Name/Title
Graphophone Type Q – “Five Dollar Graphophone” (Metal Base)Entry/Object ID
249Description
Columbia Phonograph Company, New York & London
ca. 1897–1899 | Price: $5.00 | Serial numbers in the 300,000 range
Historical Background
The Graphophone Type Q is known as the famous “Five Dollar Graphophone.” Introduced in late 1897, it was Columbia’s answer to the demand for a truly affordable talking machine.
The example shown here represents the earliest version, built with only a simple metal base plate and no wooden cabinet. This stripped-down design made it the cheapest talking machine available at the time – yet it was also a milestone in phonograph history: for the first time, ordinary families could afford such a device.
Between 1898 and 1906, more than 250,000 units were sold, making the Q one of the most successful phonographs of its era.
Technical Features
Base: plain metal bedplate (no wooden case)
Motor: single-spring clockwork with centrifugal governor
Reproducer: standard Columbia reproducer (#2, later #5)
Cylinder: designed for 2" wax cylinders
Drive: hand crank with simple gear train
Significance
The Graphophone Q was the first true mass-market talking machine. It brought recorded music and speech into hundreds of thousands of homes and marked the transition from an exclusive parlor novelty to an everyday household device.
The specimen preserved in the Edisonium is one of the rare early versions without a wooden base, making it an authentic witness to Columbia’s bold strategy: simplifying the design and slashing the price to just five dollars in order to popularize the talking machine.
