Blast from the Past

Originally Posted by drjd

This is the HMV gramophone I inherited from my dad, along with dozens of 78 RPM records. I enjoyed listening it a lot during 60s and 70s. Now it is not in working condition, as the main clock-spring is broken. It was used as a showpiece in our living room till we changed our residence, and now kept packed in a box.

I guess my dad would have bought it during 1940s. He maintained it with great affection, and I well remember the stereophonic music I listened from my dad and mom when I over-wound its spring and broke it in mid 70s. Repairing of a mechanical gramophone had become difficult then, and it remained unattended for a long period. In late 1990s after death of my dad, I got it polished again and kept it as a memento.

That is really nice looking! My mom had a huge collection of 78s mostly from the Swing-band era of 1940s. So I grew up listening to those whether I wanted to or not as she had them playing a lot of the time. I like swing-band music though.

[drjd]

Originally Posted by jswinden

That is really nice looking!

Yes, indeed. It's body is made of solid Rosewood, and it weighs around 20Kgs.

[wodin]

Have you ever had it appraised? I might be valuable enough to consider insuring it.

[crich70]

Originally Posted by jswinden

Yep I think the first ones were designed to look similar to the big wooden stand-up radios of the day. I've only seen one TV with a round screen, and it was a true color TV. I guess the rectangular screens came along later. I'm not old enough to remember anything before the early to mid 1960s though.

There is a reason why they looked like the stand up radio sets. The companies that made the first cabinets for TV sets had started out making the cabinets for radio's a couple of generations prior. .R.C. A. Victor for example.

[tubemonkey]

Originally Posted by crich70

There is a reason why they looked like the stand up radio sets. The companies that made the first cabinets for TV sets had started out making the cabinets for radio's a couple of generations prior. .R.C. A. Victor for example.

And the first cars looked like (horseless) carriages. Replacement technology frequently looks like the things they're replacing.

[crich70]

Originally Posted by tubemonkey

And the first cars looked like (horseless) carriages. Replacement technology frequently looks like the things they're replacing.

Usually because the makers have the foresight to see that change is coming. People who had owned livery stables sometimes opened the first garages or mechanic's shops in a given town for example. Those who had sold carriages switched to selling the first auto's as well. I have no doubt their neighbors probably thought they were odd at the time.

[drjd]

Originally Posted by wodin

Have you ever had it appraised? I might be valuable enough to consider insuring it.

That is a good idea! Thanks wodin, I'll contact some antiques dealer and get it appraised.

Originally Posted by tubemonkey

And the first cars looked like (horseless) carriages. Replacement technology frequently looks like the things they're replacing.

Studebaker had originally manufactured horse-drawn carriages then went into automobile manufacturing. A lot of the early automobiles, especially in Europe, were little more than chassis and drive train. The buyer then went to a carriage manufacturer and had them build a custom body.

[crich70]

Originally Posted by tubemonkey

And the first cars looked like (horseless) carriages. Replacement technology frequently looks like the things they're replacing.

As well some of the early cars had fake horse's head's on the front. The idea was that the real horses would be fooled into thinking it was a horse. Somehow I think most horses are brighter than that. Early drivers had to advertise that they were going driving a day in advance too so that the real horses could be got out of the way (so they wouldn't be startled) before the driver came down the road.

There were quite a few electric cars in the early years too. A commonly forgotten fact. Too bad the battery technology wasn't better back then, but they still had them.

[BenG]

Me with my Davy Crockett shirt.

[crich70]

Originally Posted by BenG

Me with my Davy Crockett shirt.

A few moons ago eh BenG. Ah the carefree days of childhood.

This was one of the worst fails as a toy in my childhood. YMM have V'd. I guess our yard was too flat. Perhaps in a yard that sloped 10% or more it might have worked. We could never get it to work very well in our yard. Either you simply didn't slide very far, or the cheap plastic sheeting moved with you. I think we tried playing with it for about one day, then gave up and sent it to the Island of Misfit Toys.

[Cinisajoy]

Originally Posted by jswinden

This was one of the worst fails as a toy in my childhood. YMM have V'd. I guess our yard was too flat. Perhaps in a yard that sloped 10% or more it might have worked. We could never get it to work very well in our yard. Either you simply didn't slide very far, or the cheap plastic sheeting moved with you. I think we tried playing with it for about one day, then gave up and sent it to the Island of Misfit Toys.

If I remember correctly, dad attached something to the underneath side at the top end of the slip and slide, so we would have a slope.
But I don't think it was a store bought slip and slide. I think It was a homemade one.

[cromag]

We had a Slip'n Slide and a good slope to our yard.

We also had rocks ... lots and lots of rocks. I tried it once, and never again!