Help, please: The value of a 1920s "PhonoLamp" 78 player?

[mart]

To put it bluntly,,you can`t always trust an appraisal unless you want to be out at least $100. or so !!  Just stay here till we can research it more !!  One more thing,, an appraisal is pretty much worthless unless the person doing it specializes in this type item !!  They might give you a book value that is simply out of date !! They would have to keep up with current sales of similar items to know what it would likely bring and no one can keep up with all of it !!  So save your money for now !!
What is needed is the marking, wording, label, on the lamp itself !!  That,, I need a pic of,in order to track down the correct company !!

[talesofthesevenseas]

Around here, "looks like crap" generally means "has great patina!" 

[mart]

And I forgot my manners !!  Welcome to the forum AntiqueM53 !!  Was so excited to see your phonolamp I forgot to welcome you !!  My apologies !!

[AntiqueM53]

Wow.  Yous peoples are being Just Too Kool !

Yeah...  "great patina"...  that adds at least $1.50 to the value, right?  

Mart...  "Welcome" apologies are not necessary at all, but Thanks.
You're All being Very Helpful, and I Do appreciate that.  With regard to Antiques,
I'm Extremely Unfamiliar, other than looking in a mirror.  

Dammit...  I TOLD my "metallurgist" friend to NOT TOUCH it,
but he further disassembled it while I was at work today.
Ah, well...  at least we do now have some additional information.

You mentioned a need for "marking, wording, label, on the lamp"...
I think I've already shown the available labels and markings, except...  
the "needle pickup" part, that says on it "SUPREME" and "PAT PEN"...
305
OR...  do you mean JUST the Lamp part, not the entire "PhonoLamp" thing?
Here are a few more pics of the Lamp parts...
Of course, the cardboard sleeve fits in the metal cylinder,
then moves up and surrounds the light-bulb receptacle,
then snaps into the higher-up "base".  A familiar (semi-old) design.
The wires, though, are obviously unsafe to use.
504
I mentioned that the lampshade fabric is dirty, but in fairly good shape...
143
And our resident Metallurgist has thoughts as to the metals herein...
He opines that All of the CURVED parts are Brass,
while All of the Straight parts are Steel.  They're Soldered together.
I've confirmed...  the allegedly "brass" parts are Not magnetic,
and the allegedly "steel" parts Are magnetic.
651
Recall that I mentioned the Base was dented / bent...
404 - bent base
That deformity causes the vertical alignment to be untrue.
Needs about 9/16" wedge to make the level actually Level.
232
Some pics showing the attached (soldered?) artwork details...
374
115
and the (brass?) cups, now holding the detached balancing Ball,
and a bunch of extra phono needles...
294
Our metallurgist friend even turned this thing upside down,
and decided that there were at one time six cushioning feet...
445
and he then removed the bottom plate, with thoughts of removing
the dents / irregularities in the Base, to make it all nice and level.
He surmised that the Base is filled with "plaster of paris",
surrounded by straw.  That white stuff is rock-hard.
Thankfully, he left all of that right where it was.
883
Curiously, the wires are two Separate wires, only later "connected"
by someone with modern electrical tape.
081
What can I do to further assist in any research?

Again, Thanks a bunch.

Mark

[AntiqueM53]

and

[AntiqueM53]

and

[AntiqueM53]

And...  I noticed that the paint is falling off of Only the Steel parts.
On the Brass parts, the paint is not falling off at all.

?

[mart]

I meant whatever you found on the phonolamp itself that identifies it as a "Phonolamp" made by Electric Phonograph Company !! I need to see the maker or company name on the lamp !!  How did you identify it as made by that company ??

Just now the pic of the company name loaded !! But since it was taken from the side I still can`t read it !! Will take a while on the last pics !! I am on dial up so its a pain to see what I need !!

[talesofthesevenseas]

The identifying info photos were on the first page. 

[AntiqueM53]

7Seas is correct, Mart...
My reply #6 on page 1 of this thread has a picture showing...
a label on the "needle pickup" part that says "PhonoLamp" and
"Electric Phonograph Corp" and "New York City".
But you cannot read it?  Here's a (maybe) better picture?...

You're on a dial-up connection?  Oh, I'm so sorry for you.   

Darn, I messed up...  in reply #19, I uploaded the wrong "232" picture.
The original upload was way larger than was intended.
Sorry, Mart (especially on a Dial-up).  I've now fixed that.   

Is there anything else that I can do to assist?

Mark

[mart]

No !!  I just need to read that metal name plate !! Hopefully the pics will load sometime this year !! 

[AntiqueM53]

Also, Mart,...  my reply #11 shows the letter from the Smithsonian Institution,
indicating that the patent #55217 for this device was issued on May 18, 1920
to the Electric Phonograph Corporation of New York City.  

Interesting...  the letter also says that the company's charter was revoked
in the state of Delaware in 1923 for non-payment of taxes.

Thus...  these things could only have been built during that span of three years?

Mark

p.s.  Maybe you'll see the pic Next year?
That's OK...  this thing will be worth even More next year !     

[mart]

http://www.phonoland.com/viewtopic.php?f=7&t=945

Ran across this forum on old phonographs,, has some Q&A about your phonolamp company !!   Not unusual that they went under,, not all made it in this business !! Like this phonolamp,, it never caught on but the Victrola did !!