Columbia Q serial number N 314371 -What does the N indicate?

[phono-farm]

Does anyone know what the 'N' indicates on the Columbia Q, serial number N 314371? It also seems that 314371 would be a very low serial number for a Q.

[Crank_it_up]

Indeed that is an early Q. Hazelcorn's book says they start at 321886. I see there is no wording on the endplate. My earliest Q is 337xxx so I looked at it to see if there was a letter preceding the serial number. At first I thought there was but I took pics and think they are machine marks. But, I looked on the back edge and found the letter Z clearly printed. See images.
Thanks for posting this. Joe

[fran604g]

Well isn't this interesting?

Indeed that is an early Q. Hazelcorn's book says they start at 321886. I see there is no wording on the endplate. My earliest Q is 337xxx so I looked at it to see if there was a letter preceding the serial number. At first I thought there was but I took pics and think they are machine marks. But, I looked on the back edge and found the letter Z clearly printed. See images.
Thanks for posting this. Joe

I looked at mine (322,061), and it has the same 3 "hash-marks" near the SN, and also a letter "J" (and a "hash-mark") stamped into the rear edge just below the open-end of the mandrel. I hope others will check theirs, too!

Best,
Fran

[TinfoilPhono]

My QB has a much higher serial number but the rear is stamped with a letter, in this case "M."

[phono-farm]

OK, I just looked at all 5 of my early Q's.
serial #333436 is a QC with H stamped in that same location on the rear edge of the base
serial #604817 is a QB and has an L stamped there.
serial #619267 is a Q missing lots of parts but it has P stamped there.
serial #634837 has B stamped there.
serial #314371 is the one I originally posted the question about and it has nothing stamped there but has N stamped just before the serial number on the front edge of the base, as shown in the photos at the top of this thread topic.
Maybe these are a manufacturing code of some sort?

[fran604g]

OK, I just looked at all 5 of my early Q's.
serial #333436 is a QC with H stamped in that same location on the rear edge of the base
serial #604817 is a QB and has an L stamped there.
serial #619267 is a Q missing lots of parts but it has P stamped there.
serial #634837 has B stamped there.
serial #314371 is the one I originally posted the question about and it has nothing stamped there but has N stamped just before the serial number on the front edge of the base, as shown in the photos at the top of this thread topic.
Maybe these are a manufacturing code of some sort?

I'm thinking either an assemblyman's or inspector's mark. The hash-marks could be an indication of some prior procedure or inspection, too?

Just thinkin' out loud.

Best,
Fran

[Pete Stratford]

Hello,
My early Q is serial number 320093 with a B stamped into the back edge.

Pete

[long_island_phono]

It should be noted that Hazelcorn's book lists the earliest KNOWN number HE was aware of at the time of publication. One can safely assume that the different Graphophone models were given specific serial blocks that started with even numbers. Type N's started at 40,000, for instance. Type B's, 50,000, etc. Serial blocks also appear to have jumped around for the same models, as we see with the Q, for instance.

Q's started at 300,000. At one point I owned serial number 312,xxx, or close to it. It also lacked the stamping in the support stanchion. There is an old thread regarding Q serial numbers which covers some other early examples.

The letter marks, I would guess, may have been something to do with different production batches. My 2 cents.

-Jake

[jboger]

I have a Q with serial number 348660, along with some hash marks but not the same, and the letter X stamped on the other side. The so-called hash marks might be produced in the manufacturing process?

[fran604g]

I have a Q with serial number 348660, along with some hash marks but not the same, and the letter X stamped on the other side. The so-called hash marks might be produced in the manufacturing process?

Could be marks left from the forming die. It seems strange to me that they'd been spread over such a long run of parts, though. You'd think someone would've been told to clean up the burrs instead of trying to buff the marks out of the parts later.

Who knows?

Best,
Fran