Antique phonograph, gramophone and talking machine identification guide index.
If it is wisdom that no task is ever truly complete, then it is unquestionable that this identification guide is barely begun.
Over the years I have accumulated photographs of collections and of interesting machines that have passed through our hands, but this data has not been available on the website, or has been scattered over it in a desultory and unorganized manner. It is the goal here to put everything in one place, a linking of pages with detailed or extensive images that can serve as a reference point for collectors. This guide is not complete, and never will be -- but it is an ongoing project and I will be adding to it as time allows.
In many cases you may find multiple photographs of some very rare machines and none of some very common ones, simply because years ago I never thought it was worth the trouble to take a picture of a common model, although this has changed as we now see fewer and fewer horn machines on the market.
There is more in the phonographic universe than an observer could ever catalogue, and every day new discoveries are revealed. Just within one day this summer I was shown a previously unknown brand of lamp phonograph, and a strange new variation of a Columbia BI. If your model is not listed in these pages, and you have good photographs of it that you are willing to share, please contact me.
Some photographs courtesy Norman and Janyne Smith, Larry Schlick, Charles McCarn, and Dan and Sandy Krygier.
