All Activity

Many years ago I had an AS Graphophone which had a metal Spear dealer tag. I'm sorry I let that one go.

Beautiful. Surprisingly good sound! Not quite as spectacular as the reviews printed in the brochure, however. 🙂 Thanks for posting!!

Not only an attractive machine, but an interesting story! George P.

I was hoping you'd post those, Rod. Very nice grouping! George P.

That's an attractive piece.

MODEL: HMV 461 Table grand SERIAL #: none visible YEARS MADE: made 1926 - 1929 COST: Oak 27 £, mahogany 31 £ CASE/CABINET SIZE : 17.375 x 11 x 22.375 inch / 441 x 279 x 568 mm TURNTABLE: 12" turntable REPRODUCER: No. 4 MOTOR: Double 11" spring motor HORN DIMENSIONS: --- REPRODUCTION PARTS: none CURRENT VALUE: 200 - 400 euros INTERESTING FACTS: The 461 is basically the 460 Lumiere reconstructed. When the 460 failed on the market (more than half of the 867 machines that were sold in oak were returned to the factory) His Masters Voice suddenly had quite a few cabinets on their hands that would never be sold – I´ve never heard of a another commercial gramophone failure like the 460, returned to the factory and accepted as a return, I wonder if were they offered the 461 instead or did they just reimburse them? I´d love to hear the whole story of how it happened, also who designed the 461 (and the 460) and so on, but I don´t know if there are any files or the like in the UK that could tell the story? Maybe UK friends can chip in... Anyway according to His Masters Gramophone by Brian Oakley and Christopher Proudfoot, 461 sales were 615 in oak and 618 in mahogany and it was made between 1926 - 1929. My machine I found in 2005 through an ad – it had belonged to the uncle of the woman who sold it to me and he had used it to play his records until he passed. It hardly needed any work – I greased and oiled the motor, also changed the rubber gaskets of the nr. 4 sound box, that´s about it... I was lucky to find the right kind of gaskets! All of the 461 machines that I´ve seen (just a couple) have the oil/greasing instructions hidden by the new internal horn, as well as the cup for used needles in the place where the Lumiere diaphragm conveniently would have have dropped them – which in my mind indicates that they made the 461 as long as there were surplus cabinets from the 460. Anyway – the 461 is an excellent machine for electrical recordings with nicely balanced sound and its easy to use. The only thing that it lacks in my opinion is great tracking (like most HMV machines of the era?) – but as long as you use fiber needles, that doesn´t really matter much. Here´s a video showing how it performs with different kinds of recordings/needles: (The pictures of the catalogue are from the audiomuzeum.hu) HMV 461_1.mp4 2.mp4

Columbia Eagle w decal from Spear & Co., General Agents, Indianapolis, along with cylinder box and reproduction booklet. Building photo courtesy of George.

Thanks Rene. I don't have any pairings of DISC machines and records. That's not intentional; just the luck of the draw. I hope someone will contribute additional items. George P.

Those are terrific. I'm a nut for dealer tags and labels. I'm afraid I have nothing to add. The only pairings I have duplicate yours -- Bacigalupi and Eastern Talking Machine. I have a Cleveland Graphophone dealer tag on an AN but I'd never seen one of their boxes until your picture.

Here it is...

I suspect that some (many?) of us have either deliberately or inadvertently acquired machines and records which carry advertisements for the same dealer. Some retailers of the late 1800s and first decades of the 1900s were profuse in their self-promotion, and it's not particularly difficult to match certain records and machines from the same source. This of course is not the case with short-lived vendors, and searching for certain specimens can be an exercise in patience. Here are some examples, and I'm looking forward to seeing more from other collections. George P. Perhaps the most commonly-found markings of an early vendor are those of the mammoth Sears, Roebuck, & Company. The firm stopped marking its Graphophones in late 1901. The paper overlays were the usual treatment. This is the only example I've seen of the ink-stamping, but surely there are others. I'm not aware of additional variations of the cylinder box label. The Eastern Talking Machine Company of Boston offered black ink-stamped record boxes, red ink-stamped record boxes, and even full paper-label versions. The Eastern stamping on the front plate of this Eagle Graphophone is difficult to see in this shot, but the original Columbia plate was replaced by Eastern's own version. Hawthorne & Sheble (pronounced "SHEB-lee") applied this small art nouveaux-inspired decal on machines it sold until 1898. This Edison Home dates from February of that year. H&S sold its early cylinder records in these understated boxes featuring a crepe-like paper covering. Apparently, Hawthorne & Sheble decided that playing the wallflower was not really their style. This machine decal and record label were much more in character. The little hand cabinet was sold by H&S to house an uncased ($10 version) Eagle Graphophone. The large decal seems to have appeared in late 1898/1899. The Cleveland Graphophone Company evidently had a short life. At least its marked wares are seldom seen. As described elsewhere on this forum, this Type BS Graphophone and record box bear the markings of noted San Francisco retailer and jobber, Peter Bacigalupi. Apparently, he dropped the Graphophone line in late 1898 or early 1899 to concentrate on Edison and (later), Victor. By October 1905, Edison had dispensed with large banner decals on Phonograph cabinets. Such aesthetic discretion had no effect on W. T. Cranes & Company's markings on its wares. This Home dates from mid-1908. I hope others will contribute images of their "twins" as well.

Here's one I acquired several years ago, but forgot to include it in this thread. This one is on a Victor Royal, #450. George P.

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...