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Hmmm... On further thought, I can add six more couples... I'll start a thread after our granddaughter goes home this afternoon. George P.

Thanks for that clarification, Rene! George P.

It is all a bit vague, but best as I can decipher things he had a combination salesroom and arcade at 946 Market, with offices upstairs in 933 Market. After the Baldwin Hotel fire of 1898 he took over the first floor of 933 Market for his showroom and arcade, keeping the upper floors for offices. I can't document this as undisputable fact, but it's the best I can determine from the overall picture. It is definitely clear that he had more than one arcade running at all times, but his main ones were combined with his retail outlets.

But the 946 Market Street location was only the exhibition parlor, wasn't it? Both 946 and 933 are featured on the early cylinder boxes and cabinet decals. I pictured a June 18, 1898 invoice in the "Accessories & Collectibles" Bacigalupi thread which also lists both addresses (as well as a third). George P.

There's an idea, Rene: a thread on machines and boxes (or sleeves) from the same retailer! I can contribute only two...and one of them is above... George P.

Further thoughts on timing: Bacigalupi's business at 946 Market Street burned down on November 23, 1898, after which he reopened in his new location at 933 Market, which in turn was destroyed in the 1906 earthquake. Now I wonder if the timing of his abandoning the Graphophone line coincided with the total destruction of his inventory. The timing would appear convenient for a restructuring of his operations.

Excellent display I have the same box, which I display with my Bacigalupi Graphophone Type A. But my box is (alas) in much worse condition. I have one near-mint Bacigalupi box, but it's a later Edison-only style. I keep it with my Bacigalupi Standard with Polyphone attachment.

Perfect, George!

This morning, it occurred to me that I should display a Bacigalupi record box I've had for 25 years with the BS. I didn't recall which version it is, but was pleased to discover that it's an early design featuring Graphophones! George P.

I don't know exactly when annual directories were published, so it's possible Bacigalupi kept the franchise into the first half of 1899. Maybe. I can only guess that since Bacigalupi was Edison's primary jobber in the west, Edison may have pressured him to stick to phonographs. That's just a guess, but Bacigalupi must have had an incentive to pass up on Columbia's growing market share.

Rene, I didn't realize that Bacigalupi had dropped the Graphophone so early. In 1898 and 1899, Graphophones were selling like hotcakes between the Type A/AT, the "Eagle," and (in 1899) the Type Q. I can't help but wonder why Bacigalupi surrendered the franchise at that point. This also suggests that Grand Graphophones with Bacigalupi markings may not exist, since the Type GG didn't become available until January/February 1899, and the Home Grand didn't appear until June. Thanks for contributing these San Francisco City Directory entries. George P.

It's rare to find a Bacigalupi dealer tag or decal on a Graphophone. He evidently dropped the Columbia line by late 1898 or early 1899. Check out the San Francisco City Directory listings for Bacigalupi below, for 1898 and 1899. You will note the deletion of Graphophones between those dates. He was a loyal Edison man at least until the late 'aughts, when he took on Victor and Zonophone machines. He carried these in addition to Edison up to 1916, when he went out of business after a 24 year career. I've never seen a coin-op with a Bacigalupi decal before, though he did advertise "slot machines" (the term then used for any coin-operated device, not just gambling machines). Your BS may be the only such survivor! A really great find.

This was such an incredible find. It definitely gives one hope that amazing things are still lurking out there, just waiting to be discovered! I have to admit, this one makes my chuckle a bit. The Bacigalupi decal really is the cherry on top of an already sweet machine, but to see "EDISON" emblazoned on the front of a Graphophone? I'm sure the folks at Columbia wouldn't have appreciated that...

Andrew, I'm sorry to hear your example came to you stripped, but you're right, it could always have been worse! These early 50s seem to be quite uncommon, so it's really a blessing it survived in the first place. I'll look forward to your photos, even in the condition its in I'd love to see it. I really lucked out with #16. The finish certainly isn't perfect, the typical darkened and alligatored mahogany, but it cleaned up fairly nicely. My only regret is that some prior owner decided to solder a clock key onto the speed control. But I have to leave that as-is, since it is a part of the machine's history now.

Thanks Fran. I Googled how to fix it - apparently it's a common problem - but the fast-talking Youtube experts just told me to do other things I don't know how to do, while moving their cursors with lightning speed. After trying a half-dozen time I gave up. On Monday I'll take it to the local tech who is great and never annoys me! George P.

I hope you get your new PC issues resolved without much pain.

That was my first thought, but there are several BS Graphophones with higher serials but retaining the routed front panel. I can't be more specific because my Windows Libre Office has locked up and I am unable to access any of my documents. I LOVE computers and software... My wife wondered the same thing, but it seems nonsensical when Bacigalupi had these decals designed to integrate with Graphophone banner decals. If this BS originally had a banner decal, I believe it would have been the earliest serial number to have one. (I only wish I could access my files.) I really don't think that is the cause of the discoloration. George P.

What a great find! But don't you think it would fit in better in a collection adjacent to San Francisco? I've never seen a first generation BS without the lines at the lower front, but yours does have the angled, open-faced coin chute of the early ones. An intermediate example?? That's also the decal that came between the rare engraved metal tag and the more frequently seen decal only listing phonographs. The decals mentioning Graphophones weren't used very long. Ditto for the huge rubber stamp on the bottom, listing Graphophones. It's also very interesting that the decal has the 946 Market St. address that burned down in November 1898, while the stamp on the bottom reflects the new location at 933 Market. The pattern of the spotting on the front panel strike me as resembling a normal decal. Is it possible Bacigalupi removed it? That seems out of character but something caused that discoloration.

Thanks Fran!

Or make me a offer?

That's beautiful, George!

MODEL: Graphophone Type BS SERIAL #: 160301 YEARS MADE: 1898-1904(?) COST: $20.00 REPRODUCER: Graphophone #2 MOTOR: Eagle REPRODUCTION PARTS: Sign board. Naturally, someone broke and lost that. Also one of the two little springs in the timing gear/shutoff assembly. (But even the braided tube is original.) CURRENT VALUE: ? INTERESTING FACTS : This Type BS is early-production, but does not feature the routing typically seen on the cabinet front in early examples. Also, there is no large "The Graphophone" decal on the cabinet front, which - until now - has always been included on non-routed cabinets. Had there been a typical Graphophone decal on the front, the Bacigalupi decal would almost certainly have been applied over the bottom right-hand corner. The most interesting feature of this BS is the Bacigalupi provenance, as displayed on the cabinet front and beneath the base board. I can't explain the light area in the lower area of the stencil. It almost looks like someone attempted to clean it. Your guess is as good as mine but, fortunately, whatever happened didn't destroy the stencil. This machine is also a good example of interesting artifacts that still pop up "in the wild." Some "Before" pictures at the seller's cellar: Check out the bent crank: Crusty, but it wanted to run as soon as it arrived home. The timing gear/shutoff assembly was bent and a spring was missing.

Here's a Bacigalupi item I acquired a few months ago. Believe it or not, this came out of the wild. I'll describe it in detail under "Featured Phonographs" on this forum, but the Bacigalupi markings needed to be included here.

Thanks!!!

The various record storage boxes and albums are illustrated and described in the Victor Data Book. The chapter identifies specifically where each of the boxes/albums were used.