Basic Steel Gramophone Needle
These were sharpened and tumble polished. The radius of the tip could vary from needle to needle.

Gramophone needles of different loudness - Soft, Medium, Loud and Extra Loud Tone.
Soft needles were thinner than loud needles. Shorter needles were louder than longer needles

Columbia ‘Talkie’ Needles - Single use, copper plated steel.
Not all needles were 'silver' coloured.

Marschall-Nadeln Trompito (Marschall-needle Little Spinning Top). Tono Muy Fuerte (Very Loud Tone). These needles had a shape similar to a spinning top.

“Die echten Marschall-Nadeln sind aus Edelstahl hergestellt. Sie spielen ohne Nebengerausch und schonen ihre Platten”
Genuine Marschall needles are manufactured from high grade steel. They play without surface noise and protect the records.

Polydor Concert Needle.
The flange may have been used to indicate how far the needle had to be inserted into the needles bar.

Edison Bell Discaphone Needles - Double Tone.
The short taper gave extra rigidity and thus made the needle louder.