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Hello Aurea, Columbia/American Graphophone usually assigned specific serial blocks to each type of Graphophone. If you have Hazelcorn's book on Cylinder Graphophones, you'll see this. That said, there are exceptions, e.g.: the early Type A and Type C share a serial block. And...when the Type A morphed into the Type AT, the numbering continued unbroken. But most models, such as the Type B (Eagle) had their own serial blocks. In this way, each Columbia machine regardless of model, will (or should) have its own unique serial number. (Edison started at "1" with each style, so it's possible to have a Gem, Standard, Home, etc. with the same serial number!) The BI was actually an AH with a back mount. Since the cabinet and motor are the same, I'd be surprised if a new serial block was assigned. You're not looking at the casting number (3503) on the motor frame, are you? The serial number will be found on the governor stanchion. George P.

And I have a new problem and a possible clue. The large motor gears are completely locked and the motor is wound. There is no visible problem that I can see anywhere.

I have been trying to figure out how Columbia assigned serial numbers to its Graphophones, both disc and cylinder models, and I would love to hear your thoughts. Did Columbia start a new serial number sequence for each model, or did they use a continuous numbering system across different models? Has anything been published on this subject in the APS? The research done on Edison serial numbers and models is amazing, so I was just hoping there might be something similar out there for Columbia. 😀 This question came up recently while I was trying to date this Graphophone BI Sterling, serial number 35xx. My impression is that it is a fairly early example, possibly from 1905 or 1906, but I would be very interested to hear what others think. There is another curious detail: the decal has "Made in USA" stamped just below it, almost as an afterthought. Could this indicate that the machine was intended for the European market, where the country of origin might have needed to be specified? I know that some other decals have "Made in USA" incorporated into the design, but the fact that this one looks as though it was stamped on afterwards made me wonder. One thing I have noticed while comparing different Sterling BIs is how inconsistent Columbia seems to have been with the placement of certain features. The "Graphophone" decal, the carrying handle, the crank, and even the award decals do not always appear in the same positions (front, left/right side, etc.) Some they don't even have the handle" I find these little variations fascinating, and they are part of what makes studying Columbia machines so enjoyable. In any case, I would love to hear anything you want to share about this particular model, its dating, serial numbers, or these curious variations. Every little detail helps piece together the history! Thanks Áurea.

Does your machine's mandrel have holes such as these?

Pedro, In your live stream yesterday you showed what you described as "indexing" holes in the mandrel, which would be necessary when recording multiple tracks on a cylinder record. There is also a small hole on the side of the mandrel, the use of which is unknown. Strangely (or maybe not), my Graphophone Grand (#344) has a similar hole the the side of the mandrel, as well as a hole on the mandrel's surface which appears to have been rather crudely filled with solder. (It doesn't interfere with the records.) I have always wondered why these holes are present, and have considered asking other GG owners if their examples have similar holes. Perhaps it's time I did. George P.

Incredible work as always, Pedro. Thank you for all you do to help us understand more of the fascinating world of obscure talking machines. Fran Pratt

Extra points for the lexical chain, Nate. 😊

I've found gems like this too. Every day is a new surprise!🙂

Install the governor again. Be very methodical and closely examine all steps of the installation, looking for any binding or drag on the governor rotation. Once fully installed, examine what's actually happening when the motor comes to a stop. If you can directly give the governor a gentle push, will the motor begin to turn a bit? It's essential that the governor gears are adjusted so that there is no binding or drag. If the governor drive gear is not yet installed, can you spin the governor and have it rotate freely? It may help to posta picture of the governor, and also the bevel gears you installed, for any clues to the problem. It's also possible that your springs have become weak. It can happen...

Thanks for the update Pedro. I just watched your live stream. So much work! It would be great if at some point you can share a close up picture of the tag and also the hole underneath it.

Yes all lubed.

Chuck, that's an advantage of growing older (and having too much stuff squirrelled away)! Just today I found a Victor book for children titled Pan and His Pipes in a display case with some children's phonographs. I have no memory of where or when I acquired it. Also found 5 brown wax cylinders mixed in with Blue Amberols. No idea what they were doing in that cabinet. Well, whoopee! Please let me know how many feet are below the base of #80233. Also if there are any markings on the metal base plate, or anything else unusual. Thanks! George

That's an interesting modification! Uncased Eagles are definitely harder to find than cased examples. Thanks for the follow-up, Rene! George

Sounds like you addressed #6 above. How about the others? George P.

Hey George, That's a real nice one, finding an earlier one is pretty slim. So what's that make number 50 or so in the Eagle nest? This may sound weird but I was looking around here and "found" another Eagle on a shelf, serial #80233. You know it's bad when you find new things in your own house. Chuck

I replaced the grease and nothing changed. I took the governor out and it started spinning faster and faster. I held my finger on the platter to slow it down. So, it CAN play. Thoughts on what to do?

I neglected to mention that this is an uncased Eagle, which makes it that more interesting to me. The base has no markings. For some unknown reason, an previous (presumably the original) owner cut open the ends of the belt cover.

Thanks Nate! It has had good care over the past 25 years, but it needed a sympathetic cleanup. I wish they all came to me in this condition! George

Nope - I didn't have 80776. A pox on the former owner!😀 How many rubber feet on the bottom? Are there any letters stamped into the metal base plate? Thanks Rene! George

Mine is 776. You may well already have it noted under a previous owner, but perhaps this raises the survivors to 10 -- still just 1% of original production.

How cool! Congratulations George. I'm sure you're over the moon now that Eagle #40 is roosting in your belfry with the rest of the flock. It looks like it's in incredible condition as well.

Rene, I have 214 Eagles in my database, but I must admit that I haven't added any for awhile unless they add useful information, such as tightening a "cusp" during a transition period. However, I always add early examples. I have only 9 numbered below 1000. Yours is not there! George

For sure, I still consider it special. There can't be many survivors from that early in production. What have you found in your years of serial number research?

An Eagle under 1000 is pretty good, Rene! After all, there were only 1000 (or 999) ever manufactured! George

And to think I was excited to find an Eagle under 1,000.... Under 100 is next level!