Volume 70, No. 5 September/October 2024

Volume 70, No. 5 September/October 2024

Devoted to All Automatic Musical Instruments

Journal of the Musical Box Society International

Volume 70, No. 5 September/October 2024

5 PresidentÕs Message
7 EditorÕs Notes
8 Annual TrusteesÕ
Meeting Minutes
13 Annual MBSI Business Meeting Minutes
51 In Memoriam

MBSI News

On the Cover
A Mandoline Zither Tabatire from Bernard NovellÕs UK collection. Read more on Page 18.

By Matthew Jaro
MBSI President
The annual meeting is now over. I started work editing a video I took of the proceedings. It should be ready by the time you receive this message. To play it, get onto YouTube.com, search @MattJaro. The capitalization must be as shown. Look for an ÒMÓ inside a circle in the search results. Click on this and you will see thumbnails of the video entitled ÒAMICA MBSI 2024 Annual Meeting.Ó ItÕs in ultra-high definition (4K), so expand the image to full screen.
Before leaving for the meeting, I thought, ÒIÕve seen most of these places before, this will be boring.Ó When I got to the meeting, however, it turned out to be anything but boring. Seeing people I havenÕt seen for a whole year was really exciting and there were many places to visit that were entirely new to me. There were a number of good restaurants in the area so eating dinner out together with old friends was certainly memorable.
Sharing a meeting with the Auto.matic Musical Instrument CollectorsÕ Association (AMICA) membership provided an opportunity to meet new friends with approximately the same interests.
ItÕs true that there were a few glitches, but if you didnÕt let them bother you, everything turned out well.
A highlight of the meeting was a visit to the Pickford Center for Motion Picture Study which is the home of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Film Archive. It holds more than 230,000 items. In addition to seeing several short historical movies, we were treated to an accompanying musical rendition by Joe Rinaudo on his restored Photoplayer. I wish we could have spent more time at the Academy.
Another great highlight was a visit to John GaughanÕs workshop. John is a famous illusion designer. He builds the apparatus for classic magic tricks. During our visit, he performed a number of the tricks, including one where a woman steps into a box, which is then closed, and swords are shoved through the box in a number of slots. Then, the swords are removed and then the woman exits the box without being hurt. I was only a foot away from this trick and it sure looked like magic to me.
The Getty Museum and Getty Villa trips did not involve mechanical music but both the collections and the sites were extremely interesting. It was something that I had never done before and was well worth the time spent there.
We visited Jack ConwayÕs house which was an important event. It was a visit to a collection where a whole busload of people could not fit in the house. As some of the big collections are disappearing, it is more important to try to see the smaller collections. This is accomplished by using 25-person buses and making more stops. JackÕs house was served by a big bus (56 person capacity), but the bus wasnÕt filled so everyone fit. Jack has quite an interesting array of musi.cal instruments and a good time was had by all.
AMICA traditionally has a Òpumper contestÓ where contestants play a piano roll on a foot-pumped player piano. They try to interject expression into the performance by manipulating bass and treble loudness and other parameters. The performances are judged, and the winner gets the ÒGolden FootsieÓ award. This is always a lot of fun, and this time MBSI members got to enjoy a new form of entertainment.
There were a lot of other interesting things to do, such as the mart, where you could buy music-related items like piano rolls and music boxes. The workshops are always fascinating, as well. Even the business meetings were fun.
So, to conclude, the annual meetings are great fun, and I guarantee that you wonÕt be bored. They always provide experiences that you couldnÕt arrange on your own. See you next year in Chicago!!

Mechanical Music

43 Snowbelt
47 Southern California

Annual Meeting
A few selected photos from the 2024 MBSI Annual Meeting.
Page 15.

MECHANICAL MUSIC

Journal of the Musical Box Society International

Devoted to All Automatic Musical Instruments

Editor/Publisher
Russell Kasselman
(253) 228-1634
editor@mbsi.org
MBSI Editorial Office:
Iron Dog Media
130 Coral Court
Pismo Beach, CA 93449
editor@mbsi.org
Publications Chair
Bob Caletti
All manuscripts will be subject to editorial review. Articles submitted for publication may be edited or rejected at the discretion of the Publications Committee and the Editorial Staff. The article will not be published with significant changes without the authorÕs approval. All articles are considered to be the authorÕs personal opinion. The author may be asked to substantiate his/her statements.
Mechanical Music (ISSN 1045-795X) is published by the Musical Box Society International, 130 Coral Court, Pismo Beach, CA 93449 six times per year. A Direc.tory of Members, Museums, and Dealers is published biennially. Domestic subscription rate, $60. Periodicals postage paid at San Luis Obispo, CA and additional mailing offices.
Copyright 2024. The Musical Box Society Inter.national, all rights reserved. Mechanical Music cannot be copied, reproduced or transmitted in whole or in part in any form whatsoever without written consent of the Editor and the Executive Committee.
MEMBERS: SEND ADDRESS CORRECTIONS TO:
MBSI, PO Box 10196,
Springfield, MO 65808-0196
Or, make corrections on the website at www.mbsi.org.
POSTMASTER: SEND ADDRESS CHANGES TO
MBSI, PO Box 10196,
Springfield, MO 65808-0196

Features

15 Selected Photos from the 2024 Annual Meeting
18 Switching Gears
28 Nickel Notes

Chapter Reports

MBSI has replanted 277 trees so far as part of the Print ReLeaf program.

ADVERTISING DEADLINES
Advertisements for the November/December 2024 issue of Mechanical Music to be submitted by Oct. 1, 2024.
Advertisements for the January/February 2025 issue of Mechanical Music to be submitted by Dec. 1, 2024.

EDITORIAL DEADLINES
Articles for the November/December 2024 issue of Mechanical Music should be submitted by Sept. 25, 2024.
Articles for the January/February 2025 issue of Mechan.ical Music should be submitted by Nov. 25, 2024.

EditorÕs Notes

MAILING ADDRESS
MBSI Editorial / Advertising
130 Coral Court
Pismo Beach, CA 93449
EMAIL ADDRESS
editor@mbsi.org

By Russell Kasselman
MBSI Editor/Publisher
It turns out you donÕt have to go to Disneyland to have a magical time in Southern California. The 2024 MBSI Annual Meeting, held jointly with (and organized by) the Automatic Musical Instrument CollectorsÕ Association (AMICA) held many a fascination for those in attendance.
Early arrivals to the Agoura Hills, CA, Sheraton hotel had an option to attend a screening of ÒThe Sting,Ó starring Paul Newman and Robert Redford at the Old Town Music Hall in El Segundo, CA. The quaint El Segundo State Theater, originally built in 1921 to entertain oil refinery workers after their shifts, was closed for many years but reopened in 1968 with its current moniker. It features a Mighty Wurlitzer Theatre Pipe Organ that was relocated from the Fox West Theater in Long Beach, CA. The organ employs more than 2,600 pipes to fill the theater with sound. The organ console has four keyboards, 260 switches, and an array of controls and pedals. The organist can use a xylophone, marimba, piano, drums and cymbals to supplement the pipes. The entire system is air-powered from a 10-horsepower Spencer Turbine Orgoblo. In addition, the stage features a 9-foot concert grand piano. The 92-note Bšsendorfer was hand made in Vienna for Old Town Music Hall in 1974.
Prior to the movie, guests were treated to a ragtime musical perfor.mance on the piano by Vincent Johnson, who would make additional appearances during the rest of the convention to the benefit of all members who attended. VincentÕs performance was followed by an organ concert played by Stirling Year.ing. As the music swelled, the stage curtains parted to reveal a dazzling display of neon lights that added an entirely new element to the scene. The crystal chandeliers on the ceiling reflected dancing dots of light onto the bronze-colored ceiling and the art-deco walls. Two sing-a-long songs later, the audience was really in the mood to watch the main feature film.
Official meetings of the MBSI Board of Trustees and the AMICA Board of Directors dominated much of the next day, but tour buses were available to ferry guests to the home of Chuck Levy and his fabulous collection of automata and mechanical music instruments. ChuckÕs home on the Pacific Coast Highway is not far from the Santa Monica Pier and is only steps from the sandy beaches where vacationing sunbathers were out in force on a hot California day. MBSI Southern California Chapter Chair Robin Biggins was on hand to assist with demonstrations of a variety of automata from ChuckÕs collection.
Stay tuned for Part 2 of this report and many more photos in the Novem.ber/December issue of Mechanical Music.

Welcome new members!

June 2024
Michael & Olivia Jones
Schaumburg, IL
Michael Dohn
Liberty Twp, OH
Blue LoLan
West Hollywood, CA
Peter Goyer
Whitehouse Station, NJ
Sponsor: Charles Hildebrant
Bradley Kemp
Fair Lawn, NJ
Gray Lymans & Rick Moore
Houston, TX
Sponsor: Alan Bies
Craig & Doreen Bierman
Houston, TX
Sponsor: Alan Bies
Wayne Holton
Houston, TX
Sponsor: Alan Bies
Jeff Vincent & Deb Bower
Rochester, NY
July 2024
Robert Williamson
Columbus, NC
David Volansky
San Francisco, CA
Brian Smith
Burlington, ON
Amy Baker & Ernest McDonald
Columbus, OH
Millie Ring
Beverly Hills, CA
Sponsor: Don Caine
Drew Barnhart
Philadelphia, PA
Tom & Cindi Noble
Ballwin, MO

MBSI 2024 Annual TrusteesÕ
Meeting Minutes

Attending the 2024 Annual Meeting in person were (left to right): Trustee David Corkrum, Trustee Rick Swaney, Trustee Rich Poppe, President Matt Jaro and Trustee Richard Dutton.

