Columbia Graphophone Type B (Columbia Eagle) for sale

The Columbia Graphophone Type B, also sometimes sold as a BX, had a long production span, approximately 1897-1907. It originally sold for $10 and was popularly known as the Eagle, a nickname for the $10 gold coin.

Designed by Columbia's chief engineer Thomas Macdonald, the keywound openworks design was quite innovative for its time, and was a framework for other Columbia models, as well as being plagiarized by numerous European manufacturers.

The Eagle sold well, despite the fact that Columbia sound quality of this era was not as good as Edison's.

The all-in-view mechanism, with its spinning governor weights and small exposed double spring barrels, exerts an almost hypnotic fascination for modern collectors.

This example has a nice attractive case with original colorful banner decal on the lid.

We have cleaned and lubricated some of the motor to get it running properly. We replaced the half nut, a point of excessive wear on this design, with a good half nut from a parts machine. We made a minor repair to the start/stop mechanism and re-belted the machine.

The belt cover is often missing from these because the belting was trouble prone. We have the original belt cover, and are including it with the machine, but I guarantee that this machine will run better with the cover off.

This Graphophone is running nicely, as you can hear by clicking on the mp3 file.

If your intention is play a lot of cylinder records, then this probably isn't the best choice for you. However if you want something light and small that shows off state-of-the-art 1898 technology, something visually fascinating, and something that actually works, then you might consider this Graphophone.

Price includes 14 inch brass and black reproduction horn, and 3 good original cylinder records.

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Lynn Bilton
Box 435
Randolph,OH 44265
330 325-7866

We buy, sell, and repair antique phonographs and music boxes.

Pick-up and delivery possible in many parts of the midwest,south, and northeast.