Columbia Type A - Bacigalupi

[TinfoilPhono]

Back in 2004 I got an email from someone who found me through my website. He had purchased a Columbia Type A, with a large exhibition horn and a record cabinet filled with brown wax, at an estate sale in 1998. He was not a phonograph collector per se, but he loved antiques and he loved researching them. His machine had a metal tag with Bacigalupi's name and early 946 Market St. address. He had no interest in selling so I didn't bug him, but I did share all the information about Peter Bacigalupi and Columbia Graphophones that I could.

I guess that made an impression on him as it turns out he left written instructions that in the event of his death, the machine should be offered to me first. A couple of months ago that's exactly what happened, totally out of the blue. He had passed away last year, and his partner emailed to ask if I was still interested. Umm, yes... We came to a mutually agreeable deal and 18 years after first hearing about it, it's in my dining room.

Bacigalupi's store at 946 Market St. was destroyed in November 1898 when the entire Baldwin Hotel building burned down. He then moved to 933 Market St., which is the address seen on most Bacigalupi-labeled machines and records, up to the SF earthquake of 1906. Early Bacigalupi material from his first store is like hens' teeth.

It's in amazing condition. The finish and decal are flawless. But what makes the machine really stand out is the dealer tag, which I had thought was brass from the (small) pictures I had seen but which turned out to be nickel-plated. I've only ever seen one other like it, and only in a picture. That one looked to be unplated brass. Bacigalupi changed from metal tags to decals sometime in early to mid-1898. I used to own a Columbia A with a Bacigalupi decal listing "Phonographs & Graphophones" at the 946 Market St. address. Bacigalupi gave up selling Graphophones at some point in the late 1890s, and the vast majority of decals and memorabilia I've seen list only Edison Phonographs, at Bacigalupi's 933 Market St. address. Like the later Edison machines sold by him, this has a stencil on the bottom in addition to the tag.

It was found with a very curious exhibition horn measuring an odd 27" in length, with a 16" bell. The dimensions are funky, with an extremely wide flare to the body and a shallow, flat bell. It looks to me (and others) to be a craftsman-made horn rather than a factory product from a company like Hawthorne & Sheble or any other standard supplier. It is very well-made, but not up to H&S standards. I have to wonder if Bacigalupi may have turned to a local metal-worker to make large horns for him to resell.

But perhaps best of all is the record cabinet. I have no idea who made it, and would appreciate any information anyone may have on it. It's evidently meant to sit sideways, with the drawers at the side. Each drawer holds 24 records on wooden pegs. Incredibly, the cabinet still has 71 brown wax cylinders, nearly all of which are near-perfect. There are only 2 records with even a hint of mold, and that is so slight as to be hardly worth mentioning. The majority are Edison, but there are some early Columbias as well, and nine with no company announcement.

I'm excited about this find because it is a literal time-capsule, just as it was sold by Bacigalupi in late 1897 or early 1898. It spent 100 years with the original family, and has never been monkeyed with. The prior owner wasn't able to get it working, evidently not realizing that the belt needs replacing, the oil is gummed up, and the reproducer was a frozen mess, so it spent 24 years silently displayed in his living room.

[ChuckA]

Rene,

Absolutely a beautiful setup! You just don't find stuff like that anymore.

Congratulations.

Chuck

[TinfoilPhono]

While I was at it, I took some film pictures with a 1904 Kodak this afternoon.

[Kent in KC]

Very cool story - thanks for sharing.

[Phono-Phan]

Very nice!!! Are there any interesting brown wax cylinders?

[Django]

A machine with a history and a good story is always a plus. Wonderful machine. Thank you for sharing the story.

Which 1904 Kodak did you use? One of my professors once told me that my design was too good, (mechanical engineering), because things should need replacement. I told him that mine was the one that you passed along to your grandson. I guess that my professor wouldn’t have approved of Mr. Edison or Mr. Kodak among others.

[Mlund2020]

That is a spectacular piece. Congratulations Renè.

[Lee]

Very exciting and fun to think that it's still possible to find a setup all together as it was originally purchased. Keeps me on the trail. Thanks for showing this to us!

[TinfoilPhono]

Very nice!!! Are there any interesting brown wax cylinders?

I've only done an initial inventory, listening to just the titles. But for sure, there are some very interesting ones in there. I look forward to more research on them.

Which 1904 Kodak did you use?

A No. 2 Folding Pocket Kodak, Model C. (That's quite a mouthful.) A really great camera, I'm amazed with every roll of film.

[TinfoilPhono]

I must admit I am astonished by the condition of this machine. The exhibition horn shows some wear and tear, but the machine itself looks like it just left the factory. The finish is impeccable, the decal bright and flawless, and the bedplate reflects the pristine topworks decoration like a mirror. It's time travel for a geek like me.