August 18, 2026 – Finding a phonograph!

I stopped into the Midwest Collectible Toy Show last Saturday for about the last 90 minutes of its run time. True to its name, the bulk of the vendors were offering a huge variety of antique toys, from Barbie to Star Wars. Knowing this, something I was not expecting to find at an event like this was an antique phonograph, but, lo and behold, I did. I came upon this one table where a younger looking guy and, maybe his dad, had a whole mess of loose 78 rpm records and two wind-up style phonographs, each being offered for $65. Upon noticing this, I had to take a closer look at them, because $65 is a great deal, compared to what these machines usually go for online (often hundreds of dollars). The young guy noticed me examining them, so he came over and told me more about each one. They both had the same functionalities and portable capabilities, so I decided on the one that was a bit smaller in size, and also in slightly better condition. Against my better judgement, however, I neglected to get cash before arriving, and found myself short on funds, and the community center hosting the event did not have an on-site ATM, so I had to make the walk of shame back to my car and head to the nearest Wells Fargo ATM to correct that. The guy and his dad kindly offered to hold the phonograph for me until I got back. Word of advice: always bring cash to these types of events. Some vendors take cards, but cash is typically preferred. So anyway, I got some bills, and then headed back to complete the transaction. $65 got me the phonograph, as well as 5 records of my choice, a baggie of replacement needles and a record book for storing the discs. Fun fact, the needle needs to be replaced after each play on an old phonograph! On the way out, I also picked up a handful of Disney VHS tapes for only $1 total. The phonograph was a cool find, especially given that this event was not a music-centered one, and considering what I got for my money. I brought it home and Sonny couldn’t wait to hop over and check it out!