1901 Zon-O-Phone “C” Phonograph With Scarce Original Eureka Carrying Case
$4,250.00
1901 Zon-O-Phone “C” Phonograph With Scarce Original Eureka Carrying Case
The Zonophone line-up in 1901 consisted of 4 lettered phonographs (A, B, C, D) and an optional Eureka Carrying Case that could accommodate any of those four machines in their entirety.
Early lettered Zonophones are uncommon, but the Eureka Carrying Case is so infrequently seen that most Zonophone collectors aren’t even aware of its existence. It’s ruggedly constructed, reasonably compact and has room for the complete phonograph (horn included) as well as dozens of records.
The phonograph itself is in excellent condition, with no replica parts, and an original Japanned horn that has no dings or dents. Runs well, and for a phonograph manufactured during the Berliner era, it runs quietly. Beautiful cabinet, with a smooth original finish and a legible celluloid Zon-O-Phone tag on the back. Crank has areas of oxidation and pitting, as does the support arm, but nickel wear is endemic to these early Zon-O-Phones, and the wear you see on this example is less than you typically encounter.
Original Zonophone V Concert reproducer has its original needle bar and is in good working order. The Concert V was an upgrade over the V, as you can see in the 2nd to last phonograph, a catalog cut from the 1901 Iver Johnson catalog in which the phonograph and carrying case are featured.
The Eureka case is in very good condition, and it’s still sturdy enough to be used as both a housing for the phonograph and a perch on which the phonograph can be placed and played. Every piece of the phonograph has a dedicated space in the Eureka case, as you can see in the first few photographs. The reproducer slips into a form at the bottom of the base. Once the reproducer has been seated, a clip keeps it from moving. The horn then slides into a pair of brackets, immobilizing its bell, which covers and protects the reproducer; the phonograph slides into a channel on the side, stopping short just before it makes contact with the side of the horn. The traveling arm and crank components have slot into retainers on the underside of the lid. Three posts on the interior sides hold more than a dozen records each.
A leather retaining strip has been replaced on the underside of the lid, but the case is otherwise complete and correct, with all of its original blocking forms, and it still has its original lock and key.
Overall, an exceptional and unique TechnoGallerie offering that you will likely never see surface anywhere again.
SOLD
