The list price of the School Phonograph was set at $75. The machine itself was a variant of the Edison Opera, which had been launched in the market a year earlier, in November 1911. Unlike the wooden cabinet of the Opera, the School Phonograph was entirely made of black enameled (“japanned”) steel. “The metal casing is particularly well suited to use in a school-room where it is apt to be fingered by many hands in various stages of greasiness,” reported the Edison Phonograph Monthly, with evident lack of tact. This rugged metal-cased phonograph was mounted atop a steel stand with large casters, making it convenient to move between various classrooms. A set of four shelves in the stand held cardboard boxes, each with room for 25 cylinders, while a pull-out wire rack allowed a box to be conveniently placed for quick access.

The horn was also metal, combining the usual Opera elbow with a cygnet horn bell. Interestingly the bells had all been drilled for a hanger at the time they were made, but since such a hanger is not needed on the School Phonograph the holes were plugged prior to the horn being painted. This was done so well on some machines that it can be difficult to see the outlines of the original holes. but inevitably they are there, sometimes even underneath the decal. Both ten panel “number 10" and eleven panel “number 11" cygnet bells can be found on surviving School Phonographs, with slightly more than half being fitted with the smaller #10. The reason for this variation is not known. The late George Frow, in his book “Edison Cylinder Phonograph Companion,” speculated that the smaller horns may have been used close to the end of production, but this is unlikely given the entirely random correlation between serial numbers and horn types (even the very lowest serial number machine has a 10-panel horn). More likely this detail was considered unimportant at the time, and whatever horn was handy was fit to the machine.

Edison did not set aside one single block of serial numbers for School Phonograph production so the numbers are intermixed with Operas. Five machines are known with numbers scattered among the 1570-3151 range, however all other survivors have numbers running between 3351 and 3555. This latter range of approximately 200 may well have been reserved for School Phonographs since no ordinary Opera numbers have yet been recorded in that sequence. Still, the  serial numbers do not allow extrapolation of total production, as might be hoped. It is likely that the earliest machines were made sporadically, with only a small block produced in tight sequence. From what little information can be found in serial number research it is probable that no more than 300 were produced in total, possibly far less, not all of which were necessarily sold.

Edison offered a series of 54 special educational Blue Amberol records in conjunction with the School Phonograph (at extra cost, however). These titles run from number 1651 to 1710. The first six titles were famous speeches recited by elocutionist Harry E. Humphrey, such as “Lincoln’s Speech at Gettysburg” and “Washington’s Farewell Address.” These records turn up fairly commonly but the purely educational titles are much scarcer. These bear such toe-tapping titles as “Dictation and Spelling, 2nd year, 1st Half, Lesson 1" or “Fifteen Review Problems in Denominate Numbers.” Many have a series of quiz questions, each followed by a long pause giving the students time to work out the problem before the next question. (Edison was making a stretch when the company proposed that “The school records are not, of course, limited to the school, but should prove of the utmost usefulness in the homes of Phonograph owners.”)

The School Phonograph could also be fitted with a special adapter in place of the Diamond A reproducer, allowing a 4-minute recorder and small recording horn to be mounted for the teacher or students to make records of their own. In this regard, the phonograph was superior to the more common Victor Schoolhouse which obviously could not make records.

At the end of December a production schedule called for production of 25 School Phonographs a week, as compared to 900 Firesides, 600 Standards, 120 Homes, and 600 each of most Diamond Disc phonographs in the same time frame. The response was apparently somewhat less than overwhelming, however. Although total production is not recorded, a few documents survive which hint at the low demand. It is perhaps telling that in the five months between August 30, 1913 and January 31, 1914, orders for a mere nine School Phonographs were received at the Edison factory, with only six machines shipped.

Today they are highly coveted, perhaps more as curious variants of the Opera than for their fundamental historic interest. There is no denying that despite their stark, black, utilitarian appearance they have a peculiar, almost modernistic elegance, with graceful legs on the stand and a strikingly low profile to the body of the phonograph. And, of course, with the superb Opera mechanism and Diamond A reproducer, they play magnificently, equal to Edison’s finest phonographs for home sales. Edison failed in marketing the School Phonograph, but the design was certainly inspired, aptly suited for its utilitarian function.