COLUMBIA GRAPHOPHONE TYPE AN (1897)

In 1897, Columbia replaced the $40 Type N with the newly designed Type A, priced at only $25. The Type A had redesigned topworks and a new single-spring motor that was far less expensive to manufacture. This left the company with a small quantity of leftover Type N motors. To liquidate them, Columbia offered the very short-lived Type AN, combining the new Type A topworks with the powerful and heavy-duty Type N motor. The Type AN was priced at the same $40 level as the obsolete Type N, and was still dubbed as the "Bijou" in the 1897 catalog. The case for the AN had a much finer finish than the Type A, as well as a stepped base and a groove running around the upper part. Few were made and the AN is quite scarce today.

This example has a highly unusual dealer's tag for the Cleveland Graphophone Company, made of brass and shaped to precisely fit over the lower corner of the banner decal.

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