Name/Title
Graphophone Type BV (Sears Variant)Entry/Object ID
271Description
Columbia Phonograph Company for Sears, Roebuck & Co., ca. 1905–1907
Historical Background
The Graphophone Type BV was one of Columbia’s popular tabletop models. Normally, these machines carried the familiar “Graphophone” decal on the cabinet. However, for the mail-order giant Sears, Roebuck & Co., special unmarked series were produced and sold under Sears’ own branding. This strategy allowed Sears to advertise the models as “exclusive” and often at significantly lower prices than in specialist shops.
By marketing these unbranded Graphophones, Sears made phonograph ownership accessible to an even wider audience, especially in rural areas where mail-order was the primary retail channel.
Technology and Features
Mechanism: Spring-driven motor, playing time approx. 2 minutes per cylinder.
Horn: Typically 10–14 inches, same as Columbia’s BV models.
Cabinet: Oak with floral inlay decoration, but lacking the Columbia logo.
Reproducer: Standard Columbia Floating Reproducer.
Rarity and Significance
Unmarked “Sears” Graphophones are much rarer today than their Columbia-branded counterparts. Long overlooked by collectors, they are now recognized as important examples of early 20th-century marketing practices, when large retailers and mail-order houses began offering rebranded versions of established products.
The example on display at the Edisonium is an authentic Sears-variant Graphophone BV, representing the intersection of Columbia’s phonograph technology with Sears’ powerful distribution network that helped popularize recorded sound across the United States.
