1902 Victor M Phonograph; Beautiful & Working Perfectly Start Price USD 9.95 Current Price USD 1,869.69 Time Left - Bid Count 30 Buy It Now Price - Reserve Price - Start Time Wednesday, August 27, 2008 End Time Monday, September 01, 2008 Location Chapel Hill, North Carolina See more about '1902 Victor M Phonograph; Beautiful & Working Perfectly' Description Summer may be over, but if you collect early musical or technical antiques, the fun has just begun.  This is one of four special 5-day auctions I'm running this week, all of them ending on Sunday night.  Each auction features a collector-quality musical or technical antique dating to the infancy of its genre.  If your interest leans toward early cylinder phonographs, early disc phonographs, early tube radios, or early wireless gear, you might want to keep an eye on these listings, as they won't be around for long. Here's a 106-year-old Victor "M" Talking Machine.  The "M" stands for Monarch, and this was Victor's top-of-line phonograph when it was introduced more than a century ago.  With hand-carved decorative trim, a 10" turntable and a double-spring motor that could play several records with a single winding, the Monarch elevated the disc phonograph from the realm of a primitive prototype to the realm of a refined machine capable of reproducing recorded music in the home.   As you can see in the photographs, this is a gorgeous machine, one that's been pampered and displayed inside a home, not wrapped in a tarp and stored out in a barn.  The dark oak cabinet is richly grained, with a beautiful patina that comes only with a century's worth of time, moderate temperature and respectful treatment.  The carved trim is completely intact, and there's no dinged up or damaged base molding, no paint splatter, no loose joints, no wood filler, no missing corner columns and no missing column tops.  The cabinet finish is original, and under normal room lighting, it literally glows.  A bit hard to capture with the studio floodlights that I used to take the photographs, but the warmth and depth of the finish should still be evident.  An age line runs parallel to the grain along the motorboard, but it's likely been there the better part of a century and has no bearing on the structural integrity of the machine or the beauty of the cabinet.  The horn is original and in excellent condition.  The paint and Nipper decal are also original, and the horn is properly stamped "PAT APL'D FOR" above the bead where the bell is joined to the cone.  There are a few minor dings and marks, but only as many as you'd want to provide it with a bit of character.  Likewise, the nickeling on the small parts shows enough to wear to authenticate the machine's credentials as an antique but not so much wear that it proves to be a distraction to its beauty.  The crank is a replacement, as is the silver-dollar-sized center hold-down (a spot-on reproduction from Wonderful Wind-Ups).  Everything else is the real deal, including the early Victor brake, which twists on and off and still works just like it should.  The Exhibition reproducer is an early original one which has been expertly rebuilt with new gaskets and new mica.  Which bring me to the sound.... This machine plays great, sounds wonderful, and is a joy to use.  Indeed, if you're looking for an early phonograph that will live up to your expectations of what "old time music" should sound like, this Monarch should fit the bill perfectly.  The motor is still strong and torquey, and with a single winding, the machine can breeze through three or four ten inch records.  Better yet, this is one of only a handful of early Monarchs I've heard over the years whose gear noise doesn't overwhelm the sound of the music coming through the horn.  If you don't have any old 78's lying around the house, just let me know and I'll send some along.  I'll also include some extra needles and simple set-up instructions, so you won't be wondering how everything goes together when it arrives.  The phonograph measures approximately 13" x 13" x 7", and the horn is approximately 20" long, with a bell diameter of approximately 11".  The phonograph will be shipped in two large packages -- one for the horn, the other for the machine.  I will double-box everything and pack it properly, and I can assure you that it will arrive at your doorstep in the same fine condition in which it leaves mine.  I have been shipping antique phonographs and radios for years, and if you check my feedback, you'll see that I know how to do it correctly.   If you're not already familiar with how to operate an early cylinder phonograph, don't worry.  I'll provide you with simple, easy to understand operating instructions, so you'll be able to use this wonderful phonograph within minutes after you unpack it. That's about it.  Buyer prepays and covers shipping costs.  Paypal okay.On Aug-29-08 at 04:11:23 PDT, seller added the following information:Despite what is indicated in the "shipping information" field at the top of the listing, this phonograph CAN be shipped to many countries outside the US, including Canada, parts of Asia, and most of Europe.  If you live outside the United States and are interested in bidding, you will need to contact me in advance so that I can prevent the Ebay system from blocking your bid. Place a Bid!