1920's Arionola Portable Phonograph w/Reflexed Rear-Firing Wood Horn * Boston MA

Description

If you're an uncompromising collector of antique technology, make sure to check out all my listings after you look at this one. I don't think you'll find a better, broader or more balanced assortment of technical antiques anywhere -- hundreds of no-reserve auctions each year, almost all of them featuring eye-popping "gee whiz" gadgetry in exceptional original condition. And d
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Here's an Arionola portable disc phonograph that dates to the early 1920's and was sold by the Arion Manufacturing Co. in Boston.  It's a small phonograph (12"deep by 11" wide), but it plays very well, it sounds surprisingly good, and it has a beautiful full-color decal depicting a mermaid strumming a lyre on the rocks. If you look at the photos, you'll see that the phonograph's tonearm elbow is also the mouth of its internal horn. That horn fires into a trapezoidal chamber, and its output is in turn diffused throughout the room. The manufacturer used this a major marketing point, claiming that because wood was the only surface the sound waves came into contact with before they reached the ear of the listener, the tones were softer, the reproduction more realistic. Marketing hype, of course, but it's still a unique design.
Condition of the phonograph is very good throughout, and it's in very good working order, with its original signed Arionola reproducer. Clean original motor, with plenty of torque. A pristine paper instruction sheet affixed to the underside of the base. There's some brassing on the nickel-plated surfaces, but no dings or dents, and the output is loud and clear. Cabinet is in excellent condition, with an older clearcoat over the original finish.
The phonograph plays early 78 RPM records, and I'll include one with it when it ships.
Shipping weight will be approximately 18 lb.
I'm one of ebay's best known, most highly regarded sellers of collector quality phonographs. I've been selling
and shipping them
for more than 25 years. When you purchase an antique phonograph from me, you'll receive a phonograph that arrives safely because it's been carefully packed (by
me
, not by some well-intentioned but nonetheless confounded, doe-eyed teenager working at the UPS store who wouldn't know a phonograph from a farm tool), and you'll receive a phonograph that includes thorough but easy-to-understand set-up and operating instructions, so you won't be left scratching your head, trying to figure out how it works.  Sure, you can probably get a lower price from Joe and Janet Barn-Find, but when your "bargain" arrives broken, and without any hint of how it works or how you might be able to put it back together, you'll realize that you really do get exactly what you pay for.
If you're bidding from overseas, please contact me in advance for a shipping quote. The phonograph is large and heavy, and it cannot be shipped to some countries. Therefore, I will need to confirm my ability to ship it to you before you place a bid. That's about it. Buyer prepays and includes shipping.