Summary of Shipping Lists

Wurlitzer Mandolin and Concert PianOrchestras
(Philipps Pianella Orchestrions)

Although the actual hand-typed list supplied by Farny Wurlitzer contained individual headings for the years of 1912 upwards through 1930, the last actual shipping data entry was for the year 1923, with no instruments shown as being shipped during 1924 and afterward. A total of 342 PianOrchestras appear to have been shipped by Wurlitzer during the years 1912 to 1923, some of which are almost certainly machines taken in on trade, rehabbed, and then resold, or perhaps just older stock instruments remaining unsold from previous years. Whatever the case, some fairly early Philipps machines, judging from the low serial numbers, were shipped during the last years of Wurlitzer's twenty year long romance with the PianOrchestra.

If a total of about 1000 PianOrchestras were imported—as estimated by Q. David Bowers—between the years 1903 and 1914 (when World War I stopped importation), then some 658 estimated machines were sold and shipped by Wurlitzer from 1903 to 1911. This speculated 658 sold and shipped figure is not unreasonable, since this period of time encompasses the years when large cabinet style orchestrions were at their peak of commercial popularity.

Summary of PianOrchestra Shipping Statistics
Style PianOrchestra 1912 1913 1914 1915 1916 1917 1918 1919 1920 1921 1922 1923 Total
Style #12 Mandolin 21 22 21 24 17 4 3 1 1 2 - - 126
Style #15 Mandolin 24 17 2 12 4 - 1 - - - - 1 60
Style #16 Mandolin 8 11 3 8 1 - 1 - - - - - 32
Style #17 Regular - 3 1 5 - 1 - - - - - - 10
Style #17 (noted as Mandolin) 1 1 - - - - - - 1 - - - 3
Style #18 Mandolin - 1 1 4 1 3 2 - - - - - 12
Style #27-A Mandolin - - - - - - - 1 - - - - 1
Style #27-B Mandolin 2 3 - - - - 1 - - - - - 6
Style #28-A Mandolin 1 2 2 - - - - 2 1 - - - 8
Style #28-B Mandolin - 1 - 1 - 1 - 1 - - - - 4
Style #29-C Mandolin - 1 - 6 1 2 - - - - - - 11
Style #30-A Mandolin - 10 5 1 1 6 - 2 - 1 - - 26
Style #30-B Mandolin - - - - - - - 1 - - - 1 2
Style #31 Concert - - 2 - - - - - - - - - 2
Style #31-A Concert - - - - - - 1 - - - 1 - 2
Style #32 Concert 2 - 1 1 - - - - - - 1 - 5
Style #32-A Concert - 1 1 - - 2 - - - - - - 4
Style #32-C Concert - - - - - 2 - - - - - - 2
Style #33 Mandolin - 1 - - - 5 2 1 1 - - - 10
Style #34 Mandolin - - 1 - - - - - - - - - 1
Style #34-A Mandolin - - 1 3 2 2 1 - - - - - 9
Style #38 Mandolin - - 2 - 1 - - - - - - - 3
Style #38-B Mandolin - - - - 1 - - - - - - - 1
Style #39 Mandolin - 1 1 - 1 - 1 1 - 1 - - 6
Style #40 Mandolin - - 1 - - - - 1 - - - - 2
Style #42 Mandolin - - - - - - 2 - 1 - - - 3
Style #47 Mandolin - 1 - 1 4 7 1 2 - - - - 16
Unknown Style 1 2 - - 1 - - - - - - - 4
Total by Years: 60 78 45 66 35 35 16 13 5 43 2 2 360
Notes:
  • In the Summary table above, the style 17 "Mandolin" PianOrchestra is probably a conversion by Wurlitzer, retubing the instrument to play Mandolin PianOrchestra rolls, rather than the regular or style 17 roll originally used and designed for the machine.
  • All associated tables and this summary updated January 14, 2010.