Edison Phonograph Serial Number List

Photograph of Thomas A. Edison listening to the New Edison Diamond Disc Phonograph. Advertisement in The Gramophone, December 1923. Cylinders peaked in popularity around 1905. After this, discs and disc players, most notably the Victrolas, began to dominate the market. Columbia Records, an Edison competitor, had stopped marketing cylinders in 1912. Edison Phonographs lend themselves very well to such a census as each Edison has a model name & type as well as a serial number, making each phonograph uniquely identifyable. To have this kind of data available to researchers would be a huge help. We would highly recommend that Edison owners enter details of their machines there. Edison Phonographs lend themselves very well to such a census as each Edison has a model name & type as well as a serial number, making each phonograph uniquely identifyable. To have this kind of data available to researchers would be a huge help. We would highly recommend that Edison owners enter details of their machines there.

Late 19th C. Thomas A. Edison Home PhonographLate 19th C. Thomas A. Edison Home Phonograph and horn with three cylinders and two empty cylinder cases, oak case with removable domed lid, base with
Edison Phonograph Edison Standard PhonographEdison Phonograph Edison Standard Phonograph with metal horn and 16 music canisters. Serial no. 724451. Marked 'Edison' on front of wooden case. Dimensions
EDISON PHONOGRAPH. New Jersey late 19thEDISON PHONOGRAPH. New Jersey late 19th century. Standard phonograph in an oak case with black painted horn and seven cylinders. 37.75'h.
EDISON OAK STANDARD CYLINDER PHONOGRAPH.EDISON OAK STANDARD CYLINDER PHONOGRAPH. Oak case with original decoration. Brass and black small horn comes with 30+ records and original crank. SIZE:
EDISION CYLINDER PHONOGRAPH, Standard modelEDISION CYLINDER PHONOGRAPH, Standard model B, serial 573600, c. 1905-08, the rectangular oak case with simple Edison signature decal, oak dome lid and
EDISION CYLINDER PHONOGRAPH, Standard modelEDISION CYLINDER PHONOGRAPH, Standard model B, serial 531739, c. 1905-08, the rectangular oak case with simple Edison signature decal, oak dome lid and
Edison 'Suitcase' Standard Phonograph AutomaticEdison 'Suitcase' Standard Phonograph Automatic reproducer.Condition: No horn.Provenance: Dr. Richard PopeE
AN EDISON CYLINDER PHONOGRAPH, Standard modelAN EDISON CYLINDER PHONOGRAPH, Standard model A, serial #S100717, c. 1901-05, having a rectangular oak case with banner decal and original oak dome cover,
Edison Standard Phonograph, Serial # S192399,Edison Standard Phonograph, Serial # S192399, green finish oak case with dome lid, front surface stenciled Edison Standard Phonograph, iron bed plate with
Edison 'GEM' Model B Phonograph, c. 1900,Edison 'GEM' Model B Phonograph, c. 1900, serial number 243286, oak case with gilt Edison script on front, black enameled body with gilt pinstriping, model
EDISON STANDARD CYLINDER PHONOGRAPH & CYLINDERS:EDISON STANDARD CYLINDER PHONOGRAPH & CYLINDERS: Edison Standard cylinder phonograph oak case with original decals. Serial number S65392 with last patent
4439 - 'Edison Standard Phonograph' Cylinder4439 - 'Edison Standard Phonograph' Cylinder Player 'Edison Standard Phonograph' cylinder player with horn, crank, and sixty cylinders, closed 11 1/2'
Edison Model H 4-Minute Standard PhonographEdison Model H 4-Minute Standard Phonograph with 65 cylinders, c. 1905: phonograph comes in oak case with removable domed lid, black enamel plate marked
