There are many auction houses around the world and each with different criteria on what they will take in for consignment. There are a few questions you should ask yourself before choosing an auction. In this article I will go over some of them and provide some tips to help you in your choice. … [Read more...]
The History of the Edison Cylinder Phonograph
Thomas Edison's work on two other inventions, the telegraph and the telephone as a result of this the phonograph was invented. In 1877, Edison was working on a machine that would transcribe telegraphic messages through indentations on paper tape, which could later be sent over the telegraph repeatedly. This development led Edison to wonder if a telephone message could also be recorded in a similar fashion. He experimented with a diaphragm which had an embossing point and was held against … [Read more...]
The Edison Opera Phonograph
The Edison opera was introduced in November 1911. This superior Edison phonograph was said to have given the best sound of any cylinder or disc machine. This phonograph had a horn-reproducer assembly which made it immobile. The cylinder would move under the stylus. This would produce very little mechanical noise. The reproducer was suspended over the cylinder record by its own output tube. This tube was held in the neck of the horn support by a knurled screw. To play a cylinder record you would … [Read more...]
The Victor Talking Machine Company from 1901-1929
The Victor Talking Machine Company was founded by Eldridge Johnson in 1901, and quickly became a main player in the quickly growing phonograph market. Johnson had been active in the phonograph business as a motor supplier for several years earlier, and had learned an immense deal about the emerging home entertainment market. At the turn of the century, all phonographs used a large external horn to "amplify" the playback sound. Although this system worked quite well, the stark horn tended to … [Read more...]
Antique Furniture Styles, the Last 200 Years
There have been many types of furniture styles over the years. When a style would make it's entrance into the market it was almost immediately reproduced. There are many fake antiques out there and your best line of defense against them is to know the product you are buying and to do your research or to ask someone that does, to help you. In this article I have explained the different styles of furniture from 1700s - present. … [Read more...]
Character cookie jars worth more than just cookies
Cookie jars like cookbooks offer endless variety. The plain 1930s era stoneware jars were ultimately replaced by figures of every type like fruits including a pineapple, hippos, lions, cartoon characters, bears, windmills, houses, clowns, angels, leprechauns, barns, shapes and just about anything else you could picture. The initial figural cookie jars were decorated over their glaze with a cold paint, but by the 1940s an under glaze decorating technique was developed that produced bright, … [Read more...]
Going Once, Going Twice, Sold: The Ins and Outs of First Time Bidding
For the first time bidder the experience of your first auction can be both exciting and nerve racking. Auctions move fast this is for three reasons. First, there are many lots in a auction that need to be sold in a timely manner usually just a few hours. Second, forcing bidders to make tfast decisions. This is part of the strategy of auction marketing. Aggressive bidding is what makes an auction successful. Third a good chant makes the auction entertaining for the bidders holding there … [Read more...]
The difference between antique, vintage, and collectible item.
Read our more comprehensive guide to what makes something antique, collectible or vintage here. There has been a debate over what an antique is for years. Some say an Antique is: An object of considerable age valued for its aesthetic or historical significance. In the antiques trade, the term refers to objects more than 100 years old. … [Read more...]
Hupfeld Phonoliszt Violina the 8th Wonder of the world
Hupfeld's 'violin player' was one of the marvels at the World's Exhibition of 1910 in Brussels. The Hupfeld Phonoliszt Violina was made in Germany by Ludwig Hupfeld. Hupfeld was the world's leading manufacturer of automatic pianos and orchestrions, 1892-1930. They also made rolls circa 1934. Founded in 1892 when Ludwig Hupfeld took over J.M Grob & CO. ultimately employed over 2500 people in several factories, the largest including about 1 million square feet of floor space. … [Read more...]
The Victrola XVIII the Top-of the line in Phonographs
In the ten years since the introduction of the Victrola , the company executives has noted with delight the gradual shift in public preference towards the more expensive offerings in their product line. Since the demise of the Victrola XX in 1909, the Victrola XVI, which sold for $200.00 (except for the special order instruments), was the top-of-the-line. In June of 1915 Victor recognized the apparent demand for expensive phonographs by introducing the Victrola XVIII. … [Read more...]
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