The invention of a self stopping music phonograph was a big deal around 1910 when this particular sign from the Columbia Grafonola brand was produced. The new music invention now allowed your phonograph record player to turn off automatically once the vinyl album was at the end. Hence, touting the ease of the user to not have to get up to turn off the phonograph itself. I love the sign as it illustrates a finely dressed man at ease in his big comfy chair listening to his favorite music at that time. Now he can be even more at ease and not have to discomfort himself by getting up once the music has played to the end.
This particular tin sign from the Columbia Grafonola Company, later better known as Columbia Records, was used as a stock image sign. This means that the unique store seller name on the bottom of the sign in black letters was interchangeable, and many stores throughout the country had their names emblazoned on the sign if they were a dealer for this brand. Stock signs (and trays for that matter) are generally less valuable than single image used signage, however, there is still a large demand, especially from category collectors of a genre, or a local historical collector of a specific town which would be advertised on the sign itself. In this case, a Jamestown, N.D. collector would most likely love to hang this sign in their local collection. Either way, this sign is a beautiful example of an early advertising sign, most likely from the 1910-1920 era.