The Talking Machine Forum — For All Antique Phonographs & Recordings

Well, I must doing something wrong. I tried a forum search to try and find out what the correct key should be for an early A-250 so I wouldn't have to bother anyone but apparently I don't know how to search, so, here I am bother you.

Please, either tell me how to search or tell me which key should be used for the above machine: the dolphin or the other one?

Thanks

An article on keys: http://www.oldcrank.com/articles/keys/keys.html.

I can tell you that both these keys work on the very early and later models of the A-250. The dolphin key (2 ½" and 2 teeth) came with the early model (bent and all) and I came across the Edison key recently, which also works on both units.

i believe the pictured dolphin key is correct for the A-250. The "E" key is more commonly found with the C19. Both may be correct for the C-250. I'm not sure.

I had the E key for my C-250 and William and Mary W-19. I kept the E key when I sold those two phonos and found that the E key also works for my Amberola A1. Beware of buying a Dolphin key on Ebay!!! I paid a lot of money for one and it didn't work. I later found out that Dolphin keys were a generic key that sold with furniture back in the day.

marcapra wrote:I had the E key for my C-250 and William and Mary W-19. I kept the E key when I sold those two phonos and found that the E key also works for my Amberola A1. Beware of buying a Dolphin key on Ebay!!! I paid a lot of money for one and it didn't work. I later found out that Dolphin keys were a generic key that sold with furniture back in the day.

That's consistent with my observations. All A-250s I've come across in the wild had the dolphin key. My C-19 and W-250 had the E key. Either type will fit all A-250s and most Amberolas 1A, 1B although I'm pretty sure the Amberolas would have come only with the dolphin key. The earliest Amberolas had a flat cut dolphin key and none of the keys will work. Those early keys are also not interchangeable with each other. The standard Edison E or dolphin key will not work in all of the top end diamond disc machines like the A-290 and on up.

Beware of forcing keys that "seem to fit but not quite". I've heard stories of people locking machines and then being unable to open them. And yes... there are many dolphin keys on eBAY that won't work in an Edison phonograph. I once had the same experience as Marcapra...

Not to hijack this post, or cause confusion to the OP, but I discovered not all "E" keys are created equal, and explained my own minor observations in a post here: http://forum.talkingmachine.info/viewto ... 21#p138321

Best,
Fran

Marty Bufalini wrote:Well, I must doing something wrong. I tried a forum search to try and find out what the correct key should be for an early A-250 so I wouldn't have to bother anyone but apparently I don't know how to search, so, here I am bother you.

Please, either tell me how to search or tell me which key should be used for the above machine: the dolphin or the other one?

Thanks

Marty,

Want me to bring cousin Dave over to get you set up with a key?



(Sorry guys. Inside joke. Short version, some keys will lock a cabinet, but not unlock it. Those are called the "wrong" keys.)

Thanks, guys, for taking the time and sharing the info. (Except Jerry)

Marty Bufalini wrote:Thanks, guys, for taking the time and sharing the info. (Except Jerry)