BS Coin-Slot Graphophone from Bacigalupi

[phonogfp]

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.

 

 

[NateO]

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...