Rare - Vintage ZON-O-PHONE 1903 "CONCERT" PHONOGRAPH, UNIVERSAL TALKING MACHINE!

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Rare - Vintage ZON-O-PHONE 1903 "CONCERT" PHONOGRAPH, UNIVERSAL TALKING MACHINE! Condition: The Zon-O-Phone wood cabinet as well as the metal parts retain their original finish & fancy stenciling and are in excellent condition, as well as the decals are all original and in excellent condition. The crank handle is missing, but the unit is fully functional. The horn shows wear with nicks and scratches. The paper Notice on the bottom, of which a good portion still remains, describes the registration and licensing of the Zon-O-Phone and is dated October 1st, 1903 . The Complete Talking Machine, Second Edition, A Collector's Guide To Antique Phonographs by Eric L. Reiss (Published 1996). This identical phonograph is pictured on Page 174 of the book. It reads: The Concert model of 1901-06 resembled the late model shown here, 1906-1910, but retained some of the more prominent Zon-O-Phone features such as the curved crank and exposed bedplate. The machine pictured clearly shows the result of the Victor takeover. The reproducer is very similar to the Victor Exhibition and is typical of later Zon-O-Phones. The horn is a valid Zon-O-Phone option, although similar, but not identical horns, can be found that fit Victor and Columbia machines. The color scheme is bright blue and yellow on the horn here, but other colors were available. (Ernie Bernnett collection)" RARETY PRICE GUIDE - Five Star Rarity Rating System. 1 Star represents 'common' machines, 5 Stars represents 'Very Rare'. On Page 210 of the book it rates the machine pictured with a Rarity of FOUR STARS and gives a price range of $1200-$1800. (Book was published in 1996)More Information on the Universal Talking Machine Company. Zon-o-phone (1899-1903), Universal Talking Machine Co. was founded in 1899 in Camden, New Jersey by Frank Seaman. The existence of Frank Seaman's Zonophone was short lived and ridden with lawsuits. Seaman and his company worked for Emile Berliner as the sole USA retailer of the Berliner line. While acting as the distributor, Seaman decided to start his own company to produce disc records and phonographs. He called his creation, Zon-O-Phone. He stole the flat disc record design from Berliner and machines similar to the design of Eldridge Johnson's Consolidated Talking Machine Co. phonographs. Seaman turns around and sues both Berliner and Johnson for violating "his" technologies. Teaming up with lawyer, Phillip Mauro, Seaman joins forces with Columbia Records. Columbia Records, at this time, were only producing cylinder records so they saw the benefits in joining forces with Seaman. Zonophone would pay royalties if Columbia helped drive Berliner out of business by producing flat disc records. Columbia produce flat disc records under the Columbia name. In 1900 Seaman and Mauro succeeded in getting a judge to file an injunction that Berliner and Johnson stop making their records and phonographs. Now with legal court behind him, Seaman hits production of his Zon-O-Phone phonograph and records into overdrive. Soon after the injunction, Berliner and Johnson counter-sued. Session lasted 3 years and they emerged victorious in court--prompting to join forces and combine their companies into, The Victor Talking Machine Co. The life of Zon-O-Phone was short lived and lasted 3 years, making the Zon-O-Phone phonograph a bit more rare than other phonographs of this time. In 1903, when all of the United States and South American assets of Zon-O-Phone were rewarded to Victor, and the Europe/British Commonwealth assets to the Gramophone & Typewriter Company (which would later become the Gramophone Company and launch the His Master's Voice record label). Victor Talking Machine continued to use the "Zonophone" name to market cheaper records that were not of the technical standard of the Victor label. They retired the label in the USA in 1912. The inner diameter of the hole that the elbow of the horn goes in is 1 7/8 inches. read more

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