Attending the 2024 Annual Meeting virtually via Zoom are (top left to right): Recording Secretary Linda Birkitt, Trustee Dave Calendine, Trustee Mary Ellen Myers, (bottom left to right) Trustee Bob Caletti and Trustee Edward Cooley.

On Jul. 1, 2024, MBSI President Matt Jaro called the Annual TrusteesÕ Meeting to order at 9:01 a.m. Pacific Daylight Time, at the Agoura Hills, CA, Sheraton Hotel. Those Trustees who were attending in person included: Matt Jaro, Dave Corkrum, Richard Dutton, Rich Poppe, and Rick Swaney. Those attending via Zoom were Dave Calendine, Bob Caletti, Ed Cooley, and Mary Ellen Myers. Nine of nine in attendance made up a quorum. Addi.tionally, committee chairs including Judy Caletti and Sally Craig were pres.ent as were Treasurer Ed Kozak and Recording Secretary Linda Birkitt.
President Jaro asked the recording secretary to read the minutes of the March 2024 Mid-Year TrusteesÕ Meet.ing. As all those present had read the minutes previously, so the recording secretary asked if there were any addi.tions, deletions, or corrections. There being none, President Jaro asked for a motion to approve the minutes as published. Trustee Corkrum moved, and President Jaro seconded the motion to approve the minutes as published. Motion carried.
President Jaro then requested that the recording secretary review the board actions. Board action X., refer.ring to an audit, was completed and was, therefore, deleted. Board action XV. Section B will be continued (Trust.eesÕ 07/01/2024) (ongoing). The vice president will check the reference in the Policies and Procedures to ascer.tain if the document indicates that ÒÉ disposal of assets by the Museum Committee will be used for general purposes.Ó
Vice PresidentÕs Report
The vice president is responsible for coordinating the annual awards process which was voted on by the trustees at the mid-year meeting, as well as notifying the recipients. Award plaques were completed and will be awarded at the annual meeting banquet.
The vice president is also respon.sible for gathering information and completing/filing the annual report from the society to the Board of Regents of the University of New York no later than the Jul. 1 filing deadline, which has been completed.
The vice president provides guid.ance for and advice to the chapters of the society, keeps informed of committee activities, and reviews and recommends revisions of the Bylaws and Policies and Procedures. Report received.
TreasurerÕs Report Ñ Endowment
Treasurer Ed Kozak reported that the Endowment Fund balance is $163,605 as of Dec. 31, 2023. This fund was increased by donations of $1,145 made in 2023.
As of May 31, 2024, the investment portfolio is made up of two certifi.cates of deposit totaling $101,000 that mature in 2024, and one certificate of deposit totaling $60,000 that matures in 2025. Interest rates average 4 percent and are expected to increase.
A Vanguard cash reserves balance of $2,605 currently earns 5.38 percent.
The Endowment Interest Earned Fund is $46,847 as of Dec. 31, 2023. Of this amount, two-thirds, or $31,231, is available, currently, for projects or programs which benefit the society.
No grants were made and no requests for grants were received in 2023, nor through the date of this report.
A listing of members by last name of both AMICA and MBSI would be helpful in making future economic decisions about the organization. Vice President Caletti indicated that he would charge the editor with this task. President Jaro stated that there would be a savings of some $2,000 per issue, if MBSI reduced publications from six to five per year. Further discussion regarding frequency of publication is warranted. President Jaro noted that the report was received.
TreasurerÕs Report Ñ Financial
The societyÕs accounting firm final.ized the financial statements for the year ending Dec. 31, 2023, and opined that no material modifications need be made to the financial statements. Key information from the statements follows:
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Membership dues revenue was $59,653 ($63,909 in 2022);

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Annual convention contributed a gain of $151 to the society;

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Publishing revenue of $14,113 ($17,902 in 2022) and publishing expense of $70,794 ($80,378 in 2022);

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Accounting, tax preparation and administrative expense totaled $34,218 ($36,699 in 2022).

Non-endowment certificates of deposit totaled $476,000 on May 31, 2024, with an average rate of return of 3.3 percent.
As of Dec. 31, 2023, temporarily restricted assets totaled $160,511.
Trustee Myers noted that if we combined the two groups, (MBSI and AMICA), we would lose some two-thirds of the members if the jour.nal is joined. Report received.
Administrator Report
President Jaro presented the admin.istratorÕs report. MBSI memberships as of Jun. 30, 2023, were 991, and as of Jun. 15, 2024, there were 951 member.ships. Vice President Caletti will contact the administrator regarding corrections to the report.
Orders processed from Jan. 1, 2024, to Jun. 15, 2024, tallied 52 orders totaling 67 items. Of these 52 orders, 43 were website orders (83 percent).
Trustee Calendine indicated that the American Theater Organ Society retains members by using the website to its fullest extent, keeps the website well organized, engages people to want to stay with the organization via active chapter programs, and empha.sizes less expensive collectibles.
Trustee Poppe commented that chapter chairs need to collaborate to enhance member interest. The report was received.
Audit Committee Report
In 2014 the MBSI Audit Committee was first established in accordance with the Board of Regents of the University of New York Statutes and Regulations that govern the society. Current Audit Committee members include Trustee Calendine, Vice Pres.ident Caletti and Trustee Cooley. Each member will serve for one additional year, after which they may retire from the committee.
New York statutes and regulations governing MBSI require that the annual financial statements must be reviewed by an independent CPA. The Dec. 31, 2023, financial statements were reviewed by Jerry Mitchell, CPA of Nixa, MO.
The membership revenue estimate compared to revenue for 2023 was then discussed. Database records show that for the 2023 year, the average membership decreased by 50. There.fore, the society lost 124 members (74 plus 50) who were paying at the old rate which in many cases was higher than that of the Ònew first year rate.Ó The report was received.
Marketing Committee Report
Member Judy Caletti indicated that the members of the Marketing Committee include Chair Bob Smith, Judy Caletti, Don Caine and Trustee Cooley. One hundred new brochures were printed for hospitality, and more will be distributed by the adminis.trator. The Marketing Committee suggested that another video be made, however, President Jaro indicated that it would be too expensive.
The Marketing Committee contin.ues to post the half-price offer for new members on the Facebook pages of: MBSI Forum, disc musical box group, cylinder musical box group, and mechanical music chat group.
Mechanical Music Radio donated an announcement which will run daily for the half-price membership.
The promotional program devel.oped for mechanical music restorers/dealers and antique dealers to acquire new members was sent out by the editor.
Trustee Swaney agreed to post on the MBSI Facebook page announce.ments of the half-price offering as well as the announcement of the July Annual Meeting. Additionally, he will post photos and information regard.ing various kinds of mechanical music machines.
Chair Smith of the Marketing Committee wants Trustee Dutton to join the Marketing Committee.
Marketing Committee member Judy Caletti will send a copy of Trustee DuttonÕs Membership Committee report to the Marketing Committee chair.
President Jaro moved to roll the Membership Committee into the Marketing Committee and dissolve the current Membership Committee. Trustee Cooley seconded the motion. Motion carried. (It will be noted that the Membership Committee report given by Trustee Dutton was presented before the Marketing Committee report which was out of the usual order on the agenda. All of Trustee DuttonÕs remarks were made prior to the motion to dissolve the Membership Committee.) Trustee Dutton will work with the Policy and Procedures and Bylaw documents so that they will conform to the motion. The report was received.
Meetings Committee Report
The Meetings Committee consists of Chair Trustee Poppe and members Tom Chase, Judy Caletti and Tom Kuehn. This committee makes the following recommendations regarding the upcoming annual meetings.
1. The 2024 Southern California 75th anniversary meeting is being held at the Sheraton Hotel in Agoura Hills, CA, from Jun. 30ÐJul. 6, 2024, with Frank Nix as organizer and Sandy Swirsky as registrar.
2. The 2025 Lake Michigan 76th anni.versary meeting will be in Chicago, IL. It is where the largest and best attended meetings have previously been held. Marty Persky will organize the meeting with a hotel cost report forthcoming. The hope was to attract 225 to 250 people, but recent turnouts do not support those numbers. Trustee Corkrum stressed that more blocks of rooms need to be made available. The Chicago area has recently lost some larger collections such as those belonging to Al and Susan Choffnes, Wayne Wolf, Marty Nevel, Carol Veome and Jim and Sherrie Krughoff. Although Sanfilippo is still the anchor, other venues will be needed to attract attendees.
3. The 2026 Princeton, NJ, 77th anni.versary meeting will be a joint MBSI and Automatic Musical Instrument CollectorsÕ Association (AMICA) meeting with AMICA taking the lead. Glenn Thomas will be the organizer and Joel Cluskey will be the contact. Cluskey would like to see joint meet.ings going forward between AMICA and MBSI. The guidelines for joint annual meetings will be given to the AMICA convention coordinator.
President Jaro stated his legacy to MBSI will be to ensure that MBSI European membersÕ needs will be properly served. The report was received.
Membership Committee Report
Trustee Dutton, a member of the Membership Committee, presented the following report as no chair for this committee currently exists. Trustee Dutton emphasized the importance of this committee becoming more proac.tive. With guidance from the trustees, programs could be developed by individuals or a chapter, to captivate new members. Such programs could be held at houses of worship, libraries, senior centers, or other public venues as well as in membersÕ homes. Organ rallies could be held in public parks, for example, to attract new members. Emphasis on less expensive collect.ibles could be part of the outreach program. Individual members should consider themselves as proselytizers, as well as enthusiasts in the commu.nity. The role of the Membership Committee going forward could be to assist the board and other committees around outreach. If this suggestion is taken, this committeeÕs role should be clarified and specified. The report was received.
Museum Committee Report
Chair Craig indicated that since the last report of March 2024, no new donations have been added to the collection. Inventory has remained the same and no instruments have been reported as damaged. Member Richard Simpson has monitored the collection at American Treasure Tour (A.T.T.) in the last two to three weeks, and some of the instruments are being played during the walking tours. Trustee Calendine has been contacted to review the collection, but his sched.ule has not allowed him to do so yet. Expenses for updating the museum asset database will be paid through the Zivin Digital Archive Fund.
The A.T.T. has both restricted and unrestricted items in its collection, and a list of the restricted items will be generated by Trustee Calendine. Vice President Caletti referenced the Bylaws Article 5, Section 4 regarding disposal of items at the A.T. T. which says Ò… The Board may sell, mortgage or otherwise use and dispose of property as they see fit for the best interests of the Society.Ó
The 2023 Annual Meeting table favor (a mechanical piano player pencil sharpener) will be donated by Trustee Poppe to the A.T.T. collection. The report was received.
Nominating Committee Report
Chair Judy Caletti noted that current members of this committee are Trustee Corkrum, Vice President Caletti, Trustee Myers, and Rob Pollock. New members rotating into the committee will be Robin Biggins, Elise Low and Cheryl Hack. Several attempts have been made to contact the Japan Chap.ter to be included in the rotation, but with no success. At this time, the Japan Chapter is not included in the rotation for the Nominating Committee, nor is the Piedmont Chapter as it has been dissolved. A motion was made by Trustee Corkrum, and seconded by Trustee Calendine, that the current rotation roster in the Policies and Procedures will be replaced with the one in the Nominating Committee report. Motion carried.
The Nominating Committee submit.ted the following slate of officers for approval at the Mid-year Meeting:
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President, Matt Jaro
(2-year term);

