This extremely large, heavy (68 lbs.), and very ornate phonograph was put on the market just in time for Christmas, 1898, at the astonishingly high price of $300 (equivalent to about $7000 in today's dollars). It was designed to play giant 'Grand' cylinders of 5" diameter, rather than the conventional 2" diameter cylinders already in the market. The larger surface area allowed for longer grooves, which in turn meant greater volume and higher clarity than conventional-sized soft brown wax cylinders. These new, large records were initially priced at $5 apiece (about $125 in today's money, for a single song!), but this was dropped to $1 fairly soon afterward. Aside from the very high price, the 5" diameter cylinders were bulky and fragile.
