Please help identify my Edison Standard

[harknessmine]

A friend recently gave me his Edison Standard. I’ve been trying to figure out the model and year without luck. The crane on it and the reproducer are throwing me. Was the crane added and the reproducer replaced? Without a belt it runs for about 8 minutes. Any help would be greatly appreciated. The serial number is S117411.

[harknessmine]

More pics of my Edison Standard.

[Jerry B.]

You have a nice looking Model A Edison Standard from around 1902/3. George Paul can give you a more accurate date. Your machine plays two minute cylinders. It was sold with a 14" horn with a black body and brass bell. It was common for owners to upgrade to a larger aftermarket horn and yours is an example. I believe your reproducers comes from a later business machine and is not correct. You should be able to locate a C reproducer which will give you good results. The Edison Standard was a very popular machine and sold in large numbers because it gave owners good performance. Welcome to our hobby. I hope you enjoy your Standard.

Jerry B.

[drh]

Frow has this to say: "By 1901 the Standard was equipped with an oak 'New Style' cabinet with a rounded cover. The motor was unchanged, but the top plate now screwed on to a wooden frame which was hinged for inspection. This new style of case also carried the full EDISON STANDARD PHONOGRAPH banner, and its moulding and corners were rounded, and from the Autumn of 1901 Standard owners could buy this for $3.00 and modernise the look of their machines."

I agree, the reproducer appears to be from a dictating machine. Cranes could change at any time at the whim of an owner who wanted to "upgrade."

[harknessmine]

Thank you so much for the information. Now I need to find a reproducer, bed plate frame, and a crank for a model A.

[phonogfp]

Edison Standard #117411 left the factory in October 1903.

A Model C Reproducer, crank, and wooden frame for a Standard Model A should be easy to find. You just missed one that sold on this forum:

viewtopic.php?f=9&t=57262

Try George Vollema: http://www.victroladoctor.com/

also -

Brian Parlier
The Phonograph Shop
https://www.facebook.com/ThePhonographShop/
www.thephonographshop.com
brian@thephonographshop.com

(C) 704.995.9142
(H) 704.644.8606

The brackets on the rear of the cabinet are for a Hawthorne & Sheble No.4 horn support. The rod sections are homemade. If you want originals, just advertise for them in the Yankee Trader section.

Good luck and have fun - -

George P.

[harknessmine]

Thank You George P. I really appreciate the date it left the factory. If only the date shipped list included where it was shipped to.

[phonogfp]

You're welcome.

Unfortunately, there is no handy "date shipped" list; only a document prepared in mid-1908 by the National Phonograph Company showing monthly sales by the company for each model of Edison Phonograph. This document covers the years 1896-May 1908. Since Edison serial numbering always began at #1, it was possible to extrapolate sales dates with serial numbers. Since Edison usually had inventories of machines waiting to be shipped, we can be reasonably sure that the machines were sent out very quickly after being sold. During this period the machines would have been sent to jobbers, eventually to be sent along to dealers, and at some point placed in the hands of the purchaser.

There is a series of articles being published in the Antique Phonograph Society's quarterly magazine detailing the history of each of the early Edison Phonograph types (Gem, Standard, Home, Spring Motor/Triumph, Concert). The Gem, Standard, and Spring Motor/Triumph have already been published. The articles on the Home and Concert will appear this year. These articles include dating charts to enable current owners to date their examples.

Enjoy your Edison!

George P.

[JerryVan]

Double check on the dimensions....

https://www.ebay.com/itm/204647667291?h ... R5b636ixYw

[drh]

A friend recently gave me his Edison Standard. I’ve been trying to figure out the model and year without luck. The crane on it and the reproducer are throwing me. Was the crane added and the reproducer replaced? Without a belt it runs for about 8 minutes. Any help would be greatly appreciated. The serial number is S117411.

You might want to consider this offering in the forum's Yankee Trader section. Right now you're limited to 2-minute cyliniders, but adding this converter and a 4-minute reproducer would enable you to play every type of standard-sized cylinder. When I had a Standard, I retrofitted it with one of these, and it worked very well.