EDISON TABLETOP PHONOGRAPH - 1905 EdisonEDISON TABLETOP PHONOGRAPH - 1905 Edison Standard Phonograph Model C serial No 508212 with original oak case horn and crank 11 1/2' tall 13' x 9 1/2'
EDISON CYLINDER PHONOGRAPH, HORN & CYLINDERS:EDISON CYLINDER PHONOGRAPH, HORN & CYLINDERS: Edison Standard Phonograph with oak case, original decals, serial number ?72395, cranks and cylinder spins
EDISON CYLINDER PHONOGRAPH, HORN & CYLINDERS:EDISON CYLINDER PHONOGRAPH, HORN & CYLINDERS: Edison Standard Phonograph with oak case, original decals, serial number ?72395, cranks and cylinder spins
PHONOGRAPH - Edison Standard cylinder phonograph,PHONOGRAPH - Edison Standard cylinder phonograph, table top model with oak carry case, red painted tin morning glory horn and assortment of old paper sleeved
PHONOGRAPH - Oak cased table top Edison StandardPHONOGRAPH - Oak cased table top Edison Standard Cylinder Phonograph with label of the Eastern Talking Machine Co, Boston, Mass., cloth covered brass horn
EDISON STANDARD CYLINDER PHONOGRAPH: OakEDISON STANDARD CYLINDER PHONOGRAPH: Oak case with last patent date of Oct. 1905. Serial number 520174. Simple Edison in script on front of case. 14'
EDISON CYLINDER PHONOGRAPH WITH HORN, StandardEDISON CYLINDER PHONOGRAPH WITH HORN, Standard Model B, serial #403179, c. 1906-1908, having a rectangular oak case with dome cover and simple gold 'EDISON'
EDISON STANDARD PHONOGRAPH. New Jersey EDISON STANDARD PHONOGRAPH. New Jersey late 19th century. Model C two minute phonograph with oak case and brass black painted horn SN 388002 21.25'h.
EDISON STANDARD PHONOGRAPH. New Jersey EDISON STANDARD PHONOGRAPH. New Jersey early 20th century. Model C two minute phonograph with oak case and brass horn SN 493725 29'h. Included is
EDISON STANDARD PHONOGRAPH. New Jersey EDISON STANDARD PHONOGRAPH. New Jersey early 20th century. Model C two minute phonograph with oak case and brass horn SN 443636 32.5'h. Included
EDISON STANDARD TYPE D CYLINDER PHONOGRAPH:EDISON STANDARD TYPE D CYLINDER PHONOGRAPH: Serial number 658227 with last patent date of 1905. Complete with crank reproducer and horn. Case measures
EDISON STANDARD CYLINDER ROLL PHONOGRAPH:EDISON STANDARD CYLINDER ROLL PHONOGRAPH: Serial number 586958 with last patent date of 1905. Currently cranks and rolls fine cannot guarantee to continue.
Late 19th C. Edison Standard Phonograph,Late 19th C. Edison Standard Phonograph, serial number S99L37, with black enamel body and 13 7/8' l. horn over beveled oak case, company name appears in
Edison Standard Combination Type Model DEdison Standard Combination Type Model D cylinder phonograph, Model C reproducer for 2/4 minute records, SN641504, original 10 panel black horn, 18' d,
Model 'A' Edison Standard Phonograph, no.Model 'A' Edison Standard Phonograph, no. S63867, with transfer decorated decal on front, black painted bed plate with remnants of tufts of grass, and
Edison Standard cylinder phonograph circaEdison Standard cylinder phonograph circa 1900: oak 'lunch box' style case, witch's hat horn, and 25 assorted cylinders, in Edison, Columbia, Oxford and
124 EDISON CYLINDER ROLLS: For the Edison124 EDISON CYLINDER ROLLS: For the Edison Standard phonograph, approx. 124 assorted songs and artist. Most with cardboard tubes, some loose.
EDISON CYLINDER PHONOGRAPH WITH OAK CYGNETEDISON CYLINDER PHONOGRAPH WITH OAK CYGNET HORN, Standard model B, serial #505595, c. 1905-08, having a rectangular oak cases with Edison signature decal,
