The Talking Machine Forum — For All Antique Phonographs & Recordings

Just bought an Edison Business Machine Model D and was wondering what it was valued at. The condition is excelent and the machine appears to be complete. It has both the reproducer and recorder. The motor runs well and all things appear to work properly. Would appreciate any and all feedback.

rgordon939 wrote: wondering what it was valued at.

What did you pay?

very nice. I would like to get ahold of one of those. Yes, curious what you paid. I'm not sure of value, haven't had the pleasure of messing with them yet.

I have one of these. Your looks to be a 1908-1909 Model. I have a 1907 Model C. Last one of yours I saw on Ebay went for over $900.00, and yours is in Better condition, though it had the Horn attachments which are extremely rare to find, and yours is missing. Someone could make a nice amount of money making repro horns and attachments for these. Conservatively, I would say around $700.00 easy. Basically though it's pretty useless.. You can't really play anything on it, except record your voice, and play it back. The rpm range is 80rpms I think which is really slow compared to 160 rpm machines. Blanks come up on ebay all the time, but actual "recorded" voices or training cylinders are rare and get a nice penny when thet come up. I only have one of these. It looks like a Blue Amberol, but Black in color and 6" inches long. It's mostly a static museum piece..not much fun.. like a regular 2 minute or 4 minute Edison machine which sells for much, much less. They are pretty much for the "Die-Hard" Edison collector that has to have everything.

Tony K.
Melbourne, FL

Has yours the square electric motor with tha cast aluminum frame marked "EDISON" in lock letters, or has the original motor been replaced with on of the later "Ekonowatt" units? The Business Machines were difficult to sell, at least until the lastt few years, when interest in these phonographs has increased. I've been looking for one of the early motors for my ALVA for several
years, now. They don't seem to turn up any more. I'd figure that the motor and resistor should be worth $500 or $600 to a gink like me. I still curse the old time collector who replaced the correct motor in my machine with an Ekonowatt unit because he was too cheap to send the original to an electric motor shop to have the commutator properly serviced.

I just think these are beautiful machines, and the spectacle device, is pretty awesome I would love to have one. Nice buy, If you are really good at recording, you actually can make decent records on these, to be honest, if you rebuild the recorder, but you will want to record and reproduce with horns, rather than ear and speaking tubes, although listening with a speaking tube is pretty kewel. You can make a recording horn of poster board, and a copper fitting on the end, about 30" long and 6" at the bell, and you will make some decent cuts.

To the poster "Uncle Vanya" above, The Edison business phonograph machines were made in both mechanical (like 2 and 4 minute machines)and electrical units. I think that it was much 50/50 seeing as I see as many Electrical ones as I do mechanical ones. They were made mechanical and/or electrical even from the very first Business machine model. I'd rather have the mechanical model which I do have because there is no chance of having a fire!

Tony K.
Melbourne, FL

NEFaurora wrote:To the poster "Uncle Vanya" above, The Edison business phonograph machines were made in both mechanical (like 2 and 4 minute machines)and electrical units. I think that it was much 50/50 seeing as I see as many Electrical ones as I do mechanical ones. They were made mechanical and/or electrical even from the very first Business machine model. I'd rather have the mechanical model which I do have because there is no chance of having a fire!

Tony K.
Melbourne, FL

Yes, but the early electric motor models shared the Holzer-Cabot motor with the Alva entertainment phonograph. After 1909 or 1910 Edison used their own "Ekonowatt" branded motors in their electric motored business phonographs. The new motor was also installed in many factory built machines. The older motor, a unit with squarish polished cast aluminum frame branded "EDISON" in block letters, is correct for the bodel B, C, and D Alva electric motor phonographs.


The Alva is a very desirableand rather scarce macine, being a Triumph mechanism fitted with an electric motor. These machines were originally generally sold only for advertising work, and almost every original example is fitted with a repeater. Dealers were strongly discouraged from selling the Alva for entertainment purposes because the electric motor was not steady enough for the entirely satisfactory reproduction of music. When this motor powers a phonograph, a sudden line voltage change of as little as five volts will noticably affect reproduction, and the electric distribution systems of the day commonly did not regulate very well. On a modern electric service these motors perform splendidly.