Summary of Shipping Lists

Wurlitzer Mandolin and Concert PianOrchestras
(Philipps Pianella Orchestrions)

Although the actual hand-typed list contained individual headings for the years of 1912 upwards through 1930, the last actual shipping entry was for the year 1923, with no instruments shown as being shipped from 1924 onward. A total of 343 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 resold, or perhaps just older stock instruments remaining unsold from previous years. Whatever the case, some fairly early Philipps machines, judging from the serial numbers, were shipped during the last years of Wurlitzer's twenty year long dance with the PianOrchestra.

If a total of 1000 PianOrchestras were imported -- as estimated by Q. David Bowers -- between 1903 and 1914, when World War I stopped importation, then some 657 estimated machines were shipped by Wurlitzer from 1903 to 1911. This 657 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 31 21 21 25 16 3 3 1 1 1 - - 123
Style #15 Mandolin 14 17 2 10 3 - 1 - - - - - 47
Style #16 Mandolin 8 11 3 7 1 - 1 - - - - - 31
Style #17 Regular - 2 - 2 - - - - - - - - 4
Style #17 Mandolin - - - - - - - - 1 - - - 1
Style #18 Mandolin - 1 2 4 2 3 2 - - - - - 14
Style #18A Mandolin - - - - 1 - - - - - - - 1
Style #18C Mandolin - - 2 - - - - - - - - - 2
Style #20 Regular - - 1 - - - - - - - - - 1
Style #20A Regular - - - 1 - - - - - - - - 1
Style #27B Mandolin 1 3 - - - - 1 1 - - - - 6
Style #28A Mandolin 1 2 2 - - - - 2 1 - - - 8
Style #28B Mandolin - - - - - 1 - 1 - - - - 2
Style #29C Mandolin - 1 - 7 1 1 - - - - - - 10
Style #30A Mandolin - 10 5 1 1 5 - 2 - 1 - - 25
Style #30B Mandolin - - - - - - - 1 - - - 1 2
Style #31 Concert - - 1 - - - - - - - - - 1
Style #31A Concert - - - - - - 1 - - - 1 - 2
Style #32 Concert 2 - 1 1 - - - - - - 1 - 5
Style #32A Concert - 1 1 - - 2 - - - - - - 4
Style #32C Concert - - - - - 2 - - - - - - 2
Style #33 Mandolin - 1 - - - 5 2 1 - - - - 9
Style #34 Mandolin - - 1 - - - - - - - - - 1
Style #34A Mandolin - - 1 3 2 2 1 - - - - - 9
Style #38 Mandolin - - 2 - 1 - - - - - - - 3
Style #38B Mandolin - - - - 1 - - - - - - - 1
Style #39 Mandolin - 1 1 - 1 - 1 1 - 1 - - 6
Style #40 Mandolin - - - - - - - 1 - - - - 1
Style #40A Mandolin - - - - - 1 - - - - - - 1
Style #42 Mandolin - - - - - - 1 - 1 - - - 2
Style #47 Mandolin - - - 1 4 6 2 2 - - - - 15
Style #57 Concert (?) - - - - - 1 - - - - - - 1
Style #65 Concert (?) - - 1 - - - - - - - - - 1
Unknown Style 1 - - - - - - - - - - - 1
Total by Years: 58 71 47 62 34 32 16 13 4 3 2 1 343
Notes:
  • In the Summary table above, the style 17 "Mandolin" PianOrchestra is almost certainly a conversion by Wurlitzer, retubing the instrument to play Mandolin PianOrchestra rolls, rather than the style 17 roll originally used and designed for the machine.
  • The style 57 and style 65 PianOrchestras are probably Concert PianOrchestras, perhaps of a similar vintage and size as the style 68C and/or the style 72A, both of which have been pictured in some Wurlitzer catalogs.