Who was the manufacturer of this model? Our thoughts so far:
-
Phonograph built in serie or only unique, like Lockhart e.g.?
-
Mechanism looks similar to Capehart Amperion but isn't.
-
The Dayton sprocket wheel is remarkable.
-
Any of the many radio or phongraph companies tried to enter the coin-op phonograph market and devleoped only one model?
-
Thomas Manufacturing Company, Ohio as the manufacturer?
A Dayton, Ohio, firm, established in 1903. A catalog of September 1913 (reprinted in TMR #54-55) described numerous products:
Dayton phonograph motors, Dayton tone arms, and Dayton soundboxes.
The Orchestrola and Armoniola disc players were marketed in 1916, in seven models, priced from $15-200. Later Thomas made the Portophon portable machines. When the company failed in 1926, Starr Piano Co. purchased the drawings, patents, machinery, and plant from the liquidator. -
Wurlitzer involved?
There was a Wurlitzer (Edward Wurlitzer) paper envelope found inside the cabinet and wondered - which is total speculation - if this model is one of the types based on patents by Julius Wellner of Philadelphia, who died in 1917. His patent rights were later sold to RCA (Victor) and used in the (Orthophonic) "10-50" sequential play models, which were also fitted with coin attachments and operated by Wurlitzer on piano routes after 1923 according to Howard Wurlitzer's wishes. -
Herbert L. Brump resp. RCA involved?
Herbert L. Brump, was working for and developing mechanisms for RCA before he became employed by the G. M. Radio Corp. making automatic changers in the early 1930s. Herbert L. Brump lived in Dayton in the 1920s, and the G. M. Radio Corp. was also located in Dayton, right? I believe General Motors Radio Corp. bought most of the equipment from the Thomas Manufacturing Co. when the Starr Piano Co. moved into the refrigerator industry after the hard times following the Wall Street crisis 1929.
If you can offer any information about this model please let us know. Your email will be greatly appreciated. Thank you.
