Columbia AA Graphophone Serial Number Research

[TinfoilPhono]

The diminutive Columbia Type AA Graphophone is a lovely and surprisingly scarce little machine, which had a very brief lifespan. It was only cataloged in 1901 and 1902, but they were clearly sold up to at least 1906 given that some have decals on the back of the case announcing awards in Paris in 1900, St. Louis in 1904, or Milan in 1906. Earlier ones have no award decals. There were also two different sizes of front decal used -- a large one covering the whole front of the cabinet for earlier ones, and a smaller, more dimensionally appropriate one for late machines.

There also seems to be a question about reproducers. In Howard Hazelcorn's book he states that these only came with the small 'Eagle' type reproducer, however some are known with the larger D reproducer. These could have been owner upgrades, but there is some evidence that seems to imply some machines were originally marketed with the D. That might apply to later machines, after 1902, but that remains to be determined with further research.

To that end, I have started keeping a census of surviving machines. For those who have an AA in their collection, could you please let me know the following information, either in a reply to this post or by email to [email protected]:

-- serial number (located at left front of the bedplate, all in the 700,000 range)
-- reproducer (D or Eagle)
-- decal size (large or small)
-- last date of award decal on back (if present)
-- type of horn

I will log all the information and see if there are any patterns to be uncovered. I will happily keep owner's information confidential if you want.

Thanks in advance!

[JerryVan]

S/N 702400
D Reproducer
Large decal
NO decal on rear panel
10" nickel horn

Thanks for doing this!!

[zapper]

Tinfoilphono

S/N 709775
D (#2)? Reproducer
Large Decal
Paris Exposition 1900
+No machine turning (jewelling) on end brackets?
Bought in UK in 2009
Good luck with the task ahead

Brian

[phonogfp]

S/N 712244
Eagle Reproducer
Large decal
1900 Awards decal on rear panel
10" nickel horn

George P.

[Shawn]

S/N 701570
Eagle Reproducer
Large decal
No decal on rear panel
10" nickel horn

Awesome undertaking! Thanks Rene'

Shawn

[mcgravy]

S/N 712846
D reproducer
small decal
St. Louis Exposition 1904
no horn

S/N 712798
Eagle Reproducer
large decal
No decal on rear
no horn
parts machine

Rick

[Couch Potato]

SN# 712752
D Reproducer (doubtful was with machine its whole life)
Large Decal
Paris Exposition 1900
No Horn

Hazelcorn's now 26 year old book says highest serial number was 712527 and this one and others mentioned on this thread exceed that.

I recently saw serial number 713327 which was in a small label case.

Anyone happen to have a spare decorative "sphere" that goes on the side latches you pull to release the lid?

[TinfoilPhono]

Thanks, everyone. We're up to 13 so we have a long way to go before we can make well-substantiated conclusions.

That said, the vast majority of reported machines have D reproducers, regardless of where the serial number falls. That is also true of many I found on Google, for which I couldn't find numbers. It would seem that many owners upgraded their Eagle reproducers to the louder D reproducer once they became available in 1902. Those were priced at $5. With a $2 credit for returning the Eagle, that made the cost of an upgrade only $3. That wasn't cheap at the time -- over $60 in today's dollars -- but it was affordable enough to entice owners to make the change. As for when (or whether) Columbia started shipping AA Graphophones with the D reproducer as standard may never be known, unless some period documentation turns up.

[AudioAntique]

S/N 701673
D Reproducer
Large Decal
No decal on rear panel
10" Nickel Horn

A very interesting project.

Rob

[Shawn]

A cut from the 1901 catalog, showing it with an Eagle reproducer and the large decal. The recorder shown is the same as the Eagle used as well.

Shawn