Who needs an iPod?

Cape Town 080925: Gramophone collector John Olsen of Goodwood winds up an old Singer gramophone to play the tune of Sarie Marie. There is an exhibition of old gramophones on at the Goodwood Museum. Picture Ian Landsberg

Cape Town 080925: Gramophone collector John Olsen of Goodwood winds up an old Singer gramophone to play the tune of Sarie Marie. There is an exhibition of old gramophones on at the Goodwood Museum. Picture Ian Landsberg

Published Sep 4, 2012

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London - It’s far too bulky to slip into your pocket – and with no headphones, it won’t win you many fans on the train.

But long before the iPod was dreamed up, this 1930s gadget made it possible to take music on the move for the first time.

The portable gramophone by Belgian firm Colibri weighs a hefty 3lb and plays 10in records – twice as wide as the device itself. It’s carried on a thick leather strap, and its capacity is rather limited by the number of 78 speed discs you can lug around with it.

But since it’s powered by a wind-up clockwork mechanism, at least you’d never have to worry about the battery running out.

Richard Kay from Lawrence’s auction house in Crewkerne, Somerset, where the gramophone is expected to fetch £100 (about R1 200) on November 2, said: “This is the forerunner of the modern Walkman and iPod.” - Daily Mail

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