please help - S19 SM-69613

[drew197]

hi everyone. im new to the forum and was hoping someone would be willing to help me out. my uncle recently bought a thomas edison phonograph & i was hoping that i could find some information for him. He does not own a computer & doesnt know where else he might be able to research this.

i apologize in advance for any dumb questions i might ask as i do not know anything about phonographs.

the engraving on the plate inside says S 19 SM-69613

i have tried to find it online, but havent had any luck. the closest i found was on a website called: Friends of Edison National Historic site (foedison.org)
The picture of "Thomas Edison's personal diamond disc phonograph for record evaluation, c. 1915" looks very close to the one my uncle has.

does anyone know anything more about the model i am talking about? is there any chance of finding parts for this? if so, where?

thank you so much for any help you can give. i appreciate it very much

andrew

[maroongem]

Hi Drew and welcome to the board!
You have what is known as the Sheraton S-19 that debuted in 1919 and was a replacement for the C-150 with a newly styled cabinet.
There are never any dumb questions except for the ones that aren't asked. What parts are you looking for?
Does your record storage door drop down or open to the side? This would determine the 1st or 2nd style. Does the machine have any inlay on the front and what wood was used? The S-19 was a very popular machine and does good service to the Diamond Disc records.

Bill

[drew197]

sorry i havent responded sooner. i was trying to get some pictures to post.
the record storage door drops down & i am not sure what type of wood it is. i am still going to try getting some pics up, hopefully tonight.

the whole arm is missing. not sure if thats what you call it. hopefully i can get a pic up so you can see what i am talking about.

thanks for your help

[tarheeltinkerer]

Seek function and ye shall find: edisonphonos.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=ddboard&action=display&thread=977

[maroongem]

As Frank showed you, you have the 1st style S-19. Getting a Reproducer for your machine will not be difficult as the gold plated ones abound, especially on eBay. His (Frank's) is a rather unusual fumed oak finish and you pics would be appreciated when you get a chance!

Bill

[drew197]

hi everyone. i finally have some pics, but dont know how to get them on here. please help

thanks,
drew

[tarheeltinkerer]

Drew,

visit www.photobucket.com and make yourself an account. You can upload your photos here. Then you will be able to select a link to your image. Select (copy and paste) the link labeled "IMG Code." The code part will being link followed by bracket / IMG bracket.

You paste this code into the reply box here on the forum, and when you post your reply the images will appear. Quick and easy.

Frank

[drew197]

i made a flickr account and uploaded the pics, but im lost after that. i tried getting them in here, but gave up. i do know how to do this

www.flickr.com/photos/drew197/archives/date-taken/2009/10/14/

please check out the pictures there.
any more information you can give me on the phonograph and/or the records would be greatly appreciated.
What would the value of this phonograph be if it were in good condition? What about the records?
One more question, what is the proper name of the part(s) that it is missing? i would love to track down the parts and give them to my uncle for christmas.

thanks,
drew

[tarheeltinkerer]

Here ya go:

[shellophone]

Drew,

If you go back and read the post from Maroongem on Oct. 13, you will see that he identifies the missing part for you as a 'reproducer'.

Edison Diamond Disc reproducers of the type you seek are plentiful and relatively inexpensive. You just need to be sure to purchase one in the gold-plated finish so that it matches the machine's other hardware.

Here is one on eBay right now with some wear to the gold, but this is exactly what you are looking for:

tinyurl.com/yf5zo63

If you find a reproducer that has a worn, chipped, or broken diamond stylus, the replacement of same can quickly cost over $100. Rebuilding/replacing the gaskets/diaphragm can cost too, but not nearly as much as a stylus.

This model DD does not have a strong collector demand because they are fairly common and because they don't have a large motor or horn. A realistic collector price would probably be $175-$250 depending upon condition, with a relatively low demand factor.

Diamond Disc records and Phonographs were Edison's attempt to enter the disc market without infringing on the Victor Talking Machine Company's controlling patents. Edison's patents were primarily for cylinder technology so the Diamond Disc record is essentially a flattened cylinder record and the Phonographs have many design points common to cylinder Phonograph models.

[covah]

[covah]

[swater6]

Drew,
I looked at your records and the ones with the paper label that are in the 52000 series are the very desirable electrically recorded records. These would have been some of the latest records made in 1928 and 1929.
Scott

[swater6]

Gee, I just noticed that I've been lurking here for nearly 3 years and that was my first post. I'm Scooter on the Talking Machine Forum and Edison fanatic....
Greetings,
Scott