Name/Title
Berliner Coin‑Operated Gramophone (“Coin‑Op”)Entry/Object ID
394Description
Emil Berliner, c. 1899–1904
Extremely rare coin‑operated gramophone with original brass “witch’s hat” horn
Historical Background
Emil Berliner (1851–1929), born in Hanover, Germany, and later emigrating to the United States, is regarded as the inventor of the flat disc record and the gramophone. In 1887, he was granted the landmark patent for the flat, laterally‑cut disc record and the associated player with a side‑mounted tonearm. This invention revolutionised sound recording technology, which until then had relied almost exclusively on Edison’s wax cylinder phonographs.
By founding the Berliner Gramophone Company in the United States and later licensing firms in Europe (including Deutsche Grammophon in Hanover), Berliner laid the foundation for the modern record industry. The company’s famous trademark — the dog listening to “His Master’s Voice” — became one of the most recognisable logos in music history.
Purpose and Use
Coin‑operated gramophones were introduced around 1900, primarily for use in restaurants, hotels, dance halls, and at fairs. They were an early form of automated music machine — long before the jukebox. By inserting a coin, customers could play a record, usually featuring popular songs or comic monologues.
Technical Description
Coin Mechanism: A coin slot with a release button is mounted on the side of the cabinet.
A worm gear on the turntable spindle drives a revolution counter, which engages a vertical locking rod into a hole beneath the turntable.
Only after a coin is inserted is the rod released via the button, allowing the turntable to rotate.
Drive: Spring‑wound motor with crank handle.
Horn: Large brass “witch’s hat” horn, approx. 14 inches, or longer versions up to about 23 inches. Sound is channelled via a brass elbow directly into the soundbox.
Soundbox: Early machines were fitted with a Clark‑Johnson soundbox; later ones used the more powerful Concert soundbox.
Tonearm: Fixed in a yoke; no pivoting travelling arm.
Rarity and Condition
Original Berliner coin‑operated gramophones are extremely rare today, especially those retaining their complete and original brass horn. Many surviving examples were modified after their service life or fitted with later replacement horns.
