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...

[Tinfoilphono]

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.

 

 

[phonogfp]

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.  

[Tinfoilphono]

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.