I am looking for any information about this crank phonograph and its value. There is no name on it. The cone has a marking of "Pat Appd for".
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A friend commissioned me to research a similar piece last year when his uncle fell ill and they needed the money for his care.
What I learned is the following:
This may be a Victor Talking Machine, but which one is not clear. It has the lines of a Type E, but the type E that I have seen does not have the fancy metal cut outs on the arm. Victor started in the early 1900s, and I am not clear on what year the E model came out. I never was able go find the old ads to verify a year.
Many of these pieces have been "doctored" over the years to keep them going, so unless you know the entire history of a piece from family history, you may never learn the entire history of the piece.
What I mean by doctored is that if a piece broke, usually the man, of the house would fashion something to keep it going. This could be any of the pieces.
The horns seen today were often not original either, as music purists say that the original horns had terrible sound quality so when they wanted to listen to their music, they often bought what we now call after market horns so they had better musical quality.
Some folks had different horns (the thing that looks like a witches hat--which they are often called by dealers) for different music.
The value on the market of these pieces is all over the place--literally from $10 to in the thousands because there are so many variables with them.
That yours is not marked is concerning, as most Victor pieces were distinctly marked. Do you see a place where a 'badge' may have fell off.
Here is a link with badge types: www.victor-victrola.com/
If you are looking to sell yours, I strongly suggest not trying it on your own, find someone in your city who specializes in these and can tell you what it is worth in today's market for your exact item.
Get several opinions--as I found people's "values" varied significantly depending on what part of town I shopped it to.
Yours appears to be in rough shape, which causes a huge devaluing, as people want those that are pristine, so do not be discouraged if they give you a low value.
I also learned there is a very big market for the pieces--so if you took it a part, the cranks can fetch $20-40, the horns $10 to $100, some of the innards (original to the piece can also fetch good money if they are intact--like nuts and bolt type pieces). This is because people have "project players" that they want to repair and they want the original pieces to do so.
After all was said and done, my friend kept the piece because it was sentimental and found other funding for his loved one. I learned a lot!! It was a fun project!
Post back what you learn about yours!!! Thanks for sharing.
That is gorgeous. Is that all one item, meaning the record-player and cabinet? I'd love to own that.
This one looks similar to yours and they are asking $755. What it says in your cone is an abbreviation for patent applied for. www.ebay.com/
Hi,
This is absolutely a beautiful piece! I am sure it will go for a high amount of money. It is so amazing to me, just to look at it, and the stories it must have been a part of in years past!
Blessings,
Robyn
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