In a message dated 1/15/2006 2:28:08 PM Eastern Standard Time, [email protected] writes:
> With all this talk about what is "real" and what is not, you might want to > > look at page 52 in Fabrizio an Paul's "Phonographs with Flair". There is a > "Craftsman" machine and case which is very similar to the machine which was > > offered on eBay. It is listed as being VR or "very rare". Not even a brand > name > machine! So it is all in the eye of the beholder as to what one considers > desireable. > ---Art Heller > Art hits the nail out of the ballpark. One man's junk would smell as sweet... There are Class "M" machines out there in custom cabinets that no one would impugn, as long as they are contemporaneous. On page 139 of "Phonographica" we showed several illustrated cards from a professional designer whose specialty was modifying phonograph cabinets into custom-decorated pieces -- but contemporaneously. In the last issue of "The Sound Box," I shared a one-off imitation of a Herzog "Cylophone," which, although lacking the quality of the original, is at least...yes...contemporaneous. Whether factory or cutom one-off, I believe the key question is age. Such custom work can be quite interesting, but always in the back of our minds is the question, "Was the guy watching TV when he made this?" I agree with others that I'd be reluctant to purchase anything like this without examining it in person. George Paul
