$10,000
Lever-Wind Berliner Gramophone, c. 1897, with 7-inch turntable, clamp, Clark-Johnson reproducer no. J 1159 on oak traveling arm, oak case with winding lever and speed control lever on the side, transfer Berliner Gramophone, National Gramophone Co., 874 Broadway, New York City and patd. dates to February 1895, underside with part of maker's operating label, and straight-flared black horn with gilt line decoration, case 9 1/2 in. square., (period elbow and felt, modern elbow included). Literature: Fabrizio & Paul, The Talking Machine an Illustrated Compendium , p. 58 for a similar machine. The lever-wound motor was designed by Eldridge Johnson and Levi Montross, and first appeared in 1896 enclosed in a circular metal case (on a rectangular baseboard like that of the hand-cranked model). The square oak case version was also the first to use the Clark-Johnson soundbox
Auctioneer:
Skinner
Date:
2008-08-23