The Talking Machine Forum — For All Antique Phonographs & Recordings

Anyone have a good original to spare?

One just sold on eBay for a pretty penny.

Does someone know, definitively, whether the “upside down” wording truly indicates a reproduction, or is merely (as some state) the difference between late and early versions?

All of the originals I've seen have had the lettering as shown in the photo above. It was designed for Bell-Tainter (and Type G) Graphophones where the reproducer hung down from above the record, which put the REPRODUCER marking in the correct reading position. When Columbia switched to aluminum they amended the lettering to read correctly when the reproducer was mounted with the reproducer below the record, as on the Type A and later machines.

Years ago there were replica gutta percha reproducers made by creating a mold from an aluminum reproducer and casting new bodies in black plastic-type material. These look okay but are easily identified as replicas by the incorrect position of the lettering, as well as by the lack of a threaded compression ring on the underside to hold the diaphragm. (The replicas have a gasket glued into place.)

Jean-Paul Agnard made some replicas with correctly-positioned lettering but they were a bit undersize, and were so thin that they are translucent. They also lack the threaded compression ring.

And there it is.

Thanks René!