Rare Columbia Suitcase Gramophone Very Well Preserved. Great Britain, 1915

Rare gorgeous and almost mint suitcase gramophone with an astonishing red and black crackled finish, in very good condition and in working order. The gramophone is a Viva-Tonal Columbia Grafonola Nº 100, made by Columbia in Great Britain from 1915. Its amazing condition is quite remarkable and so is its excellent working order: the motor has been fine-tuned in order to guarantee a perfect performance. This is a very rare model for its red-and-black crackled-finished metal suitcase, much less common than other tones such as blue or red. It is a beautiful piece, very original and with an undeniable elegance. Columbia started to sell records, phonographs and cylinders in 1901. For a decade, they competed with the Edison Phonograph Company and the Victor Talking Machine to become the leader record company of the United States of America. In 1912 the firm focused on disc records and gave up manufacturing cylinders. As well as records, Columbia also made stunning gramophones such as the Viva-Tonal Graphonola models, just like the one we can see in these images. According to the experts, these gramophones acoustic fidelity is excellent and surpasses the Victor Ortophonic, a strong competitor in those times. This particular gramophone is stored and protected by a well-preserved metal suitcase. As stated before, it boasts an amazing finish a red and black crackled finish, as attractive as rare. This finish covers the suitcase inside and outside and shows very few and tiny signs of wear. Inside the cover there is a lovely golden and black decal with the manufacturers name and the model, wonderfully preserved too. Last but not least, the mechanisms component parts are also in great condition: the look shiny and work fine. Because of its rareness and astonishing look, this gramophone deserves an honor place in the home of the best collector. Measurements (Closed): Width: 8.2 in / 21 cm. Depth: 12.5 in / 32 cm. Height: 5.1 in / 13 cm.