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Fate of Phonographs
Posted: Fri May 04, 2012 4:32 pm
by USlakeside
I believe this has been brought up before, but if you were wondering what happened to many phonographs, this fishing device is an example of how some were repurposed. I can't post a pic from this computer.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/VINTAGE-HOME-MA ... 703wt_1165
Re: Fate of Phonographs
Posted: Fri May 04, 2012 4:50 pm
by premis2
Many phonographs were scrapped during WWII scrap drives. The cabinets were ground up and turned into chip board for manufacturing wood items for the military. Just think, that vintage WWII army surplus chair your sitting on may have been a Victrola XX at one time!
My 4 spring motor came from a VV 120 stored in a garage that lost in a floor space occupy contest with a Ford F-150
Re: Fate of Phonographs
Posted: Fri May 04, 2012 5:40 pm
by Bruce_Van_Note
<<Just think, that vintage WWII army surplus chair your sitting on may have been a Victrola XX at one time!>>
I just got sick!
Re: Fate of Phonographs
Posted: Fri May 04, 2012 5:48 pm
by Rexophone
So go all old things. I have a retired friend who collects old telephones. He breaks into a sweat when he remembers as a young telephone company employee chopping up solid oak and walnut wall phones with an ax to retrieve the magneto magnets.
I knew another guy in the 1970s who collected antique phonos at that time. He remembered as a youth in the late 1920s seeing a warehouse of phonographs that had been traded in for new radios. The store owner told him that they had no value and were on their way to the dump.
Fifty years from now collectors will be very angry with us for throwing away non-flat-screen TVs because they are heavy and old fashioned.
Steve
Re: Fate of Phonographs
Posted: Fri May 04, 2012 7:35 pm
by estott
If you've got to trash a machine for a trolling motor at least someone did a good quality job. It's a Swiss motor, possibly a Heineman import. I've seen quite a few, commonly the speed control or governor is removed or modified to provide more power. I've seen one where part of the case was made from the mahogany cabinet doors.
Re: Fate of Phonographs
Posted: Sat May 05, 2012 2:08 am
by premis2
Rexophone wrote:
Fifty years from now collectors will be very angry with us for throwing away non-flat-screen TVs because they are heavy and old fashioned.
Steve
Where is the "Back to the Future Team" when you need them. I have two highly collectible CRT TVs in my basement just waiting for someone to scoop them up and hang on to em for 50 or so years. Early birds get the worm!
Re: Fate of Phonographs
Posted: Sat May 05, 2012 10:01 am
by Rexophone
Yes, my neighbor and me has two very large expensive CRT TVs that we could not convince even my son's poor college student friends to take for free. If poor college students don't want them, that is saying something.
Re: Fate of Phonographs
Posted: Sat May 05, 2012 10:11 am
by Rexophone
Rexophone wrote:Yes, my neighbor and me has two very large expensive CRT TVs that we could not convince even my son's poor college student friends to take for free. If poor college students don't want them, that is saying something.
Man, that's bad grammar. I need to proof read before I hit Submit.
Re: Fate of Phonographs
Posted: Sat May 05, 2012 10:35 am
by Jerry B.
About fifteen years ago I bought about a dozen common Victrola motors that had been slightly modified by the Monsanto (sp?) Chemical Company for some purpose. Jerry
Re: Fate of Phonographs
Posted: Sat May 05, 2012 12:10 pm
by gramophone78
Sometimes the unfortunate fate of machines being destroyed is not always in the past tense. When I saw three rooms full like this......I had to get medical attention. In fact, I'm still in therapy over that incident....

. Fortunately, I can no longer find the pics of the other two rooms at were filled. There were over 78 machines in the three rooms and so many parts everywhere. Note the mahogany Vic. 5 on the floor (next to the oak 5) in pic #9. I had to pass on buying all this. The seller made it clear that it was a "all or nothing" deal. However, since I had flown down to just see this. I was able to find and buy in all this a mint (hard to believe) Edison spruce horn. It was the only Edison piece in all this mess. I guess that's why he let it go separately...????.