1901 Columbia Disc Graphophone. Model AJ.
This is the early top wind version with the leather elbow which only featured on the very earliest models. The only top wind machine marketed by Columbia.
Its playing American Fantasie by Columbia Band record number 1175, dates from I think 1903 or thereabouts, which has a crack in it unfortunately. The machine runs out of a bit of puff towards the end of the record, this is due to me not giving it a fuller wind to avoid snapping the spring!
It has the original hard to find winding crank which has to be removed during play otherwise it knocks off the reproducer. Shortly after this the winder was re sited. In all there were three versions, this being the earliest of the first. A good looking early machine!