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Vice President Bob Caletti
(1-year term);

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Treasurer, Ed Kozak
(another 1-year term);

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Recording Secretary, Linda Birkitt (another 1-year term); and

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Dave Calendine will serve another 4-year term.

The report was received.
Publications Committee Report
Vice President B. Caletti thanked all who contributed to the journal, including the general membership of MBSI, members of the Publication Committee, and the Proofreading Team. Additionally, thanks go out to Russell Kasselman, editor/publisher and Rick Swaney, Website Subcom.mittee chair, for their tireless work.
Many articles that have been published in MBSI journals previ.ously could be reprinted as well as articles from other music box related organizations. If members know of articles which were published elsewhere, please advise the editor/publisher.
The Board of Trustees has decided that to save money, the MBSI Direc.tory of Members, Museums and Dealers will not be published in paper form from now on but be available on the website. Members will be able to print sections of the directory from their home computers. The report was received.
Editor/Publisher Report
Editor/publisher Kasselman indi-
cated that from the November/December 2023 issue of Mechanical Music, 34 writers contributed articles, columns, chapter meeting reports or in-memoriam tributes to the journal. Additional contributors will be needed to keep the quality and size of the jour.nal the same going forward.
Nineteen different photographers contributed images that make the magazine so much more enjoyable to view. Therefore, thanks to all writers and photographers who help keep the journal interesting and engaging for its members. Please, chapter chairs, encourage members to write an article for the journal so that MBSIÕs archive of material for future generations will continue to expand. It would be excel.lent if members contributed additional articles about pianos, clocks, bird boxes, automata, photographs, calli.opes, band organs or any other type of mechanical musical items in their collections.
At times, articles of interest from other mechanical music societies in the world may be reprinted so that MBSI members may have the most comprehensive view of the hobby possible. This year the journal reprinted articles from the AMICA journal and Vox Humana. Multilingual members are encouraged to suggest articles that might be reprinted from other mechanical music journals from around the world.
Advertising percentages remained steady, filling an average of 15.70 percent of journal pages (compared to 15.07 percent last year). Thanks go out to Nancy Fratti, Marty Persky, Steve Stanton, Porter Music Boxes, Bob Caletti, Renaissance Antiques, Breker Auctions and Morphy Auctions for their support of Mechanical Music this year. The editor/publisher continues to market advertising opportunities to auction companies, insurance compa.nies and parts/supply companies, but success in obtaining new and consis.tent advertising revenue has been limited. Costs for paper, printing and mailing continue to escalate.
Journal Advertising Percentages:
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Nov/Dec 2023 14.89 percent

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Jan/Feb 2024 14.89 percent

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Mar/Apr 2024 16.73 percent

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May/Jun 2024 15.24 percent

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July/Aug 2024 16.73 percent

This is an average advertising percentage of 15.70 percent (some are paid advertisements, and some are not).
The report was received.
Special Exhibits
Committee Report
Trustee Myers commented that people who attend mechanical music events do remember experiences of both seeing, listening to and learning about music boxes. For example, not long ago the exhibits director of the Orlando History Museum contacted the Southeast Chapter regarding loan.ing some memorabilia used during an exhibit held by MBSI at the Orlando Science Center 14 years ago. This demonstrates that listening as well as presenter and presentee interactions do make impressions.
The Special Exhibits Committee hosted or planned the following events:
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The Villages Christmas Show;

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Sarasota World Circus Day displayed/sold music box carou.sels which were leftover table favors from a recent convention;

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At the Henry Plant House/Museum on the campus of the University of Tampa, Mark Yaffe hosted and presented a paper titled ÒImperfect Harmony: Man, Machine, and Music,Ó allowing the younger generation to experience mechanical music. Instruments are played there twice a week, and brochures are available at this site.

Lake Mary Museum in Lake Mary, FL, has offered MBSI a spot in its annual Christmas exhibit geared toward the holidays that celebrates the founding of the city of Lake Mary. This museum offers many opportunities for MBSI to interact with visitors.
The Biltmore House in Asheville, NC, is considering a small display of mechanical instruments in keeping with home entertainment during the Ògilded ageÓ of the times. Judy Miller is researching further information about this event, anticipated to be ready in September 2025.
Tracy Tolzmann presented a local (Minneapolis/St. Paul, MN) television two-part broadcast on the Cafesjain Carousel and the Wurlitzer 153 Band Organ.
Martin VanZanten from Palm Harbor, FL, will be hosting an exhibit at the ÒCollections at PalmettoÓ museum known for classic cars, a steam engine, and a rideable railroad. He will be exhibiting a few items from his personal musical box collection. This will take place in late fall until the end of the year.
Trustee Dutton is exploring the Ocean County, NJ, library system for use of library community rooms for MBSI presentations.
Knowles Little reported that National Capital Chapter held its 26th one-day exhibit and demonstration at C & O Canal Park, Great Falls, MD. Ten chapter members demonstrated various mechanical music instru.ments to the public. Paul Senger was involved with the Carousel Organ Association of America (COAA) rally event at Knoebels Amusement Park in June where at least 20 organs were signed up. The report was received.
Website Subcommittee Report
Trustee Swaney indicated that the updated MBSI website was launched at the time of the mid-year meeting. Due to feedback, the main menu was modified to make some pages easier to find. No other additions or changes have been made since then, except for a temporary notice of the convention hotel rate deadline on the home page.
Enhancements are coming to the members-only search feature. Quick searches by instrument type, interest and by state will be added. The search results will be reformatted.
The MBSI Facebook page has more than 1,000 followers, but there hasnÕt been much to follow of late. To improve the situation, a weekly post describing interesting member instruments will be initiated.
The MBSI Facebook Forum contin.ues to gain members every month. The current count is 2,746, which is 260 new members since the mid-year meeting. In the last two months there were 171 posts accompanied by 609 comments. The report was received.
Old Business
Per President Jaro, the only old business was an informal discussion regarding the joint meeting guidelines between AMICA and MBSI.
New Business
President Jaro indicated that there was no new business. Having no further business before the board, President Jaro asked for a motion to adjourn the meeting. A motion to adjourn the 2024 Annual TrusteesÕ Meeting was made by Trustee Calen.dine and seconded by President Jaro at 7:07 p.m. Pacific Daylight Time.
Report submitted by Linda Birkitt, MBSI Recording Secretary
Recorded July 1, 2024

Annual MBSI Financial Statements will be published in the
November/December 2024
issue of Mechanical Music

Minutes of the 75th Annual MBSI Business Meeting

Agoura Hills, CA,Ñ Jul. 6, 2024
President Matt Jaro called to order the 2024 MBSI Annual Business Meet.ing at 9:55 a.m. Due to the number of proxies received and those members present, a quorum existed.
President Jaro read the names of members who passed away since the 2023 annual meeting:
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Constance Barsky

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Mary Jo Bopp

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Matthew Caulfield

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Janet Grossman

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Richard and Nancy Hales

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Barbara Ann Hildebrant

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Tom Larsen

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Bob Lloyd

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Helen Mueller

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Bill Nunn

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Arthur W.J.G. Ord-Hume

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Mike Perry

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Leroy Plyler

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Chet Ramsay

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Jacob ÒJimÓ Ratsoy

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Larry Reece

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Marian Sanfilippo

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Howard Sanford

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Gloria Schack

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Timothy ÒTimÓ Trage.

