This diminutive and very decorative little Graphophone was a slightly upscaled version of the very inexpensive openworks Type B "Eagle." The Type AA was priced at $18 and although it used the same tiny motor as the Type B, the ornately carved cabinet and decorated nickel upper works gave this tiny Graphophone a much more elegant appearance than its bare-bones brother. Instead of a winding key as on the Type B, the AA has a conventional crank. However this slip-on crank turns counterclockwise as the machine is running and falls off easily. Catalogued only in 1901 and 1902, the Type AA is fairly scarce today and is a charming example of the gingerbread Victorian styling that distinguished Columbia Graphophones from the late 1890s to the early 1900s. The contrast between this fancy little machine and Edison's equivalent, the drab black "Gem" model, is very striking.

Many bicycle dealers also sold phonographs as a sideline at the turn of the last century. This enterprising merchant poses proudly next to a brand-new Columbia Type AA in a contemporary photograph taken in May 1902.