The Talking Machine Forum — For All Antique Phonographs & Recordings

That's a great find. Love these little pesky BS's. I have one now that works every time nobody is watching. Bring a guest into the house and it fails. I see your data plate is for a "B" not "BS". Look around you can find a tag. Maybe post a "wanted" post on the Yankee Trader. Joe

Thanks very much for the replies. Now I am wondering about the data plate, though the machine looks pretty original to my untrained eye. Did all of these machines have a "Type BS" data plate, or were any originally produced with "Type B" plates, like I have?

I see that there is at least one that sold at auction that specifies "Type B" rather than "Type BS." like this one, though the base is different:

https://www.skinnerinc.com/auctions/2383/lots/489

According to Hazelcorn's book the serial number range for the BS was from 162310 to 196096 and 506778 to 508428. The early Model B had a serial number range from 80040 to 190857, where your tag lines up with. Anything is possible, but the numbers don't look good for this tag to have born with the machine. Still a great machine. Joe

MikeB wrote:Did all of these machines have a "Type BS" data plate, or were any originally produced with "Type B" plates, like I have?

As long as you asked, there's no way that data plate (No.112454) began life with that mechanism - which has tabbed spring barrels. That style spring barrel did not appear until around No.145000.

It's difficult to tell from pictures, but some of the coin-op parts look "recent" to me. Still, for $1700 you did well. They're great machines - I just bought a BS two months ago after being without one for about 20 years. I waited too long to replace the one I sold!

George P.