A moment of silence was observed in remembrance.
Sincere appreciation was extended to Frank Nix and his team.
The officers and board of trustees were introduced.
Past presidents and past trustees were recognized and asked to stand.
First-time attendees and those attending from outside the United States were asked to stand and be recognized.
OfficersÕ Reports
Immediate Past President and temporary Recording Secretary David Corkrum reported that the minutes of the 74th MBSI Annual Meeting held in St. Paul, MN, were published in Vol. 69, No. 6, of Mechanical Music. There being no corrections, additions or deletions, President Jaro entertained a motion to approve the minutes. The motion was made and seconded to approve the minutes. The motion passed.
President Jaro presented, in the absence of the vice president, the vice presidentÕs report. The vice president has two main jobs; one is to handle the awards process and the other is to oversee the conduct of the societyÕs chapters. President Jaro congratu.lated the following award recipients:

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Bill and Stacy Nunn for receiving the PresidentÕs Award;

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Tracy and Merrie Tolzmann for receiving the Unsung Hero Award;

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Michael Falco for receiving the Darlene Mirijanian Award;

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Mark Yaffe and Arthur W.J.G. Ord-Hume for receiving the TrusteeÕs Award;

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Dan Zelinsky for receiving the Roehl Ambassador Award; and

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David Corkrum for receiving the Lifetime Service Award.

The report was received.
President Jaro then presented the TreasurerÕs report. Because of the early nature of this meeting, the following, except as noted is informa.tion from the end of year December 2023. Some of the highlights from the report are dues revenue for 2023 was $59,653 compared to $63,909 for the year 2022. Non-endowment certifi.cates of deposit totaled $476,000 as of May 31, 2024. The average rate of return was 3.3 percent. The report was received.
The Endowment Fund is $163,605 as of Dec. 31, 2023. On May 31, 2024, the investment portfolio for the fund is made up of three certificates of deposit totaling $161,000 with interest rates averaging about 4 percent. The fund also has a Vanguard cash reserve of $2,605 earning 5.38 percent. The report was received.
President Jaro presented the admin.istratorÕs report. Current membership as of Jun. 15, 2024, is 951. Forty new memberships were received during the first six months of 2024. Orders processed during the first six months totaled 52. There was nothing else significant to report. The report was received.
Committee Reports
Audit Committee Chair Ed Cooley presented the Audit Committee report. Jerry Mitchell, CPA, of Nixa, MO, who conducted the required annual finan.cial review, stated that based on his review, he is not aware of any material modifications that should be made to the financial statements. They are in accordance with accounting princi.ples generally accepted in the United States of America.
The committee is also responsible for the comparison of membership data with amounts received for member.ship dues. The report was received.
Marketing and Membership Committees have been combined due to shared common goals. President Jaro presented the report. Print ads were placed in several periodicals hoping to attract new members. No obvious increase was noted. A promo.tional program was developed for mechanical music restorers/dealers and antique dealers to acquire new members and was sent out via email by the editor to a list of 155 names. It included a cover letter and two attachments Ñ a sell sheet including a link to our website and a member.ship application. They were asked to forward the attachments to their customer list or include it with their correspondence. A new membership brochure was designed, printed and is available for distribution. The report was received.
Meetings Committee Chair Rich Poppe presented the report on the dates of upcoming meetings. The 2025 meeting will take place in the Chicago, IL, area and will be a joint meeting with AMICA with the Lake Michigan Chapter of MBSI taking the lead. The 2026 annual meeting will take place in Princeton, NJ, with AMICA taking the lead. The report was received.
Museum Committee Chair Sally Craig was not present, so the report was presented by President Jaro. Since the last report, no new donations have been added to the collection. Trustee Dave Calendine will conduct a review of the collection soon. The report was received.
Publications Committee Chair Bob Caletti was not able to be present. President Jaro presented the report. Chair Caletti wished to thank the committee members and the large number of proof readers. He also thanked editor Russell Kasselman and Website Subcommittee Chair Rick Swaney for their work on the society publications and website. Many articles printed in the past can be used in the societyÕs journal along with articles published by some of our sister societies. The editor would also like to see more how-to articles. If a member has the information, the editor would be happy to help develop it. The board of trustees has decided that in order to save money, the Directory of Members, Museums and Dealers will not be published in paper form from now on but will be available on the website. The report was received.
The Editor/publisher report was presented by editor Russell Kassel.man. A total of 34 writers contributed articles, columns, meeting reports or in-memoriam tributes to the journal. The editor extended his sincere thanks to all these writers and photographers who help keep the journal interesting and engaging for the members.
The editor continues to search for articles of interest that might be reprinted in our magazine. This year, reprinted articles originated from the Automatic Musical Instrument CollectorsÕ Association, the Carousel Organ Association of America, and Vox Humana. It would be excellent if members contributed articles about pianos, clocks, bird boxes, phono.graphs, calliopes, band organs or any other type of mechanical musical items in their collections.
Advertising percentages remained steady, filling an average of 15.70 percent of journal pages compared to 15.07 percent last year. The editor thanked consistent advertisers includ.ing Nancy Fratti, Marty Persky, Steve Stanton, Porter Music Boxes, Bob Caletti, Renaissance Antiques, Breker Auctions and Morphy Auctions for their support of Mechanical Music.
Costs for producing the journal continue to rise due to postage and paper cost increases. The editor has continued to keep the websiteÕs core code and all plugins up to date so that site security is as tight as possible. The report was received.
Website Subcommittee Chair Rick Swaney presented the report. The updated website was launched at the time of the mid-year trusteeÕs meet.ing. The main menu was modified to make some pages easier to find. Some enhancements are coming to the member search feature. A search by instrument type interest will be added. It will be easier to search for members by state, just by clicking on a state name. The search results will be reformatted to better fit phone screens.
The MBSI Facebook page has more than 1,000 followers, but there hasnÕt been much to follow. To improve the situation, Chair Swaney is making weekly posts about interesting member instruments. The MBSI Facebook forum continues to gain members. The current count is 2,746. In the last two months there were 171 posts accompanied by 609 comments. The report was received.
Special Exhibits Committee Chair Mary Ellen Myers reported there were a few exhibits held throughout Florida including those at The Villages. Mark Yaffe is hosting an exhibit on the campus of the University of Tampa called ÒImperfect Harmony: Man, Machine and Music.Ó He has brought some of his instruments which are on display in a Victorian Chamber of the museum. The exhibit will be on display until December. See the article in the last issue of Mechanical Music. The report was received.
Nominating Committee Chair Judy Caletti reported that the following slate is presented for the member.shipÕs approval:
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For President, Matt Jaro to complete the second year of a two-year term;

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Vice President Bob Caletti to serve a second one-year term;

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Treasurer Ed Kozak to serve another one-year term;

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Recording Secretary Linda
Birkitt to serve another one-year term; and

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Trustee Dave Calendine to serve a second four-year term.

President Jaro entertained a motion to accept the slate as presented. A motion was made and seconded. The motion passed.
There being no old or new busi.ness, President Jaro entertained a motion to adjourn the meeting. The motion passed, and the meeting was adjourned at 10:23 a.m.
Respectfully Submitted,
David Corkrum
Acting Recording Secretary
Jul. 9, 2024

Selected Photos from the
2024 MBSI Annual Meeting

EditorÕs Note: The following pages include a few of the many photos taken at the most recent MBSI national gathering in Los Angeles, CA. A more extensive write-up and many more photos will be featured in the November/December issue of Mechanical Music.

The interior of the Old Town Music Hall with its Mighty Wurlitzer Theater Organ was a delight for early-bird attendees. (Photos by Russell Kasselman).

The Mighty Wurlitzer Theater Organ next to the 92-note Bšsendorfer concert grand piano on the stage at the Old Town Music Hall.

Glowing neon accentuated the organ concert put on by Stirling Yearing prior to a screening of the classic film ÒThe Sting,Ó which features music from the ragtime era.

Above: Chuck Levy demonstrates and describes a selection of his automata to visitors. (Photo by Geoff Ward) Below: One of the two cases full of automata at Chuck LevyÕs home near the Santa Monica Pier in Los Angeles, CA. (Photo by Lowell Boehland)

The Getty MuseumÕs angles and curves are themselves architectural works of art against the blue California skyline. (Photo by Doreen Kasselman)

Joe Rinaudo performs a number on the Style 41 Special Fotoplayer for mechanical music enthusiasts after a show at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Pickford Theater. (Photo by Russell Kasselman)

The inner workings of the four-tune, 77-note Mandoline Zither Tabatire music box in an Amboyna case recently acquired by Bernard Novell. (All photos by Bernard Novell)