EDISON CYLINDER PHONOGRAPH WITH HORN, 'Standard'EDISON CYLINDER PHONOGRAPH WITH HORN, 'Standard' Model B, serial #520868, c. 1908, having a rectangular mahogany table-top case with original dome cover
Edison Standard Phonograph with Horn, OakEdison Standard Phonograph with Horn, Oak CasedInlaid Edison on Front of CaseSerial # 69005D, includes 9 music cylinders 20 1/2' H x 13' W x 20' D
An Edison standard phonograph circa 1905,An Edison standard phonograph circa 1905, manufactured under the patents of Thomas A Edison at Orange N.J. USA with gilded borders and oak base with further
THOMAS A. EDISON STANDARD PHONOGRAPH CYLINDERTHOMAS A. EDISON STANDARD PHONOGRAPH CYLINDER PLAYER. American, 1st quarter-20th century. Oak case with script Edison in gold across the front. Interior
EDISON STANDARD CYLINDER PHONOGRAPH WITHEDISON STANDARD CYLINDER PHONOGRAPH WITH BRASS HORN: Oak case with original Edison label, black painted chassis, plaque with serial number 459656, front
Edison Home cylinder phonograph circa 1904Edison Home cylinder phonograph circa 1904 oak case with dome cover, black tin 'Standard' horn, with crane, phonograph - 11 1/2 in. H., 16 in. W., 9 in.
EDISON HOME CYLINDER PHONOGRAPH: Serial numberEDISON HOME CYLINDER PHONOGRAPH: Serial number H136463 with last patent date of 1903. Cranks and spins. Measures 12' h. to handle x 18' x 9'. Standard
Edison Standard Combination Type Model DEdison Standard Combination Type Model D 2/4 minute cylinder phonograph, 10 panel black cignet horn with stand, 20 cylinders Estimate $400-600
Edison Standard cylinder phonograph in domeEdison Standard cylinder phonograph in dome case with metal crank and red horn. Enamel and decal labels on case, metal label indicating last patent date
A L 19th/E 20th C Edison Standard Phonograph, oakA L 19th/E 20th C Edison Standard Phonograph, oak cased, with a black morning glory horn with crane, and nine cylindars. Case 12' high, 13' wide, 9 1/2'
EDISON STANDARD PHONOGRAPH. Model C withEDISON STANDARD PHONOGRAPH. Model C with crane, oak case, hendecagonal horn with handpainted floral decoration, thirty three cylinders and extra needles.
Edison Standard Cylinder Model A Phonograph.Edison Standard Cylinder Model A Phonograph. Description Includes black bell horn. Working.Condition (Nice).
Edison Standard Model B Converted Phonograph.Edison Standard Model B Converted Phonograph. Description Converted to two and four minute H-reproducer with repaint, paneled horn, and no crane. Working.Condition
Edison Standard Cylinder Model D Phonograph.Edison Standard Cylinder Model D Phonograph. Description Includes cygnet horn and no crane. Mandrel froze.Condition (Good).
Edison Standard Phonograph Model B. DescriptionEdison Standard Phonograph Model B. Description Working. Comes in refinished model D case with reproduction horn and two cylinders.Condition (Excellent).
EDISON STANDARD CYLINDER PHONOGRAPH, modelEDISON STANDARD CYLINDER PHONOGRAPH, model D, serial #666596, c. 1908-11, with 2/4 minute gearing, model-C reproducer, rectangular oak case and 8-panel
Edison Standard Cylinder Phonograph, earlyEdison Standard Cylinder Phonograph, early 1900s, serial # S37145, with Model C diamond stylus reproducer, likely non-original period brass horn. Comes
An Edison standard phonograph together withAn Edison standard phonograph together with fifteen rolls and an advertisement height 12in
Edison Standard Phonograph Serial #703571D InEdison Standard Phonograph Serial #703571D In an oak and parcel gilt case. height 6in; width 13in; depth 8 1/2in

