This should have appeared at the end of the A-250 information that I poster earlier, and was also copied in Rich's email inquiry. Sorry for the omission, as it's enlightening information. Note that the highest number now documented as part of the list I posted earlier is 13417, or roughly 1,000 units beyond the mid-12,000 range noted by Ron. This unit appears to have been made in the waning days before the factory fire of Dec 09, 1914 that spelled the end of the A-250 and ushered in the B-250. ~ Andy >> From: ronald dethlefson <R2DETH at PACBELL.NET> >> Date: June 23, 2007 9:53:26 AM PDT >> To: Peter Fraser <pjfraser at mac.com> >> Subject: Re: pictures of the early a-250 >> >> Nephew, >> >> Yes, the stop mechanism shown is the first one. It's the same as >> on my A-250 #161. I've seen these mechanisms on #158 and #171. >> They probably were on the first 200 A250s manufactured in late >> 1912, according to Frow. A250s through #1200 were manufactured by >> March 1913, again according to Frow. The sound vents in the sides >> of the cabinets ended about #1200 too. I suspect that the stop >> mechanism was changed due to some patent issue. So much of the >> factory documentation was destroyed in the Dec. 1914 fire that the >> only way to document changes in Model A pnonographs is to look at >> the machines themselves. At least we now know that the first stop >> mechanism, was in use into the 1400 range of serial numbers. >> >> One other Model A tidbit. I've never seen a Model A 250 numbered >> lower than #109. This leads me to suspect that serial numbers >> began with 100. The highest Model A 250 serial number I've ever >> seen was in the mid-12,000 range of numbers.