Switching Gears

The tale of a ÔtechieÕ turned hobbyist restorer

By Russell Kasselman
ItÕs rare in life when an opportunity presents itself and a person walking down one path jumps completely to an entirely different path in what seems like an instant. That, however, is almost exactly what happened for Bernard Novell of Oxfordshire, England. Stuck at home during the Covid pandemic, he was watching a television program on the BBC called The Repair Shop, which follows the restoration of many treasured items. Bernard was particularly inspired by an episode that covered the restoration of a musical box and its movement. The son of a master crafts.man woodworker himself, he retired from his job as a project manager in 2012 and became involved with several local community groups. Restrictions on people gathering together during the pandemic severely curtailed the activities of the groups he had joined, so he started looking for something to keep him occupied. He decided to start reading and researching more about musical boxes.
His first purchase was a 12/72 Cartel musical box by an unknown maker which had, allegedly, already been restored. This claim was later found to be a little way from the truth and the 12-tune, 72-note box definitely needed further work. The simple act of making the purchase, however, really ignited BernardÕs desire to start a collection with the intention of find.ing more music boxes that he could restore himself.
He also decided to build a website, www.bernysmusicboxes.co.uk, where he could document his collection and restoration diaries.
Since BernardÕs previous career was related to information technology, it is not surprising that his website is well organized and full of information about music boxes in his collection and diaries showing how the boxes are restored, with many photos of the process. It also includes general information about repairing and main.taining music boxes. Bernard also built and maintains the website for the Association of Musical Box Collectors (AMBC), www.ambc.org.uk, which is based in the United Kingdom.
ÒAt the start I was buying all sorts of musical boxes including novelties,Ó Bernard said. ÒIt was part of the learn.ing curve. A Crown Devon musical tankard and cigarette box I purchased were part of a job-lot of four items and not the main item that I wanted which was a 2/36 Cuendet movement in a box with an alpine scene in marquetry on the lid. I restored the mechanisms of both the ceramic pieces and sold them on for more than the original purchase price for the four. I do enjoy experimenting, but over time I have become more discerning when look.ing at potential purchases. I now only buy Cartels, Tabatires and Manivelles that are Ôspecial,Õ or have the potential to be so. IÕm starting to part with some of my collection that no longer hold my interest.Ó
One of BernardÕs recent auction acquisitions is a 4/77 Mandoline Zither Tabatire circa 1890, with Serial No. 4976. He describes it as a rare Tabatire in a beautiful Amboyna case with a pristine tune sheet. Amboyna is a profusely-burred hardwood that is obtained from the Narra tree (Pterocarpus indices) native to South Eastern Asia, Northern Australasia and the Western Pacific Ocean islands.
This box was originally retailed by musical box importers C. Scotcher & Sons with a shop located at 36 Bull Street, Birmingham, England. Bernard notes that the box has hardly a mark on the case or movement, though there are a few pins that need straight.ening. The auctioneer described the box as being made circa 1870 but BernardÕs own research shows one tune as being composed in 1889 so he thinks that the box was more likely to have been made circa 1890. Bernard has also deduced that the box was most likely to have been made in Sainte Croix, Switzerland, by Paillard who invented the zither in about 1886. His reasoning behind this comes from the fact that he saw an identical movement for sale a few weeks after he made his purchase of the 4/77 Mandoline Zither Tabatire. Although in a very poor condition, the zither was clearly marked PVF. BernardÕs box plays four tunes. The first is ÒLe jet dÕEau,Ó one of five ÒCinq poemsÓ written by Charles Baudelaire. ÒLe Jet dÕEauÓ was finished in March 1889. The second tune is ÒThe Carnival of Venice,Ó based on a Neapolitan folk tune called ÒO Mamma, Mamma Cara.Ó It was popularized by violinist and composer Niccolo Paganini who wrote 20 variations on the original tune. He titled it ÒIl Carnevale Di Venezia,Ó Op. 10. In 1829 Paganini wrote to a friend, ÒThe variations IÕve composed on the graceful Neapolitan ditty, ÔO Mamma, Mamma Cara,Õ outshine everything. I canÕt describe it.Ó Tune three is ÒVictoria Grande Valse,Ó written for piano by Jules Schulhoff in 1846. It was originally titled ÒGrande valse brilliant,Ó Op.6. Tune four is ÒHome Sweet Home,Ó a song adapted from American actor and dramatist John Howard PayneÕs 1823 opera ÒClari,Ó or the ÒMaid of Milan.Ó The songÕs melody was composed by Englishman Sir Henry Bishop with lyrics by Payne. Bishop had earlier published a more elaborate version of this melody, naming it ÒA Sicilian Air,Ó but he later confessed to having written it himself.
Bernard said that what attracted him to the box was the fact that it had a Zither, an unusual feature for a Tabatire. ÒI had never seen one before,Ó he said. ÒSecondly, the quality of the case and its general condition. Thirdly, the interesting tunes and the pristine tune sheet. For me it was highly desirable. I was very lucky to win the auction.Ó
The box measures approximately 6-inches long by 4-inches wide by 2-inches high. Bernard noted one unusual thing about the control buttons on the box. There are three on the front and one on the left side. The left side one operates the tune change/repeat. The left front is the on/off. The right front operates the zither up/down. The front center button does nothing at all. ÒSo why is it there?Ó Bernard wonders.
To build on his previous wood.working knowledge, Bernard took an antique restoration class in 2021 focused primarily on learning how to restore wooden boxes. Instructor Peter Thompson spent a lifetime in antique restoration and his five-day course had just three students which meant Bernard got a lot of one-to-one instruction. He says he is now very confident when it comes to stripping, cleaning, restoring and polishing wood.
ÒMy fellow member-friends in the AMBC help me with advice,Ó Bernard said. ÒJames Preddy (AKA The Music Box Restorer) is not too keen on giving away his secrets, but he is an amazing restorer and does fantastic work on my combs and dampers which are beyond my aging eyes.Ó
Bernard also spends time commu.nicating with other musical box enthusiasts, some from other coun.tries like Darren J. Wallace in Ontario, Canada, Kristina Powers in Chicago, IL, and Serban Lucien in Romania. Darren posts many details of his work on quality cylinder and disc boxes on Facebook. Kristina is a collector of classic mid-20th century boxes by Reuge and Thorens etc. Serban is into the smaller Tabatire movements from the late 19th century. Much of the communication is via WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger or email.
Bernard maintains what he calls a reasonable library of music box and antique box books which are partic.ularly useful for research. He reads the journals of the MBSI, Musical Box Society of Great Britain (MBSGB) and AMBC to build his knowledge base further.
Geoff Crowther, an engineer friend who lives in BernardÕs village, makes replacement parts for those mech.anisms that require them. ÒGeoff brought back at least two smaller mechanisms from the dead,Ó Bernard said. ÒWithout Geoff they would have become spare parts.Ó
One of those ÒresurrectedÓ boxes is a 6/51 movement in a mini Cartel-style box circa 1880. This type of box is known as a Petites Musique, with a movement similar in mechan.ical design to that of a snuff box or Tabatire. The box looks like a tiny version of a Cartel box. Bernard said it arrived at his home in a sorry state, with no cylinder drive pin and no snail cam register peg. Geoff painstakingly made new ones plus a new male Geneva stop part. The case needed some attention too. A corner of veneer was missing from the top that needed to be matched and there were several woodworm holes that were filled with wax. The frame for the glass cover was in pieces requiring re-gluing and the box was completely refinished with black French polish for the inte.rior and shellac polish for the exterior.
The tunes were identified, with help from tune sheet expert Paul Bellamy, as:
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ÒThe Last Rose of SummerÓ by Thomas Moore (pre 1852)

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ÒThose Evening BellsÓ by Thomas Moore (pre 1852)

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ÒGoodbye SweetheartÓ by John Liptrot Hatton (early 1860s)

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ÒBoccaccio WaltzÓ (c 1879)

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ÒThe Banks & BraesÓ By Robbie Burns (1781)

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ÒTramp, Tramp, TrampÓ (1864). This is a U.S. Civil War favorite with words by George F. Foot. It was known as ÒThe PrisonerÕs Hope.Ó ItÕs also the base tune for the famous ÒDo You Hear the People SingÓ from ÒLes MisŽrablesÓ

Since one tune played by the box is from 1879, Bernard figures it is likely to have been made around 1880. An extensive set of photos of the box is presented on BernardÕs website.
Like many other restorers and collectors, Bernard has noticed a waning interest in the hobby. He has attempted to apprentice himself to master restoration experts but found those he spoke with arenÕt open to mentoring another person. Sharing knowledge of the hobby remains important to Bernard and his website includes a section on restoring musical boxes. This section includes warnings to amateurs that undertak.ing a restoration of either a case or a mechanism can be dangerous in that a wrong move could severely devalue the box or cause the mechanism to stop working.
ÒI found it very difficult to get the sort of information that IÕve added when I was learning,Ó Bernard said. ÒI hope what IÕve written is useful to those who want to restore boxes themselves. The way I look at it is, if they are going to try, at least they have the chance to read first, rather than making a catastrophic, and possibly costly, mistake and learning from that.Ó
Many a shelf in BernardÕs home is filled with his collection and his work.shop is brimming with projects in progress and those waiting their turn. He is thankful to have a patient spouse who puts up with his hobby work even though Bernard said she politely refuses to dust his musical boxes, a task he says he does not mind doing himself as it gives him an excuse to play a few during the process.
Among the instruments listed in the workshop section of his website are:
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An 8/88 Paillard Vaucher et Fils Cartel bought at auction in March 2022. The Serial No. 1824 suggests that this box was made around 1884. The tune sheet is missing but a PVF patent engraved on the Zither makes identifying the boxÕs maker fairly simple. Bernard feels that it may be possible to produce a replica tune sheet once the tunes have been identified. The restoration of the mechanism is finished, apart from the comb and dampers, but the case remains to be restored.

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A 6/41 Paillard Vaucher et Fils, bells in sight, interchangeable cylinder Cartel, purchased at auction in June 2023. Restoration of the musical movement started July 2024. Initial observations showed an almost collapsed box housing the spare cylinders. The bedplate had been repainted, without taking anything apart, so there was a lot of gold to be removed from places it shouldnÕt be. Considerable wear and poor adjustment made the start-stop system inoperable. One interesting thing discovered on inspection is that the governor and spring barrel hang under.neath the bedplate. Additional issues were discovered during dismantling, mainly that parts of the mechanism have had some early significant repairs particu.larly to the spring barrel, which has been over-clad due to a split in the original casing, and the start-stop lever mechanism spring is a thin piece of brass, crudely formed and fixed. The female Geneva stop has been modified and may not be the original. Its screw thread was stripped and has been replaced.