Edison Records logo from 1910s sleeve

For example, Edison invented the world’s first machine to record and reproduce sound in 1877. He called his invention a phonograph. In 1878, he patented the device and made about 500 machines before turning his attention to the light bulb. On this plate you'll find the machine's serial number. The portable machine above is a Victrola 50. The '-ola' was used by the company for models with interior or hidden horns. Two simple table-top Victrola models are the IV and VI. The IV and VI sold from late 1911 to 1926, when the Orthophonic models finally made these 'acoustic' machines.

The Edison Diamond Disc Record is a type of phonograph record marketed by Thomas A. Edison, Inc. on their Edison Record label from 1912 to 1929. They were named Diamond Discs because the matching Edison Disc Phonograph was fitted with a permanent conical diamond stylus for playing them. Diamond Discs were incompatible with lateral-groove disc record players, e.g. the Victor Victrola, the disposable steel needles of which would damage them while extracting hardly any sound. Uniquely, they are just under 1⁄4 in (6.0 mm; 0.235 in) thick.^[1]

Early Diamond Disc records, showing the thickness of each record and number stamped into side.

Edison had previously made only phonograph cylinders but decided to add a disc format to the product line because of the increasingly dominant market share of the shellac disc records (later called 78s because of their typical rotational speed in revolutions per minute) made by competitors such as the Victor Talking Machine Company. Victor and most other makers recorded and played sound by a lateral or side-to-side motion of the stylus in the record groove, while in the Edison system the motion was vertical or up-and-down, known as vertical recording, as used for cylinder records. An Edison Disc Phonograph is distinguished by the diaphragm of the reproducer being parallel to the surface of the record. The diaphragm of a reproducer used for playing lateral records is at a right angle to the surface.

In the late summer and early fall of 1929 Edison also briefly produced a high-quality series of thin electrically recorded lateral-cut 'Needle Type' disc records for use on standard record players.

Historical background[edit]

A 1918 Diamond Disc Record with Samuel Siegel on mandolin and Marie Caveny on ukulele.
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1915 newspaper ad for the product.

The record industry began in 1889 with some very-small-scale production of professionally recorded wax cylinder records. At first, costly wet-cell-powered, electric-motor-driven machines were needed to play them, and the customer base consisted solely of entrepreneurs with money-making nickel-in-the-slot phonographs in arcades, taverns, and other public places. Soon, some affluent individuals who could afford expensive toys were customers, too. By the late 1890s, relatively inexpensive spring-motor-driven phonographs were available and becoming a fixture in middle-class homes. ^[2]The record industry boomed. At the same time, the Berliner Gramophone Company was marketing the first crude disc records, which were simpler and cheaper to manufacture, less bulky to store, much less fragile, and could play louder than contemporary wax cylinders, although they were of markedly inferior sound quality. Their quality was soon greatly improved, and by about 1910 the cylinder was clearly losing this early format war. In 1912, Thomas Edison, who had previously made only cylinders, entered the disc market with his Diamond Disc Phonograph system, which was incompatible with other makers' disc records and players.

Unusual characteristics[edit]

Like cylinder records, the sound in a Diamond Disc's groove was recorded by the vertical method, as variations in the depth of the groove cut. At that time, with the notable exception of Pathé Records, which used yet another incompatible format, a disc's groove was normally of constant depth and modulated laterally, side-to-side. The vertical format demanded a perfectly flat surface for best results, so Edison made his Diamond Discs almost one-quarter of an inch (6 mm) thick. They consisted of a thin coating of a phenolic resin virtually identical to Bakelite on a core of compressed wood flour, later also china clay, lampblack for color, all in a rabbit-hide glue binder.^[1] With very rare exceptions, all were about ten inches in diameter, but they used a finer groove pitch (150 threads per inch, or 'TPI') and could play longer than lateral ten-inch records—up to 4+1⁄2 minutes per side.

