EDISON STANDARD “2 clip” MODEL “A” EDISON–BELL patent plate

[martinola]

I doubt if anyone would have either known or cared enough to modify it in those days, so that if its specification was indeed non-original this must have been done early in its history.

Oliver Mundy.

As I get older, I find myself less inclined to second guess the state or condition a machine comes to me. Earlier I would have dismissed configurations, modifications or parts usages that I would have considered "non-original" or "non-factory" but have have since determined them to be actual variants. Kudos to people who are patient and slow to alter things, as they are in some cases actually preserving history. Sure, some things are the result of over-anxious restorers in the past, but I've begun to really appreciate the bravery of keeping stuff "as found".

Regards,
Martin

[zippy]

Martin- Thank you for sharing the database and adding my machine to it. I noticed the twin.

I posted this thread on grammophon-platten forum and DGAG from Berlin posted this interesting information. I will reference it here with all the credits to the original author. It will enlighten some of us.

In April 1898, The Edison-Bell Consolidated Phonograph Co. Ltd. of London, owner of the British Edison and Bell-Tainter patents, ordered 10,000 "No. 2" (Standard) machines from the phonograph factory in West Orange. Without patent plate, instead a license plate was mounted in England.

Edison-Bell Consolidated, newly established in March 1898, acted as the selling agent for the Edison United Phonograph Co. in England. The first 250 "No. 2" machines were shipped from the US in May 1898. At least 1000 machines arrived monthly until the first order was completed. More orders certainly followed, but I did not investigate further.

Since the selling price of the "No. 2" in England was the equivalent of about $ 34, much higher than in the US ($ 20), and the commercial discount for retailers was only 15 to 20%, sales were slow.

Deutsche Edison Phonographen Gesellschaft mbH in Cologne ordered only 100 "No. 2" machines in April 1898. There was a good reason. The license fees of $ 37, which the German company had to pay to its licensor, the Edison United, for each phonograph sold, was ridiculously high. The purchase of machines imported from the US was therefore not worthwhile and Deutsche Edison Gesellschaft licensed the manufactured of their own phonographs, named "Victoria": Link - https://grammophon-platten.de/e107_plug ... .php?45827

I have never seen one of the very few "No. 2" phonographs sold by Deutsche Edison Gesellschaft. One of these would certainly interest me.

The link to the original post: https://grammophon-platten.de/e107_plug ... 47481.last