Can anyone help me identify this machine?

[Nipper123]

Hello, I have this tabletop Columbia Grafonola. Its been in my family for a while now. Can anyone tell me what model this is? Its missing the elbow but I still have the tonearm and reproducer. If anyone has an elbow lying around in their spare parts bin please let me know.

[zenith82]

It looks like a model A, which was an entry level model from 1918 through about 1923 or so. Columbia's serial records didn't survive, so there's no real way to date it with any more accuracy.

Cracked elbows are common on Grafonolas of this vintage due to pot metal deterioration. Some have fared better than others, likely due to there not being a set "recipe" for pot metal. The pieces more prone to deterioration have a higher zinc content than other metals. Each batch of metal the elbows were cast from was different.

[marcapra]

This could be as far back as 1912. Are the cabinet dimensions 15.5" X 15.5"? If they are it could be an Eclipse from 1912, or a Model 25 from 1915. If the dimensions are a couple inches smaller it could be other models. This info is from the book Columbia Phonograph Companion Vol. II, Robert Baumbach, c. 1996.

[marcapra]

After looking at the pics again, it looks like you have the smaller machine, 13" X 14". I can tell because the crank is in the middle, not toward the back like on the bigger table tops. So I think you either have a single spring Meteor from 1914, or a double spring Model 15 from 1915. They both look the same. It has a black Japanned bayonet-mount tonearm with an aluminum diaphragm.