Among their advantages over the competition, they were played with a permanent conical diamond stylus, while lateral-cut records were played with a ten-for-a-penny steel needle that quickly wore to fit the groove contour and was meant to be replaced after one use. A feed screw mechanism inside the Phonograph moved the reproducer across the record at the required rate, relieving the groove of that work and thus reducing record wear. This design was in response to the patent held by the Victor Talking Machine Company that states that the groove of the record itself is what propelled the reproducer across the surface of the record via the needle. The playing speed for Diamond Discs was specified at exactly 80 revolutions per minute, at a time when other makers' recording speeds had not been standardized and could be as slow as 70 rpm or even faster than 80 rpm, but were typically somewhere around 76 rpm, leaving users who cared about correct pitch to adjust the playback speed for each record until it sounded right. Above all, there was, and still is, general agreement that the Diamond Disc system produced the clearest, most 'present' sound of any non-electronic disc recording technology.

Although Victor's Victrolas and similar record players could not play Diamond Discs (at best, only very faint sound would be heard, while the crude steel needle seriously damaged the groove) and Edison Diamond Disc Phonographs could not play Victor or other lateral-cut discs, third-party suppliers came up with adapters, such as the Kent adapter, to defeat this incompatibility, but typically with less than optimal sound quality.^[3] The Brunswick Ultona, the Sonora, and the expensive 'Duo-Vox' phonograph made by the piano manufacturer Bush and Lane were the only non-Edison machines that came from the factory equipped to play Diamond Discs as well as Victor and other 'needle-type' records, along with Pathé's sapphire ball stylus hill-and-dale format that used a vertical groove that was U-shaped in cross-section. Edison discouraged all such alternatives by cautioning on some of the record sleeves: 'This Re-Creation should not be played on any instrument except the Edison Diamond Disc Phonograph and with the Edison Diamond Disc Reproducer, and we decline responsibility for any damage that may occur to it if this warning is ignored.'^[4] The very good reason for such discouragement was that Diamond Disc grooves were too narrow and fragile to propel a soundbox across a record surface, as lateral machines did; Edison's precise mechanical feed system on the Disc Phonograph for its weighted 'floating' reproducer replaced that stress on its records.

Edison Records 'Diamond Disc' label, early 1920s, featuring the Happiness Boys, Billy Jones, and Ernest Hare

Rise and fall[edit]

Diamond Discs enjoyed their greatest commercial success from the mid-1910s to the early 1920s, with sales peaking in 1920.^[5] Although they arguably had better audio fidelity, they were more expensive than, and incompatible with, other makers' products and ultimately failed in the marketplace. Not least among the factors contributing to their downfall was Thomas Edison's insistence on imposing his own musical tastes on the catalog. As an elderly man who favored old-fashioned 'heart' songs and had various idiosyncratic preferences about performance practices, he was increasingly out of touch with most of the record-buying public as the Jazz Age of the 1920s got underway. It was not until mid-decade that he reluctantly ceded control to his sons.

In 1926, an attempt at reviving interest in Edison records was made by introducing a long-playing Diamond Disc which still rotated at 80 rpm but tripled the standard groove pitch to 450 threads per inch by using an ultra-fine groove, achieving a playing time of 24 minutes per 10-inch disc (12 on each side) and 40 minutes per 12-inch disc (these were the only 12-inch Diamond Discs ever sold to the public). A special reproducer and modified feed screw mechanism were required to play them. There were problems with skipping, groove wall breakdown, overall low volume (about 40% of that of the regular Diamond Discs), and a failure to exploit the format by releasing a limited number of discs. Only 14 different Edison Long Play discs were issued before they were discontinued.

In August 1927, electrical recording began, making Edison the last major record company to adopt it, over two years after Victor Records, Columbia Records, and Brunswick Records had converted from acoustical recording. Sales continued to drop, however, and although Edison Diamond Discs were available from dealers until the company left the record business in late October 1929, the last vertically cut direct masters were recorded in the early summer of that year. Priority had been redirected to introducing a new line of Edison lateral or so-called Needle Type thin shellac records, compatible with ordinary record players, but although their audio quality was excellent this concession to commercial reality came too late to prevent the demise of the Edison Phonograph and Records Division just one day before the 1929 stock market crash.^[6]

References[edit]