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If you're an uncompromising collector of antique technology, make sure to check out all my listings after you look at this one. I don't think you'll find a better, broader or more balanced assortment of technical antiques anywhere -- hundreds of listings each year, almost all of them featuring eye-popping "gee whiz" gadgetry in exceptional original condition. And don't forget, you can click this link to quickly add and then save me to your favorite seller list and will automatically send you updates when I put similar new sales online.
Here's a beautiful, all-original Berliner Improved Gramophone manufactured in New York in the late 1890's. Included with it is an early Berliner recording of John Philip Sousa's band playing Loin Du Bal.
Condition of the phonograph is excellent, and it's in good working order, with an undamaged fiber gear, clean original turntable felt, a smooth original cabinet finish, a nearly perfect original cabinet decal, and a turntable that runs level.
All parts are original, and all parts are correct. Horn paint is original, and the horn itself is straight, with just scattered minor dings consistent with age and authenticity. The horn elbow has a couple of broken stitches near the crook, but it's still well-formed and holds the horn securely. The crank is reasonably clean, with no damage to the slot. The Clark-Johnson reproducer is guaranteed to be 100% original, and it's exceptional -- probably the nicest original Berliner sound box I've ever seen.
As you can see in the accompanying photos, the original instruction sheet on the underside of the base is approximately 50% intact, which may seem less than ideal at first glance, but typically the sheet is gone in its entirety, Even at 50% it makes for interesting reading.
The machine runs well given its age and its design, and it will play through an entire 7" record when fully wound, which is more than you can say for most early Berliner machines.
I'm one 's best known and most highly regarded sellers of antique phonographs. I've been selling and shipping them for more than 25 years. When you purchase an antique phonograph from me, you'll receive a phonograph that arrives safely because it's been carefully packed (by me, not by some well-intentioned but nonetheless confounded, doe-eyed teenager working at the UPS store who wouldn't know a phonograph from a farm tool), and you'll receive a phonograph that includes thorough but easy-to-understand set-up and operating instructions, so you won't be left scratching your head, trying to figure out how it works. Sure, you can probably get a lower price from Joe and Janet Barn-Find, but when your "bargain" arrives broken, and without any hint of how it works or how you might be able to put it back together, you'll realize that you really do get exactly what you pay for.
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