The T. Eaton Company Limited was The Department store in urban Canada for a time. Started in 1869 and continuing until 1999 it was also famous for its catalogue mail orders from 1884. KW remembers the large Eaton's store facing across Queen Street West in Toronto at its major rival of the time, Robert Simpson (Simpson's). The Christmas shopping was so brisk at such a major draw of those two giants that KW remembers police there stopping traffic to allow mass J-walking across Queen St. between the two stores.
The Amphion phonograph was manufactured in Canada for sale by Eaton's.
Eaton's Fall-Winter 1918-1919 catalogue, p. 447.
KW found the following Eaton's advert in the Toronto World from page three (although folio labeled page 16) April 9, 1920.
Below, I have isolated and expanded the information for each model shown. Note that the handles on the machines on the left of the
advert have been placed on the wrong side--for 'aesthetic' purposes(?)--but the letters of the name are correct.
Model No. 2:
Model No. 3:
Model No. 4:
Model No. 5:
The Globe. May 8, 1920, p. 28. "... the new Made-in-Canada phonograph ..." Image digitally enhanced by Hopkin Design.
Toronto Daily Star, December 6, 1920. Image digitally enhanced by Hopkin Design.
Toronto Daily Star, December 16, 1920, p. 32.
Eaton's Fall-Winter catalogue, 1920-21, p. 387-388:
Toronto Daily Star, December 15, 1922, p. 22.
Ken McPherson sent a 1926 Eaton's catalog in April 2013 which had the following:
Machine for sale online in 2022:
Machine for sale online from Lebret, 2010:
An upright Amphion in mahogany that matches a 1926 Eatons ad above. For sale online in November 2010:
An upright Amphion in oak identical to a model advertised by Eatons in 1926. For sale in View Royal, B.C. in 2024 through Facebook Marketplace. Submitted by Lance Husoy.
John Rochon has this machine online labeled "Lawrence House c1977" that may have been in Sarnia (model 'D'?):
Table model machine in mahogany advertised for sale from Calgary, AB, November 2010:
Table model machine advertised for sale in Toronto in 2024:
A late model Amphion phonograph for sale through Facebook Marketplace in 2024 in Edmonton, Alberta.
Hulk for sale at the liquidation of the Guy Lombardo museum, London, ON, January, 2015 [pics by KW]:
Motor from New Jersey.
Tonearm and cabinet label.
