Adler Fortuna disc player, £12,500 from Jenny and Ray Norman.
They displaying this “massive” Adler Fortuna disc player in the Long Melford Antiques and Lifestyle Centre, Suffolk.
Built at the end of the 19th century, it plays 26.5in discs on two combs and comes with 17 original discs.
The Normans say: “Rather than being a cafe machine, this was built for a private customer and has therefore had much less wear than normal.
“It stands 2 metres 31 centimetres high [7ft 7in] and was an attempt by Adler to carve out a market share from Polyphon and Symphonium by producing a superior machine.
“Sadly, they launched this just when phonographs became affordable and the market in mechanical music collapsed. Polyphon, for example, employed 5000 people in their factory in Leipzig in 1900.
“By 1910 the firm was bankrupt. Adler saw the writing on the wall and turned over their production to typewriters – which was successful for many years.”
The couple add: “This is probably the only large upright Adler for sale in the UK. Two have turned up in auction in the past 10 years – both in the US.”
The price is £12,500 including delivery in the UK.
