. show in April?

Somebody was selling these at Wayne this past October...perhaps it was Steve himself?

Sean

they're not cheap though... even at a fairly recent auction around here where a number of phonographs and related items were selling in many cases for ridiculous (low) prices, the reproduction glass horn that was there still went for close to a thousand.

Yes I sold my horns at the Orlando, Union and Wayne phonograph shows this year. I will have some with me at the upcoming Orlando show in January. I have an ad coming out in the next issue of Maps and hope to have my website up and running. My prices are very reasonable starting at $375.00 which is well under what reproductions are bringing at auction. Stephen Madara

briankeith wrote:Where can you buy those beautiful glass horns anyway? Maybe at the Wayne N.J. show in April?

Thank you hope you are still enjoying the aluminum horn you got at Wayne.....SM