I had posted the following a few days ago, probably the 4th post in this particular string or so, which never made it through because I inadvertantly used the wrong sending address:
Apologies, Gregory. I was referring to whomever did the paint job(s), not the seller. I still think it looks like shabby folk art though, and the grey interior makes no sense to me. But mostly, I'm just tired of seeing people getting screwed left and right on eBay on dubious machines, etc, and was probably too quick to assume this was another potential example (even if I was not alone in my assumption). Glad to hear a positive reference from you on this seller. (And even more relieved to later find out the seller was a member of this list, which I consider an indication of utmost integrity.) That said, I don't think it's realistic or beneficial to pretend that every aftermarket alteration is a positive thing just because it was done around the time of an item's manufacture, whether the resulting machine remains "original and correct" or not. I wouldn't care if Lee Iacocca's neighbor's kids spray-painted "Free Love" all over the first Mustang he drove home from the factory the day of its manufacture, it would still look like an abhorrent desecration to me. If someone else likes it and wants to pay millions for it, more power to 'em. I'm glad for all the diversity in collectors' tastes as well as in the machines we collect, believe me, but I refuse to pretend this machine we've been discussing looks authentic (even if it absolutely is), valuable (which seems to be in debate), or tasteful/attractive (the Shelby mod vs. kids with spray paint analogy holds up well on this point). While it's not my cup of tea by any stretch of the imagination, I offer absolutely zero criticism to anyone who finds it appealing, and I deserve better than to be criticized because I don't. Just another 2 cents. Best to all, Robert ----- Original Message ----- From: "brice paris" <[email protected]> To: "Antique Phonograph List" <[email protected]> Sent: Tuesday, October 16, 2007 12:38 PM Subject: Re: [Phono-L] Variety in collecting. > Variety, different likes and dislikes, is what makes the world turn , > keeps our interest , and lets different collectors collect what they like > or can afford. It would be boring and very crowded if we all collected > and liked the same things, deep pockets would rule. Visiting different > collections and seeing the variety of interests and specialties is always > exciting and refreshing even if it is not what you collect and like the > best . In every instance I can think of I have always found new and > exciting things and learned about something new when I have had the chance > to visit others , whether it is a large or small collection. > We have now heard from someone else who owns one of the after market > decorated machines and previously the purist's who would only buy and > collect Victor factory models. I hope the one thing all of these comments > have teached us is that we have to respect and be courteous to all, even > though we may not have the same interests,opinions or pocket books. I > personally admire both and even though not seen very often the after > market machines certainly do not in my opinion command a price anywhere > close to the factory decorated machines. With that said I certainly > would like to own and would be absolutely thrilled to have examples of > both in my collection. The cost thereof , however will probably dictate > that future purchases if they can be found will be less expensive after > market machines. > Happy Collecting, no matter what your interests are. > > DeeDee Blais <[email protected]> wrote: > Isn't it wonderful that we have such a variety of > machines to collect. It would be truly boring if > Edison only made the Home model but they didn't. Have > you ever wondered why someone would originally pay > extra for a mahogany Triumph with a nickel bed plate? > Wouldn't that cost about as much as a Idealia or > Opera? I'm glad people made those decisions because > now we have machines that are rare and desirable. The > Victor company sold decorated machines that are > nothing short of wonderful. Today, they are prized in > any collection. Victrolas were decorated after they > left the Victor factory often by a dealer for a > customer. Perhaps the original owner commissioned the > decoration. I don't know but I love these machines > also. I think they are valuable, original, and very > interesting. > I have the 1965 Mustang fastback that my Dad > bought new. I love the car. It has a V-8 and 4-speed > but it's a basic Mustang. Do I wish that Dad had sent > his brand new Mustang to Shelby for modification? > Yes! Yes! Yes! I would consider such a car to be an > original Shelby Mustang. I could take my old Mustang > and have it modified to be a replica Shelby but in my > opinion that would be a waste of time and money and a > disservice to a classic car. > I think the same comparison can be made with > Victrolas. A machine modified shortly after its > manufacture I consider to be original and correct. > Perhaps that's the only way the original owner could > get his VV-IV decorated. I've seen photos of that > machine and I'd love to have it in my collection. > Happy collecting, Jerry Blais > > > ____________________________________________________________________________________ > Check out the hottest 2008 models today at Yahoo! Autos. > http://autos.yahoo.com/new_cars.html > _______________________________________________ > Phono-L mailing list > http://phono-l.oldcrank.org > > _______________________________________________ > Phono-L mailing list > http://phono-l.oldcrank.org >
