1895 Berliner Hand Wind Gramophone In Original Box With Original Strap Reproducer & Original Funnel Horn
$25,000.00
Ships Worldwide.
As the history of recorded sound goes, this machine is pretty much where it all began. Yes, Edison invented the Tin Foil phonograph in 1877 and “perfected” it it about a dozen years later, but Edison’s phonographs recorded and replayed sound on a cylinder, not a disc, and Edison’s earliest phonographs were used largely for demonstrations and for office work, such as dictation. It was Emile Berliner, a visionary whose genius extended far beyond the realm of recorded sound, who put into motion technology that would forever change the face of entertainment. Namely — the flat disc record and the machine with which to play it.
Condition of this original Berliner hand wind Gramophone is very good throughout, and the phonograph’s funnel horn and strap reproducer (steel, not pot metal) are about as nice as you’ll find anywhere. The original green felt is still intact on the turntable, the horn support, and the underside of the record clamp, and both drive pulleys are working properly. No damage to the gutta percha stanchion that supports the traveling arm, nor is there any damage to the metal tonearm rest. Clean drive crank, with an undamaged handle and undamaged threads. The early record clamp threads easily onto the spindle, and the turntable revolves smoothly. Clean, original, fully legible ID tag mounted to the baseboard, which is also clean and original. The wood shipping/carrying box is in good condition given its age and utility, with normal signs of wear consistent with authenticity. The leather horn elbow is worn and fragile, with some broken stitches, but it’s original and displays nicely on the machine.
The drive cord on the pulleys has been replaced, and there’s a professionally repaired and reinforced hairline fracture in the gutta percha clip that secures the reproducer to the traveling arm. The screw and nut that secure the tonearm rest to the baseboard have been replaced, and the baseboard is set up to accommodate the copper-flashed single-piece mech. that’s mounted on it, as well as the earlier two piece, enameled mech., which was bolted to the baseboard rather than screwed into it. The bolt holes are visible on either side of the turntable’s pulley mount.
SOLD