Royal Talking Machine (Chicago)



This article is part of the ANTIQUE PHONOGRAPH, GRAMOPHONE AND TALKING MACHINE IDENTIFICATION GUIDES.
SEE ALSO: Our listings of outside horn talking machines for sale.


This inexpensive Royal Talking machine probably dates from some time in the mid-teens, very late for an outside horn phonograph. Like many other brands such as the Standard A, it uses components of Columbia origin. The nameplate suggests that it was manufactured in Chicago.

A 1913 advertisement in Popular Mechanics magazine offered a Royal Talking Machine in either outside horn or internal horn versions for $7.50. The machine depicted in the ad differs from the commonly seen Chicago Royal in that it appears to be in a smaller case with beaded molding, with a standard Columbia combination on/off speed control assembly running through the front.

Royal Talking Machine, front
The European style, scalloped horn is correct, and is the type of horn usually found on these Royal machines. It was also employed on some very late Columbia disc Graphophones. Larger image		 Royal Talking Machine,tone arm
A closer look at the nameplate. Larger image