Phonoland

I recently inherited an old crank type phonograph. Under the lid are the words Suplee Biddle Hardware. It has a crank and the sound mechanism attaches to the opened lid. It seems to be in pretty good shape for what I would think is a very old peice. I have tried to find out information on the internet but as yet have not been able to find anything. Have any of you heard of this item? Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanx, Kevin

Hi Kevin:

I've found quite a few references to the SUPPLEE-BIDDLE Hardware Co online. Apparently, they were well-known in their time.

Does the logo look anything like the one in this ad?



During the teens and 1920s, hundreds of small phonograph companies started up over night. This was prompted by the fact that the key patents held by Edison, Victor and Columbia began to expire. See: http://www.gracyk.com/makers.shtml

Oftentimes, companies such as music or department stores--or in some cases, even hardware stores--would sell the machines under their own names or logos, or even under a special brand name associated with the store.

If you have a digital camera, could you take a few photos and post them, or provides jumps to them? (See "octagonal" post below this one for instructions about posting images on this site.) In that way, we could see what components are used in the machine's construction, which might provide a clue about who the manufacturer was.