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A 6/107 Nicole Frres key-wound Serial No. 36495 circa 1859 that was bought from a private seller in December 2023 as part of a job lot of nine assorted musical boxes. There were some relatively minor losses to the marquetry plus all four corners of the lid were partly detached. No key was included for the lock. The comb had been repaired not too well so it required re-tipping. Some dampers needed adjust.ment. Scratched on the end of the great wheel is ÒAJD Repinned 426.Ó Bernard thinks this means that the cylinder was re-pinned in April 1926.

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A 12/72 Nicole Frres Cartel, Serial No. 42222 also bought in December 2023 as part of a job lot of nine music boxes. This one is destined for a friend. Bernard repaired a tiny piece of marquetry, and the front panel required some work to hide a previous attempt to repair some scuffs in the scumble finish. He then re-polished the case with several coats of pure shellac. The glass lid had lost some putty which was repaired using epoxy filler and then hidden with dark red mahogany stain. A new pair of hinges were fitted. The lock required a key (found in BernardÕs stock) and tassel. The keep was recessed too far so it needed packing to get it to latch. The movement has been stripped, cleaned and reassembled. The comb has been tuned and the dampers repaired by The Music Box Restorer. The only thing remaining is to figure out the tune sheet for this box.

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A 6/103 Cartel music box, circa 1830, Serial No. 2861 purchased from eBay in October 2023. This box features an unusual, rare tune sheet, intact but glued to the inside of the lid. Anthony BulleidÕs book on tune sheets shows a similar tune sheet No. 259 as unattributed. The seller informed Bernard that the box belonged to her grandmotherÕs family and spent several years in the loft, unloved and unappreciated. Issues found on first inspection included oil, rust and dust (typical) plus two teeth missing from the comb. Only four or five dampers were present. The stop mechanism pin was broken off and missing. The cylinder had too many missing and bent pins and therefore requires re-pinning. One fixing screw and washer were missing from the outside of the box. The Geneva stop mechanism is not damaged. The case has no woodworm and is in pretty good condition but will be re-polished.

Bernard says he still follows auctions for music boxes on a regular basis but isnÕt necessarily looking to grow his collection beyond its current size, though he keeps a watchful eye open for the exceptional. Mostly, he searches for boxes that he can restore and sell.
One such box, bought in 2021, has just been finished. Although it appeared to be a fairly run-of-the-mill 8/78 Cartel, it has turned out to be anything but ordinary. Made by Langdorff & Fils in 1882, the case had originally been quite plain with just three boxwood strings around the lid and scumble finish to the sides. Some.where in this boxÕs past, an owner or restorer added a striking cartouche in fruit woods, mother-of-pearl and brass to the centre of the lid. The movement was very dirty and there were some issues with some of the components. The pristine tune sheet, written in Romanian, was the only clue to this box being something different. Bernard carried out his usual strip, clean and reassembly of the mecha.nism. In doing so, he found that the cylinder pins were in poor shape with many being missing or bent and the governor needed repair. He decided to ask James Preddy to do a full re-pin, adjust the governor and tune the comb plus repair the dampers. James told Bernard that there were more than twice as many sharps and flats on this comb than on any other comb he had worked on. The sound produced with all new pins and restored comb is extraordinary. Five of the tunes are traditional folk dances from Romania, Serbia and Croatia. One is the Roma.nian National Dance and there is also a waltz from Austria. This box most likely would have been made to order and therefore is a one-off and rare.
For those looking to buy a first music box by auction (or in person), Bernard offers this advice, ÒLook at the overall condition. Are there any broken teeth? Are there any missing parts? Definitely ask to see and hear it working. Check that the Geneva stop works. Try and compare with other boxes seen for sale and form a maximum price in your mind, taking into account taxes, fees and carriage costs. Ask the auctioneer or seller any questions you may have. If you want to buy, enter your maximum bid or offer and donÕt be tempted to increase it. This will not be easy if you are following the auction on eBay or are at the auction in person.Ó
Generating interest in mechanical music starts with exposing more people to the boxes so they can look and listen. Bernard has given several talks to local groups such as Rotary Clubs, u3a and Probus. He is planning to take a selection of his boxes to the Royal Horological InstituteÕs Open Day at Caterham, UK, in October. He is currently working on adding a tune library to the AMBC website.

BernardÕs first purchase was a 12-tune, 72-note Cartel music box of unknown origin.

The Mandoline Zither Tabatire music box in an Amboyna case shown open with glass cover and closed with three buttons along the front of the case.

A six-tune, 51-note mini Cartel box as purchased by Bernard.

The movement after restoration with new parts installed.

The finished box with tune sheet and glass cover.

The refinished case shines like new after restoration.

An eight-tune, 88-note Paillard Vaucher et Fils Cartel as received (above) and after restoration of the cylinder, combs and base.plate. The case remains to be restored.

A 6/41 Paillard Vaucher et Fils, bells in sight, interchangeable cylinder Cartel music box undergoing restoration.

A 6/107 Nicole Frres key-wound Serial No. 36495 circa 1859 before restoration.

NOVELL | See Page 26

Novell collection note

Among the treasures in Bernard NovellÕs collection is this 8/130 Cuendet Sublime Piccolo three-comb movement Serial No. 19895, circa 1896.
It is a significant music box in that the left and center combs are tuned to produce the sublime harmonic effect, being tuned to the same scale but with slightly different frequency for each pitch. When teeth of the same pitch on each comb are plucked together the combined frequencies interfere with each other to give a slight vibrato effect. The left comb has 44 teeth, and the center comb has 43. It is unknown why this is. BernardÕs theory is that it is because the first bass tooth of the left comb is the only one not used to produce the sublime effect. Slow vibration in pairs does not always produce the desired effect at the lower end of the scaleÕs register.
The right-hand comb produces the piccolo effect. It has 43 teeth tuned to a higher but matching pitch to the treble end of the other two combs. Instead of detectable vibrato when plucked at the same time as their counterparts on the other two combs, the higher frequency and shorter period of vibration produces a sort of descant effect, riding above the melody. Although the scale range for just 43 teeth is small, probably about four octaves, the musical effect depends on the skill of the unknown arranger, which is often overlooked.
Purchased at auction in August 2022, this huge 30-inch long case appeared to be in relatively good overall condi.tion with its original tune sheet.
ÒWhen it arrived, I found the springs fully wound and the cylinder stopped part way through a tune,Ó Bernard said. ÒI also discovered some damage to the teeth of the great wheel and various other issues such as many missing and bent pins and dampers plus a broken tooth, all of which needed professional restoration by The Music Box Restorer. But firstly, I do my bit Ñ lots of cleaning and polishing.Ó
Tune 1 is ÒLa Fille du rŽgiment MarcheÓ by Donizetti. ÒThe Daughter of the RegimentÓ is an opera in two acts by Gaetano Donizetti first performed in Paris on Feb. 11, 1840.
Tune 2 is ÒLes Cloches de CorneilleÓ by Planquette. The ÒBells of CorneilleÓ is an opera comique in three acts composed by Robert Planquette to a libretto by Louis Clairville and Charles Gabet. It was first performed at the Fantasies-Parisiennes on Apr. 19, 1877.
Tune 3 is ÒLohengrinÓ (Wagner-Werks-Verzeichnis 75), which is a romantic opera in three acts composed and written by Richard Wagner, first performed in 1850. The most popular and recognisable part is ÒThe Bridal Chorus,Ó colloquially known in English-speaking countries as ÒHere Comes The Bride.Ó
Tune 4 is ÒIl Trovatore ÔCoro des ZingariÕÓ by Guiseppe Verdi. ÒThe TroubadourÓ is an opera in four acts by Verdi to an Italian libretto largely written by Salvadore Cammarano based on the play ÒEl trovadorÓ (1836) by Antonio Garcia GutiŽrrez. It premiered at the Teatro Apollo in Rome on Jan. 19, 1853.
Tune 5 is ÒOrphŽe aux enfers,Ó which is a comic opera composed by Jaques Offenbach to a French text written by Ludovic HalŽvy. ÒOrpheus in the UnderworldÓ was first performed as a two-act opera in Paris on Oct. 21, 1858. It was extensively revised and expanded in a four act ÒopŽra fŽerieÓ version presented at the ThŽ‰tre de la Ga”tŽ in Paris on Feb. 7, 1874.
Tune 6 is ÒLa Marjolaine,Ó which is an opŽra bouffe in three acts by Charles Lecocq, words by Eugne Leterrier and Albert Vanloo. It opened at the ThŽ‰tre de la Renais.sance, Paris on Feb. 3, 1877. Set in Flanders, it depicts a deceitful, and ultimately unsuccessful, attempt to damage a virtuous womanÕs reputation.
Tune 7 is ÒOverture de PoŽte et PaysanÓ by Franz von Suppe. ÒPoet and Peasant OvertureÓ is almost unheard of on a music box say some, but others say itÕs in the top 40.
Tune 8 is ÒVie dÕartisteÓ by Johann Strauss II written in 1867. ÒArtistÕs LifeÓ followed closely on the success of the popular ÒThe Blue Danube,Ó also known as ÒKŸnstlerleben.Ó

Parts and pieces from the six-tune, 107-note Nicole Frres key-wound cylinder box.

