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Early Columbia floating reproducer for AS, Type B Eagle ? Trade for Edison automatic reproducer ,copper diaphragm ok,[email protected] Thanks Eric

That's a nice Columbia floating reproducer, but it is not for a coin-op. It will certainly function fine on a coin-op, but that was not the original application for this one.

George P.

George,
Thanks for the feedback , do you know specifically what machines it was issued with? I ran a ad a few days back on the Forum and got a few replies. It is a very nice reproducer i am hoping to get it to a Columbia collector !
Thanks Eric

Eric,

The reproducer is a heavier version of the "Eagle," but I have no documentation for this specific design.

That said, when found in the wild, these reproducers seem to turn up on machines from the 1902-1903 period. I'd surmise that your reproducer was designed to play the new moulded cylinders that came out around that time, and served this function until the more common "D" reproducer appeared in 1903. If that's the case, Rene's assessment in your original posting would be accurate for those machines that appeared in the 1902/early 1903 period. (I believe the New York A and the AN would be too early for this reproducer.) Again, this is only an educated guess on my part.

George P.

George,
If you get out your VCR and put in Volume VI The tin foil collection, you will see how i came to the conclusion that it was issued with A Columbia AS coin op , there is a close up of it in that Video. I hope someone can help us determine without a doubt what it is chronologically. Thanks for your help!!
Eric

Eric,

You're very welcome.

I don't have the videotape you cite titled "The Tinfoil Collection" (is the reproducer in question really THAT old?? ) so I cannot comment on that. However, and with all respect to the owner of the machine depicted in your videotape, collectors can (and do) fit all sorts of parts to their talking machines, but that doesn't necessarily mean they're historically accurate. A better (although not always infallible) route is to consult primary resources such as period trade journals, catalogs, advertisement, etc.

Shawn O'Rourke wrote an excellent article for the December 2013 issue of The Antique Phonograph on a wide variety of reproducers for coin-operated cylinder talking machines. Carefully researched articles such as this are the next best thing to perusing original documents. Maybe better!

George P.

George,
The video has tin foil and graduates to later Columbia machines such as The AS coin op type N ect, i think the machine was owned by Howard Hazlecorn? I 'll have to watch it again. I'll try to get some feedback from Shawn. Thanks again. Eric

phonogfp wrote:Eric,

You're very welcome.

I don't have the videotape you cite titled "The Tinfoil Collection" (is the reproducer in question really THAT old?? ) so I cannot comment on that. However, and with all respect to the owner of the machine depicted in your videotape, collectors can (and do) fit all sorts of parts to their talking machines, but that doesn't necessarily mean they're historically accurate. A better (although not always infallible) route is to consult primary resources such as period trade journals, catalogs, advertisement, etc.

Shawn O'Rourke wrote an excellent article for the December 2013 issue of The Antique Phonograph on a wide variety of reproducers for coin-operated cylinder talking machines. Carefully researched articles such as this are the next best thing to perusing original documents. Maybe better!

George P.

George,
The reason i don't think it was for a TYPE B Eagle is when placed on machine it has a lot of side to side movement , it does play fine though just a bit more info!! Eric

The reproducers on N, BS and AS coin-ops have a set screw on the side to hold them firmly in place when the carriage rapidly resets at the end of play. Otherwise the jolt as it hits the stop pad could cause the reproducer to fall off. This screw is the hallmark of an original coin-op reproducer.

I can see how that would happen. Do you know of any literature that might have a good picture of the one i have for trade? Thank you both for your help!!
Eric