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“On This Day in the History of Recorded Sound…”

September 16, 1897: Thomas Macdonald filed for a U.S. patent for “Combined Graphophone and Motor.” This was the tremendously successful Columbia “Eagle” Graphophone, which sold approximately 150,000 units over its 10-year production life.

#antiquephonographsociety #phonograph #gramophone #antique

I was wondering if the Columbia Eagle could play all 2-minute cylinders, kinda of like the Columbia Q?

Yes, 2-minute only. Prior to 1908, virtually all cylinder talking machines played only 2-minute records.

George P.

I have an, Eagle as well.Just need to get a replacement horn.

phonogfp wrote: Mon Sep 16, 2024 6:37 am “On This Day in the History of Recorded Sound…”

September 16, 1897: Thomas Macdonald filed for a U.S. patent for “Combined Graphophone and Motor.” This was the tremendously successful Columbia “Eagle” Graphophone, which sold approximately 150,000 units over its 10-year production life.

#antiquephonographsociety #phonograph #gramophone #antique
Macdonald680794 Eagle.png
Eagleoverall.JPG

The Eagle is such a smart looking small machine

I have been very unfortunate of late. At a time when I'm trying to downsize, new (for me) things show up. First an Eagle and a Genola, then a Victor IV. So here are two pictures of my Eagle. I've read that the absence of the brass end caps on the handle signifies the first year of production. That would be 1897. Is that correct? I rather hope so as this Eagle would clearly then be the only truly (albeit late) 19th C machine that I have.

John

The lack of metal end caps on the handle indicates production between mid-1897 to mid-1898. If you read this entire thread on the APS Forum, you'll be an expert on the Eagle:

https://forum.antiquephono.org/topic/32 ... mment-1802

George P.

Thank you, George P. I now know I have a Type 1 Eagle with the serial number 93048. If both the case and case-less models are included in the same block, perhaps mine is from 1897.

John

The cased and caseless Eagles share the same serial block. Your Eagle's number is low enough that you can safely consider it to be 1897.

George P.