NOVELL | From Page 23

The marquetry from the Nicole Frres key-wound music box is also in need of repair.

A six-tune, 103-note Cartel music box, made circa 1830, with Serial No. 2861 that Bernard purchased from eBay in October 2023. This box features an unusually rare tune sheet, intact but glued to the inside of the lid.

Nickel Notes

By Matthew Jaro

It is with sadness that I must report that Mary Jo Bopp died in September 2023. Her services to the mechanical music field will always be remembered and her presence is sorely missed. This column appears almost as it was written in 2019 with only a few minor updates.
For this issue of Nickel Notes I have the honor of interviewing a real V.I.P. in the mechanical music world. Ron Bopp co-founded the Carousel Organ Association of America (COAA). He is a past president of MBSI, he conducted many tour groups to visit collections in Europe and he has been the editor of the COAA journal since its beginnings. There is so much to write about I found it a difficult task to set it all down. Ron helped by providing an enormous amount of documentation and photography to supplement my article. So, letÕs begin the journey into the life of this incredibly versatile and talented man.
Beginnings
Faithful readers of this column know my first question to Ron would be, ÒHow did you get started in mechanical music?Ó It turns out that in the late 1960s, Ron had a good friend who was in the antique business. This friend was selling a couple of wall-mounted Polyphon music boxes. Ron couldnÕt afford them at this point in his life, but he told the friend that if the boxes didnÕt sell, Ron knew of a firm in Los Angeles that would buy them. That, of course, was Hathaway and Bowers!
To help satisfy RonÕs mechanical music itch, his antique dealer friend helped him scour Kirksville, MO, where they found some player pianos and pump organs. I asked Ron if he restored the player pianos, and he said, ÒTried to!Ó He made one piano into a sort of orchestrion with a xylo.phone added from the Player Piano Company. It didnÕt play very well but it was an attempt.
In 1972, Ron made the acquain.tance of Bill Pohl of Joplin, MO. Bill was a small dealer in coin-operated machines and reproducing pianos. Ron bought his first coin-operated piano from Bill, a Western Electric Mascot. Ron had it restored by Jerry Biasella who remarked that it sounded better than a Seeburg L. The machine is now owned by RonÕs son, Jason.
Mary Jo worked as a nurse for Ron at his OB/ GYN practice in Joplin, MO, that he started in 1973. They both went through a divorce and were married in 1980. At their wedding there was a Wurlitzer 125 band organ in the back.ground to provide music. Mary Jo also liked mechanical music, so the Bopps started going to the MBSI Mid-Amer.ica chapter band organ rallies. They went to every organ rally religiously for many years.
The Bumbling Bruder Tours
Ron and Mary Jo are well-known for conducting Bumbling Bruder Tours (BBTs) of Europe. I have been on two of the tours myself and they were fabulous. The tours coincide with the Waldkirch, Germany, organ festival that is held every three years. The tours covered many collections mainly in Germany, Holland, Belgium, England and Switzerland. The tours were much less expensive than commercial tours would have been Ñ and a lot more fun.
In the late 1980s, Ron became friends with Art Eltzroth of Cleburne, TX. Art owned several corrugated carton companies and had a collection consisting of all brand-new machines. Art approached Ron about going over to Europe to see some of the collec.tors. He offered to pay RonÕs and Mary JoÕs way. Since Ron had just finished his term as president of MBSI, he knew a lot of the Europeans, like Siegfried Wendel, Freddie Kunzle and others. So, the Bopps and Art spent about a week touring in 1989. Two years later Art took them to Europe again to see some northern European collections. That sparked RonÕs interest in touring more collections.
In 1996, Ron and Mary Jo put together a tour group that included Terry and Joan Haughawout, Frank and Hope Rider and Jerry Biasella. They used a seven-passenger van to get around Europe. The tour was a success and Ron was now really excited about going again, so in 1999 he put together his first big tour group. His next two or three tours involved about 48 people. Ron felt that number was too hard to manage, so for his most recent tours he dropped the group size down to between 20 to 30 people. He found that using a smaller bus made it easier to get to some of the small collections.
Ron joined MBSI in 1972 and then the Automatic Musical Instrument CollectorsÕ Association (AMICA) in 1973. He and several couples all went to the AMICA convention in Fort Worth, TX.
Ron was a co-founder of COAA with Terry Haughawout. Ron took on the job of journal editor in the Summer of 1999. At this time, there wasnÕt a lot of information being published about band organs. MBSI was primarily focused on music boxes and AMICA was primarily reporting about reproducing pianos. The first COAA rally was at Carousel Concepts near Marion, OH. Ron has continued to edit The Carousel Organ, COAAÕs journal, since its first issue was printed more than 20 years ago!
Retirement
Ron left his medical practice in 1996, but instead of retiring, Ron took positions as a locum tenens physi.cian. He calls this being a Òweekend warrior,Ó covering weekend shifts and vacation days for other doctors. He did this until 2014, when he retired for real. Ron and Mary Jo then moved to Bradenton, FL, in 2008.
Highlights and Honors
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Mary Jo and Ron have been involved in AMICA and MBSI for more than 45 years!

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In 1981, they helped establish the Kansas City, MO, AMICA group called the Heart of America Chapter.

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Ron was president of MBSI from 1985 to 1987.

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Ron was the 1990 MBSI Annual Meeting convention chair for the convention held in Indianapolis, IN.

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Ron and Mary Jo received the AMICA PresidentÕs Award in 1993.

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Ron and Mary Jo received the MBSI TrusteesÕ award in 1996

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Mary Jo was convention chair of the 2002 AMICA convention in Springdale, AR

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Ron received the AMICA Leo Ornstein Literary Award in 2003

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Ron received the MBSI Q. David Bowers Literary Award in 2014

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Ron authored two mechanical music books, ÒThe American Carousel OrganÑAn Illustrated EncyclopediaÓ and ÒFantastic European OrgansÓ

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Ron edited the MBSI Mid-Am ChapterÕs book called ÒOrgans of the Mid-Am ChapterÓ

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Ron has authored more than 84 papers on mechanical musical instruments

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Ron has presented 32 audiovisual programs on mechanical musical instruments.

