The Allen Koenigsberg Phonograph Collection
Lot 3250:
Description
The Aretino traversing-turntable disc phonograph was marketed briefly from 1908 to 1909. It operates in reverse compared to standard record players with the reproducer remaining completely stationary while the entire motorized turntable moves sideways underneath it. During the early 1900s, the Victor Talking Machine Company fiercely defended Emile Berliner’s U.S. patent. The patent controlled any machine where the needle was propelled across the record by the groove itself. By building a machine with a locked, stationary horn / tone arm, and a mechanical feed that slowly slid the spinning turntable horizontally, manufacturers Hawthorne & Sheble created the first true mechanical-feed disc machine to hit the marketplace, successfully bypassing Victor’s legal onslaught. The machine was distributed by Arthur J. O’Neill’s O’Neill-James Company of Chicago under a “premium scheme.” It featured a massive 3-inch record spindle the largest ever used for commercial records. The massive spindle meant customers could only play Aretino brand records on it. The machine itself was often given away incredibly cheap or free by merchants as a promotional item, locking buyers into purchasing Aretino’s proprietary, large-hole discs. : Because the machine had to be produced as cheaply as possible to support the giveaway scheme, the motor was notoriously flimsy and relied on a delicate, front-mounted horn structure. Today the surviving traversing-turntable units are exceptionally rare. Most Aretino phonographs commonly found in antique markets feature a standard, non-moving turntable with components supplied by Columbia. These later standard models were adopted after Hawthorne & Sheble collapsed in 1909 under legal and financial pressures. This machine is in overall good original condition. It winds and runs and the turntable traverses, it has a good reproducer missing the needle thumb screw. Case has original finish with a good decal. Horn and cradle complete with front tilt spring locking clip. Horn has little or no dents with about 60% of original paint left. Machine measures 12” wide, 12”deep, 7” tall. Horn measures 24” long, 18.75” in diameter. From the Allen Koenigsberg collection.
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