You encountered a 'London Console', also known as a 'London No. 4'. These are common machines that were introduced in 1922 and are fitted with a single-spring motor and the smallest-series horn. It plays Edison 'Diamond Disc' records which are vertically recorded like cylinders. The horn and reproducer are on a gear drive that propels the reproducer across the surface of the record at the proper rate. They were not designed to play 78's, but can if the reproducer is removed and a 78 adapter reproducer is installed in its place. In the condition you describe it probably isn't worth more than $100. Edison made a number of Diamond Disc Phonograph models between 1912-1929 and many of those models are easily found today. I would recommend that you scout around for a Model C-250 upright that has a 2-spring motor and a large horn, and I wouldn't recommend that you pay more than $500 for one of those even if in mint condition ($300 would be about right for a C-250 in good cond ition).
Here is a link to a brief page about Diamond Disc Phonographs and records: http://lcweb2.loc.gov/ammem/edhtml/eddschst.html Just FYI, the machine that the violinist is standing next to is either a C-250 or a C-19. They were outwardly identical, but the C-250 has two drawers for record storage while the C-19 has dividers. I recommend the C-250 because besides the drawers being more elegant, the dividers have a nasty habit of shearing the white paper labels off the later-style Diamond Disc records. Hope this helps. > From: [email protected] > To: [email protected] > Date: Tue, 22 Dec 2009 04:11:17 -0500 > Subject: [Phono-L] Edison Diamond Disc > > Hi, > > I found a flat-record Edison phono which needs repair. I don't have any books > beyond the cylinder models, so I can't ID it specifically. But the Reiss book > mentions a number of Diamond Disc machines (only one photo). I assume that > this is one of those. It has the Edison label inside in black at the top and > a part of a paper label with the no. 18 on it on the side inside. Stamped > into the wood on the bottom inside is a 4 digit number. > > It is fairly plain, a square section on the right for the phono and horn (it > needs work on the mechanism which turns the horn from side to side, and the > front fabric section is a mess). There is a square section on the left behind > an ornate grid which held 24 records. The sign on it said "with records," but > no one was there to answer WHERE the records were...the section was empty. It > seems to have some type of diamond needle with an old-fashioned type of head > as on the cylinder phonos...as best I could tell. I could not lift up the > arm. The table does turn though. The grid over the records does resemble the > grid on the A-425 model shown in Reiss (The Compleat Talking Machine), but > without the cloth. > > I will call tomorrow to find out if there are indeed some records hidden > somewhere in some other place. > > **Can anyone give me an idea of what this machine is, what vintage? rarity? > What type of records did it take? Is it worth restoring? It is quite heavy, > although I could not figure out why! The phono part is not all that big. It > is basically an oblong cabinet on legs with 2 compartments: Phono with > built-in metal horn on the right; records on the left. > > Many thanks for any input! > > Ger > PS: Where might I find photos of the Diamond Disk machines?? > > _______________________________________________ > Phono-L mailing list > http://phono-l.oldcrank.org _______________________________________________ Phono-L mailing list http://phono-l.oldcrank.org
