This folder contains correspondence and other documents relating to the commercial exploitation of phonographs in the United States. Most of the items are letters to and from William E. Gilmore, president of NPCo. Included are letters pertaining to the manufacture, distribution, and sale of phonographs, as well as correspondence about litigation, patents, and other legal matters. Among the documents for 1900 are letters concerning contracts for the manufacture of cylinder record masters and machine tools; arrangements for the production of recordings of the evangelist, Ira D. Sankey; and the sale of phonographs in Chicago, Pittsburgh, San Francisco, and elsewhere. Also included is a pamphlet, "Retail Dealers Price List, Discounts and Terms of Sale," which was published by the company in May. In addition, there are numerous letters regarding investigations of price cutting, a sample of which has been selected.

Approximately 30 percent of the documents have been selected. The items not selected include material relating to ongoing litigation with the New York Phonograph Co. and other local phonograph companies; credit claims against a party in Waterbury, Connecticut; and routine patent matters such as the assignment of a patent belonging to Gianni Bettini.