Records
By artist
Gramophones

Classified ads
Special records
Vintage cd's
Music library
Jazz movies
By group
Hot cd's
Welcome To:
The Autophone Phonograph
A very rare 12 cylinder phonograph owned by Jean-Paul Agnard of Canada


a

The Autophone Phonograph
Story by Joan Lehman Pictures by Jean-Paul Agnard


First and foremost, our thanks go to; Allen Koenigsberg, Tim Fabrizio and Jean-Paul Agnard the Owner of this autophone for the photographs and information they provided for this History Page.

This 1913 Autophone is a 'rare' beauty, with its awesome upright cabinet! This is not a coin-op machine but a salon one. Imagine today, listening to 12 four-minute cylinders playing without interruption in one hour (12 x 4M = 48 + 12 times to go back). Also, any number of cylinders could be played by simply pushing back the starting rod (behind the crank), at the end of any record.

Autophone phonograph


autophone

 

the Autophone

The autophone

One photo here, shows a close-up of the automatic return mechanism with the feed screw in the middle with two different groovings: a fine one that goes from back to front to play the records and a coarse one from front to back to bring back the reproducer while the cylinder is changed underneath.

The Autophones used zinc die-castings, to varying degrees depending on when they were made, which cause problems today. The Autophone uses the same slightly modified, (larger) Edison Triton motor, as well as the playing and return mechanisms developed for the 4-minute style Multiphone.

The History of the Autophone is long and complicated. The company was dogged by financial problems, and changes occurred in the organization. Whether the firm had the same or simular backers as the Multiphone is not known. Although connected with the Multiphone, it may be an entirely different company. The Multiphone (Agnard's machine) was invented by Julius Roever who designed several different Autophones. All of the early patents for coin-operated phonographs are listed in "The Patent History of the Phonograph". and it explains the greatest number of cylinders played by any one instrument is 25!

 

autophone

Autophone Gramophone

The Autophone of 1913 was a simplified home-entertainment version of the Multiphone coin-operated cylinder apparatus.The Multiphone Operating Co was in business into the 1920s (in NYC) it's President then was Julius Roever. Using the same type of carousel, for logistical purposes, it was reduced in size to hold 12 4-minute records. Rather than directing the sound upward, as in the Multiphone, the Autophone channeled the sound out through the lower part of the cabinet. Were extended exerpts from the classics ever issued on Blue Amberol cylinders, the Autophone would have been the perfect avenue for enjoying them. Unfortunately, Edison failed to aspire to more than independently sustained performances, and the complicated Autophone never rose above the level of an expensive novelty.

'To quote Discovering Antique Phonographs by Fabrizio and Paul,'....' "AHH,, don't 'we' all "wish", we had one of these novelties,,, today!"