Here is a really early gramophone from the very beginning of recorded sound, possibly the very first commercially available music machine from “The Gramophone Company”. In the book “His Master’s Gramophone” by Proudfoot and Oakley it is referred to as the “Style No.2” from 1900, however, an accompaning photograph from the original owner dates it […]
The HMV Model 97C Portable Gramophone. In 1931, the HMV and Columbia companies, that has always been keen rivals, were bought together by the EMI organisation. Gramophones continued to be made calling themselves HMV or Columbia but the first new design of portable that emerged was HMV’s model 97 and Columbia’s model 204, virtually the […]
This is a very early “portable” gramophone from about 1912. Although Decca gramophones had the reputation of being the first genuine portables, there were a few earlier ones and the “Alfresco” appears to be one of them. Christopher Proudfoot refers to the gramophone in Edition 29 of the “For the Record” magazine. The magazine of […]
This is a nice example of one of the many tin-plate toy gramophones produced in Germany in the early 1920s. probably the best known name is “Bing” from, I believe, the Bingwerke Company but this is a “Nirona” gramophone and a company that is noted for the distinctive shell-shaped horn. Although these toy gramophones do […]
It’s really annoying when the winder for your gramophone goes missing or was not there when purchased! Here are few original winders for HMV gramophones. HMV winders for the following gramophones some are suitable for more than one machine. Models; 101 (portable), 103 and 104 (Table models ), 109 (Table model) , Model 11 cabinet. […]
I have a number of Blue Amberol phonograph cylinders in stock, in good condition. These records are from the early part of the 20th century and were a great improvement on the original wax cylinders that played for only two minutes. The Blue Amberols played for four minutes and were made of celluloid and much […]
This is a mystery gramophone made in the form of a “Cameraphone” and is rather like the more usual examples like the “Peter Pan” versions and the “Cameraphone” models themselves. The logo one the inside of the lid says “Eclipse Gramophone Company, 116 Putney Bridge Road, SW.” but I can find no reference to this […]
There are many different types of sound-boxes. Ideally the one for your gramophone should be the original one with the same logo as the gramophone itself, however it is often necessary to find a replacement sound-box or to upgrade the one you have. There are two main types of sound-box, the standard one as found […]
Collectors will be familiar with early wind-up gramophones which play, in general, 78 rpm discs. Some will have found the earlier phonographs that were developed, if not invented, by Thomas Edison and these play cylinder records. Originally cylinder machines were the first to be available to play recorded music and voices, but cylinders were difficult […]
This is an interesting and particularly attractive portable gramophone known as the “Folding Apollo” from 1921, (Proudfoot’s book, Collecting Phonographs and Gramophones) and made in a teak case. Like some of the early Decca models this gramophone uses the idea of reflecting the sound from a short tone arm against the back of the machine […]