[Phono-L] Triumph dating help request

[Andrew Baron]

Hi all ~  I sent the following when the list was down, so am  
resending.  Apologies in advance if the original pops up at some  
point.  --AB

I'm writing in hopes of receiving some knowledgeable guidance on  
dating an Edison Triumph.

Serial number plate:
Can someone please take a moment and tell me what the subsequent  
patent date was (after May 31, 1898), on the very next version of the  
serial number plate?  I realize that there are some flaws in  
attempting to date a machine by this method, but it should at least  
help me narrow it down a bit more.

If dating by serial number has possibilities, the serial number of  
this machine is 31700.  I recall recent discussions here about  
seemingly out of sequence or anomalous serial numbers on some Edison  
phonographs, but perhaps this serial number can still be of some value  
if a database exists of some verified dates of sale in relation to  
certain numbers.

I spent about an hour searching on the internet for serial number or  
date information, but wasn't able to find anything helpful.  I see in  
Frow that the speed indicating marks were added to the carriage shaft  
sometime in 1904, and this machine does not have those, so I can only  
say that it dates anywhere from the Spring of 1901 to some time in  
1904.  I would love to be able to pin it down a little narrower than  
this.

The other detail in Frow is a reference in his description of the  
model A Triumph, to the corner posts later getting rounded slightly.   
Because this note appeared in his description of the model A, it isn't  
clear if this change took place while the model A was still in  
production, or if it refers to model B.  Mine has the sharp-edged  
corner trim on the main body of the cabinet.

This machine also has a square-ended winding shaft and square  
receptacle crank hole.  Once again, various searches on-line related  
for information about when it may have transitioned to a different  
style of winding crank engagement also failed to turn up any dating  
information.

If anyone here can shed some light on when this machine was made or  
offer any details I should look for that will help me to date it more  
precisely, I would be very grateful.

Thanks in advance for any help.

Andy Baron
Santa Fe