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How could this be? Edison had all the rights to the Dictaphone? This was on auction and I probably should have started the thread in eBay, but I also need info? I have never seen anything Columbia in the Dictaphone line.

Hi Ronnie. What you are showing in you picture is a Dictaphone Shaving machine not a recording machine. Here is a link all about dictaphones and shaving machines. You will find the shaving machines at the bottom of the page. I've sent you pictures of my Business Machine AC/DC in the past.

http://www.officemuseum.com/dictating_machines.htm

Rich Gordon

Thanks for that Rich. Your machine is beautiful. If it shaves, I will be happy.

Here are two of my Edison Shaving Machines. One hand crank and the other with optional electric upgrade. The electric one shaves cylinders to a mirror finish..

Rich Gordon

Amberola wrote:How could this be? Edison had all the rights to the Dictaphone? This was on auction and I probably should have started the thread in eBay, but I also need info? I have never seen anything Columbia in the Dictaphone line.

All Dictaphones are Columbia machines. All Ediphones are Edison machines.

The Dictaphone was preceded by the Columbia Commercial Graphophone.

The Edison was preceded by the Edison Business Phonograph.

George P.

"All Dictaphones are Columbia machines."

True until 1921, when Columbia, as a result of bankruptcy brought on by stock manipulation, was forced to sell off its Dictaphone division as well as its overseas operations. Thereafter, the Dictaphone Corporation competed against Edison in the office dictation machine market without Columbia's support.

The final sentence of the fourth paragraph in the article that Rich Gordon links to acknowledges "Around 1907 (in any case by 1908), Graphophone dictating machines began to use the Dictaphone trademark," without pointing out that American Graphophone and Columbia Phonograph Company were essentially merged into one by that time. The article also fails to mention Columbia's selling off its Dictaphone division in 1921.

Best wishes, Mark

Valid points, Mark. One always takes a risk in trying to make things more understandable for those who have virtually no knowledge of the topic. I didn't want to make things any murkier.

My understanding was that Columbia sold the Dictaphone branch in March 1923. I'm certainly open to correction.

As to when the Columbia Business Graphophone became the Dictaphone, according to The Columbia Record, this change occurred in April/May 1908.

George P.

I thank you guys for helping to educate me. I have never given the wording Ediphone vs Dictaphone a 2nd thought. I just assumed they were all made by Edison. This one looks kind of cool with the Columbia Phonograph Co. on it. I just hope all of it is there.
So this would be an early one?

George P wrote, "My understanding was that Columbia sold the Dictaphone branch in March 1923. I'm certainly open to correction."

George, I believe I misspoke and you are correct. I don't have my references to hand and although Columbia fell on hard times in 1921 (as did the rest of the industry), they very likely likely did not sell off their profitable Dictaphone division as a first step in rising out of bankruptcy.

I hear you about not wishing to introduce too much complexity, but confusion about Columbia's involvement in post-sale Dictaphone products has come up on this list before.

http://forum.talkingmachine.info/viewto ... Dictaphone

http://forum.talkingmachine.info/viewto ... 39#p141539

… so forgive me for harping on it.

Ronnie, you are of course welcome for whatever little I can add to the discussion. I hope you get a nice machine out of this transaction.

Best wishes, Mark

Thanks Mark,
I don't and can't find out what year this would have been made? I gave 250.00 for it and just hope I didn't buy a boat anchor. I have enough of them. If its early, I will be happy.