The Talking Machine Forum — For All Antique Phonographs & Recordings

I was re-reading my APS journal and going over the article on the various types of Graphophone decals. I have an early top wind AJ and an early off center crank AH. Both have the banner decal that says on the bottom, New York and London. There are no patent date on the script itself. Is there an explanation for this? Do the dates of the cylinder banner decals have the same dates as the disc machines? Will there be a follow up article in APS for the disc machines?
Harvey Kravitz

Harvey,

I'm the author of that article on cylinder Graphophone decals in The Antique Phonograph, so I'll try to answer your questions.

I don't know why the earliest Disc Graphophone decals lack patent dates, while those from a little later and onward carry them. In late 1901 when the Disc Graphophones were introduced, cylinder Graphophones were sporting "New York and Paris" decals. Why the first Disc Graphophone decals read "New York & London" is a mystery to me.

You ask, "Do the dates of the cylinder banner decals have the same dates as the disc machines?" I'm not sure I understand the question. If you're asking whether the same patent dates appear on the cylinder and disc versions of the decals, the answer is that some cylinder decals carry more patent dates, but the dates that appear on the disc versions will have appeared on cylinder versions as well.

As for a follow-up article on the Disc Graphophone decals, I have no immediate plans to write one. Perhaps someone else will be inspired to do it!

George P.