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Congratulations George! I look forward to seeing what it looks like when you're done with it. Boy, maybe I need to get out more...

Thanks, friends. Had it appeared on our front porch I couldn't have been more surprised. Well...maybe a little... That is indeed a quick-release lever on the Exhibition. It's frozen up, as is the horn elbow clamp plate and screw. Looks like it spent many years in a barn or a cellar. George P.

That appears to be a quick-release lever on the Exhibition, too.

Nice Saturday surprise indeed! Congratulations!

Congratulations George!

I like a bargain as much as the next guy, but in good conscience I couldn't pay only $30 for this at a garage sale, much less at a church sale! George P.

Maybe I should start going to church again! What a find. It should clean up real nice, as the saying goes. Congrats!

If you had attended our church sale for the last 5 or 6 years, you could have purchased a phongraph there as well. Not one as collectable as this one, however, and nowhere near that cheap. Wow!! For several years I donated a phonograph to our church sale. Two reasons; 1. The buyer was always excited and overjoyed to get it, which was fun to see, 2. Our church ladies had a way of getting prices for them that I never could, so my small donation netted a nice profit for the parish. Everyone's happy.... but maybe not as happy as you are with your find. (Kudos, by the way, for "correcting" them on the pricing.)

What would you do if, while walking through a church rummage sale, you saw this? At a church rummage sale??? Unbelievable. Sure, it's crusty, and parts are rusty, the turntable felt is roached, the slip-on crank and a couple of the column capitals are missing. But check this out: I felt like I was back in the 1960s. Who in their right mind priced this? The church ladies were astonished when I paid them several times their price for this. Everybody's happy. George P.

The late Allen Koenigsberg extensively documented this diorama feature at the 1915 Exposition (world's fair). This LINK will render a “directory-tree-like-structure” allowing the viewer to “point-and-click” for review and / or download the transfers of the 2-minute BA’s for Zone D and Zone G, used in the PPIE Diorama exhibit or to review documentation. View PPIE Grounds Map Diorama in grouping 87 – 91 Reference also: https://forum.antiquephono.org/topic/835-victor-talking-machine-co-pavilion/#comment-3769 for a topic René posted reference the Victor Talking Machine Co. a unique domed building: "For the 1915 Panama-Pacific International Exhibition (world's fair) in San Francisco, the Victor Talking Machine Co. constructed a unique domed building to house exhibits and demonstration halls. Despite promotional pictures that implied it was a stand-alone building, in reality it was built inside the massive Liberal Arts Building (see photo below). At the close of the fair, the pavilion was sold (along with many other buildings and architectural features). The Victor building was loaded onto a ferry and moved to San Rafael, north of the Golden Gate. There it served for decades as a community center. I had been there several times and never knew it was the Victor building until much later."

Of the 10 private BA’s from the 1915 recording session for Henry Ford, contributors have provided transfers of 4. Although all 10 are in the Henry Ford Museum, Henry was known to have duplicates recorded and given to local schools which are likely the source for these. There were 17 private BA’s from the 1925 recording session with 4 later being cataloged and offered for sale on BA. Some may have also later become available on disc. One, not released on BA has been transferred as well. This LINK will render a “directory-tree-like-structure” allowing the viewer to “point-and-click” for review and / or download.

Thanks for posting the link, great info!

Wow, Dan. I'm so glad you bought that record and did this video showing it off! The sound quality is superb, and I loved the graphics (especially the variety of colorful Columbia sleeves)! What will you do next???

Very interesting! Thanks for posting. This is the first and only time I ever heard “Vallee” pronounced like “valet.” Usually it’s “valley.” Note, also, that he sings the lyric “…let’s go to bed,” but on the label, it’s “…let’s go to sleep.” Quite a distinction there! Rudy spiced it up a bit. How many remember Kate Smith? Some of us old-timers recall that her recording of “God Bless America” was played at Philadelphia Flyers hockey games. I played trombone in the stage band that accompanied her when she appeared at the Allentown Fair back in the early 1970s. She didn’t read a note of music, but boy, she had an ego to match her considerable bulk. You meet all kinds in the music business.

Most welcome, Rene. I like these odd records. I found it at the Midwest APS expo.

What a fascinating record! I was not aware of this one. These must be super-rare given the incredibly limited distribution. And great video presentation as well. Thanks for posting this.

In light of the Gem being equipped with the 19-inch black flower horn as of October 1907, and virtually all subsequent Gem Bs and Cs (ICS machines excepted) being so equipped, it's HIGHLY unlikely that the factory would have shipped a Gem D (introduced in October 1909) with a 10" conical horn. Gems were never factory-shipped with "witches hat" horns. George P.

Hello, Has there ever been a documented case where a Red/Maroon GEM has been factory shipped with a small black horn, whether witch hat or conical? (anything other than red etc) Or have they only been supplied with the mutli-panel red versions. I'd wish I could find pictures to support this. Wayne

I've posted quite a few videos over the last couple of weeks. Perhaps too many in such a short time frame. But, I had some interesting and rare records I just wanted to share. This one is a record intended to entice record store dealers to purchase and sell the new 1932 Columbia Royal Blue records. I always find these specialized records fun to hear. In this case you see how a company it trying to get new business right in the middle of the 1930s Great Depression. I hope some of you enjoy this as much as I do.

An excellent teaching aid, Mark! George P.

I posted this in other Forums, but also wanted to share it here. So, I am sure some of you are asking WHY??? Here is the background. Every 2 years, the Hoosier Antique Phonograph Society (HAPS) is invited to Rose-Hulman to participation in Dr. David Chapman’s class, MUSI H204 – Popular Music and Recorded Sound with an all-day phonograph meet & greet. This September will be 12 years and every time we are there, the interest and questions get more intense. Last time we were there, I took a Columbia 820 and there was an amazing amount of interest in the sound reproduction and design of a Folded Horn. Not unexpected from an Engineering school. Although they could comprehend how this design works, a visual would have really helped. So, thanks to Ken Brekke for provide a horn, I have finally had time to get this all put together for the upcoming event. This is cut right down the middle. Then I cut the other half across the middle. Showing the internals of the phonographs lets them experience what is really inside that makes them work without any additional amplification.

What an absolutely amazing setup! I'd love to see/hear a video of it playing ... Must have been the top of the line! Thanks for posting this!!! Marvellous!!!

Awesome!! Thanks a lot Ken!

I sent one.

Wow!!!! Very impressive.