The Collections
Ron and Mary Jo liked to have a revolving collection rather than acquiring large numbers of instru.ments. They bought instruments they wanted and sold others to make room and to free up funds. In this way, they were able to experience a large variety of instruments without running out of space or money.
The following information was collected with the help of Ron for the writing of this article.
The first coin piano was the Western Electric Mascot Ron bought from Bill Pohl in 1972.
In 1974 a Seeburg E was bought from Jim Wells in northern Virginia. It was restored and refinished by Ron. It was sold to Don Kroenlein of Mowea.qua, IL, in 1981 (Figure 1, Page 29).
The first of three Mills Violanos was bought in 1975 with the help of Ben and Mary Lilien who lived in Los Angeles, CA (Figure 2, Page 29). It was bought from Don Adams and sold in 1980 to the best man at RonÕs and Mary JoÕs wedding, Gerold Koehler who lives in Joplin, MO. Gerold still has the instrument. ItÕs an early Mills with an oak case. You can see a young Ron Bopp in the photo.
In 1976, while visiting Ben and Mary Lilien, Ron met Bill and Patsy Allen of Santa Anna, CA, and saw their collection. Bill had a pristine Wurlitzer 125 Military Band Organ for sale. It was pricey at the time but after some hand wringing Ron decided to buy this organ. The organ was used at multiple Mid-Am (MBSI) and Heart of America (AMICA) rallies. RonÕs favorite photo of himself is with his large-format Mamiya camera sitting on the ledge of the Wurlitzer trailer (Figure 3, Page 29).
The organ was used in several hospi.tal charity events. At one such event, a high-risk pregnancy fair hosted by Freeman Hospital of Joplin, MO, ÒCharlie ChaplinÓ (played by Mary Jo Bopp) made an appearance with the organ (Figure 3A, Page 31). Taking the organ to rallies led to RonÕs love of outdoor mechanical music which then evolved into his current position as editor of the Carousel Organ (Figure 3B, Page 31). At the reception after Ron and Mary JoÕs wedding, held at their house in the outskirts of Joplin, the Wurlitzer band organ played all day celebrating the event (Figure 3C, Page 32).
The organ was sold in 1983 to a St. Louis, MO, collector who placed it in his dining room. The collector subse.quently was divorced by his wife. (Was the organ the reason?) He later was found guilty of trying to kill a girl.friend and finally, after some time in jail, committed suicide. One day in the 1980s, Jerry Biasella and Marty Persky were traveling through St. Louis when Jerry heard a familiar sound. They chased it down and on a second story landing of a downtown building, their Wurlitzer 125 was playing. The organ eventually ended up in the Tim Trager collection.
The first of three instruments purchased through Bonnie Tekstra who worked for American Interna.tional Galleries (AIG) was a Western Electric keyboard piano, formerly in the Larry Givens collection (Figure 4, Page 32). It was purchased in 1977. It had no coin slot. Ron traded it to a dealer in 1980 for a Wurlitzer orchestrion.
The second AIG transaction was the purchase of a striking Cremona G coin piano with flute pipes in 1979 (Figure 5, Page 33). It was featured on the cover of a 1977 AIG catalog (Figure 5A, Page 33). It was finished in Circassian walnut and was one of the more attractive instruments in their collection. At that time, mechan.ical musical instruments could be purchased by oneÕs retirement plan and this instrument and the above Western Electric piano was acquired this way. Eventually, the piano was removed from the retirement plan and traded to Fred Kern of East St. Louis in 1981 for a Weber Salon Piano mit violinspiel, some cash and a mounted wild boarÕs head (the deal breaker).
1979 found Mary Jo and Ron trav.eling from Joplin to Columbia, MO, to attend the University of Missouri football games (Ron is a ÒMizzouÓ alum). They stopped at a touristy shoe store in Lake of the Ozarks, MO. (Mary Jo is a Òshoeaholic.Ó) There, Ron discovered a cabinet coin piano. It was a Fox PianoTainer (Figure 6, Page 33). Ron had to get the owner off the roof to discuss purchasing this coin piano. It was restored by Jerry Biasella. It played a standard A roll. This was the first of four found at this location. The piano was sold to Arden Kemler of Texas in 1988.
The owner of the shoe store, Les Blair, said to Ron, Òif you are interested in this, perhaps you should come in the back of the store.Ó He did and discov.ered a Peerless 44 coin piano (Figure 7, Page 33). The Peerless 44 uses an endless roll of which there were none with the piano. The first seven rolls Ron acquired for the piano cost him $600. The next 150 cost $600! This was a most interesting piano as were the titles of the rolls which mirrored the time of production. The piano was eventually sold to Rick Crandall to help with a down payment for a house.
The third piano from Les was a Peerless Elite coin piano (Figure 8, Page 34). The piano was restored by Jerry Biasella. The case was restored and refinished by Ron. Most of the art glass was missing, but Mary Jo traced an existing Elite in California to dupli.cate the original glass. An A roll frame came with the piano, but they wanted to bring it back to original condition. Art Reblitz recommended they contact Tom Sprague. They did, and Tom did have an original roll frame which then rounded out the restoration. The Elite uses a very wide and very rare roll (Figure 8A, Page 34). All 88 notes are represented on the roll and runs from the bottom of the scale to the top were quite dramatic. This piano was sold to Don Nielson in 1999.
After picking up the third piano (on the third trip to watch the Mizzou foot.ball team) Les Blair said he also had a fourth piano in a candy story attached to his shoe store. It was a Standard coin piano that used an A roll (Figure 9, Page 34). Four football games, four coin-pianos! A total sum of $4,000 was spent on acquiring the four coin pianos from Les Blair. No restoration was done to this piano and it was sold to Chris Romig who lived in Michigan.
1979 was a busy year for Ron and Mary Jo as far as collecting mechani.cal pianos went. They acquired a Style 20 American Fotoplayer from Bill Pohl (Figure 10, Page 34). The machine came from a theater in rural Kansas. It was incomplete but after a few trips to Los Angeles, CA, for medical meetings Ron found himself at the doorstep of Joe Rinaudo, a famed photoplayer entertainer. Joe also had a restored Style 20 American Fotoplayer and Ron was able to copy missing components as well as have Joe construct an orig.inal light over the roll frames. They used the photoplayer extensively, especially for Charlie Chaplin movies (Figure 10A, Page 34). The unit was sold in 1994 through Galen Bird of Kansas City, to Joel and Pam Jancko of Plantation, FL, where it holds a prominent place in their collection.
In 1980 Ron and Mary Jo made their third and last purchase from AIG. This was a Seeburg Expression Piano with a coin slot. It was a really neat piano with expression. It played special XP rolls (usually five tunes). Restored by Jerry Biasella, the piano sat in RonÕs medical office for several years. It was sold in 1984 to a private collector. The piano became the subject of an article called ÒSeeburg Expression PianosÓ in the AMICA Technicalities (Vol. V, 1981).
In 1980 Ron and Mary Jo visited Bill and Ann Edgerton in Connecticut. They had drinks and dinner and then toured BillÕs Mechanical Music Center, Inc. sales room. Awaiting them was an unrestored Wurlitzer B orchestrion. Complete restoration of the mechan.ical portion of the orchestrion was done by Jerry Biasella. The silver fox appearance was restored to the case by Ron. A highlight of the orchestrion was the attractive art glass (Figure 11, Page 34) with projecting lamps. While many original and recut rolls were available the one vintage roll that came with the orchestrion was the primary roll played as it had wonderful syncopation (Figure 11A). Enjoying the orchestrion came to an end in 1995 as it was brokered to a collector in Japan.
The fall of 1981 found Ron and Mary Jo touring New England states to enjoy the fall foliage, Vermont cheddar cheese and other such treats. Finding a small piano restoration shop in rural Vermont they met up with George Borndt. George had an irresistible 49-key Limonaire Frres Fair Organ. After a husband-wife discussion the Limonaire was purchased and even.tually shipped back to their home in Joplin. When it arrived at their newly-constructed, detached music room, building Ron proudly informed the movers that he would demon.strate the organ for them. There was a cacophony of noise until Ron found which end was up and which end was supposed to go through the tracker frame first! Ron realized, in retrospect, that there are two ends of a piece of book music and there are also two sides. The Limonaire was popular and the Bopps took it to many rallies as well as the 1981 MBSI Annual Meeting at which time ÒCharlie ChaplinÓ made another appearance (Figure 12). The purchase of this instrument marked the beginning, at least for the Bopps, of the appreciation of European instruments and the subsequent acquisition of more. The organ was brokered, through Jim Brady, to a buyer in Japan in 1995.
Another trip to Los Angeles for a medical conference in 1981 found Ron at the home and collection of Rudy and Norma Edwards. Their collection was awesome. Rudy had a Weber Unika Salon Piano for sale (Figure 13, Page 36). Ron found the music irresist.ible and after negotiating with Rudy the piano became part of the Bopp collection. Ron and Mary Jo enjoyed this piano so much it traveled with them through several home moves. Jerry Biasella restored the mechanical portion and Ron refinished the case. Rolls were obtained from Kurt Elbers of New Orleans, LA, and Tom Jensen of Germany. Each one was a treat to listen to. They traded the Unika to Terry Haughawout in Bloomdale, OH, in 2001 for a 100 percent restored Mills Violano (their third Mills). The Unika is currently in a Swiss collection.
Also in 1981, a Seeburg KT Orches.trion (Figure 14) was purchased from a Mr. Flavin. The Bopps enjoyed the KT for seven years then sold it to Bill Rau of New Orleans, LA, for the same amount they paid for it. This helped raise money to buy their beloved 52-key Gebruder Bruder Fair Organ.
These tastes of European music led Ron and Mary Jo to visit to the piano shop of Fred Kern in East St. Louis, MO. They purchased from him an unrestored Weber Salon Piano mit Violinspiel (Figure 15, Page 37). This was a very large cased piano. Jerry Biasella restored the mechanical portion and Ron restored the case.
This large piano was essentially the predecessor of the Weber Unika. It has four more violin pipes and a double swell shutter arrangement for more sophisticated expression. Margaret Taylor, of Kansas City, MO, repainted the reverse painting which had a motion effect of water pouring out of a fountain (Figure 15A, Page 37). Rolls were difficult to come by at that time. (Ron understands a roll project has since started.) He traveled to Sarasota, FL, specifically to meet with Walt Bellm to try and acquire some. Ron said their meeting was cordial and the food was good but no rolls were obtained.
The Salon Piano was sold to Franklyn Corya of Indiana in 1985. It changed hands several times and eventually was featured in the Milhous Collection in Boca Raton, FL. It was sold at their auction to a European collector.
In 1982 Ron and Mary Jo found themselves on the East Coast and visited Ed Fryer. Ed was well known for his work with Link coin pianos. They purchased a Link 2E coin piano and had it shipped back to Joplin. The Link 2E had a piano, mandolin and a xylophone. It used the continuous roll which Ron learned can spill out all over the ground if you leave the bottom doors open while the piano is playing. He only used one roll on the piano, the ÒDan SlackÓ special. In my opinion it was a good choice of great music. The Bopps traded the Link 2E in 1986 to Bill Pohl for a Nelson Wiggins orchestrion piano.
Another purchase from Bill Edger.tonÕs Mechanical Music Center was a PopperÕs Konzertist Welte Piano (Figure 16, Page 38). The year was 1983. It plays the common PopperÕs roll that is usable for all PopperÕs machines. The Konzertist is not coin-operated. A side note, in the process of refinishing the case, Ron used a piano tilter to bring the piano on its back. Bill had installed new rollers to the bottom of the piano and when Ron tilted it back to the upright position the piano quickly got away from him. It was at this point that he hoped a previous thought to himself of Òif I am going to die, I want it to be related to mechanical musicÓ would not come true that day. Jerry Biasella restored the mechanical portion and Ron restored/refinished the case. It was sold in 1990.
In 1983 the Bopps purchased an original Tangley calliope mounted on a restored 1949 Diamond T truck from Bill Pohl. It won an award every year in a Joplin parade. It was a little bit of a pain to move in and out of a normal home garage since all the large brass pipes had to be removed and stored away first. It was sold in 1985 to a Kansas state senator for promotional work.
A Weber Grandezza (Figure 17, Page 38) was purchased from Galen Bird of Grandview, MO, in 1984. Another great European salon piano again restored by Jerry Biasella. This was sold to Bill Rau in 1988. An inexperienced mover picked up the Grandezza for the trip to New Orleans and instead of tying the piano to the side of the truck he laid it down on its back. Mercury from the original mercury pots that were included in the restoration spilled over the entire back of the piano. Bill Rau and Kurt ElberÕs son (who worked for Rau) were miffed over the spilling of the mercury.
A second Mills Violano, this time in a mahogany case, was obtained from Rudy Edwards in 1984 (Figure 18, Page 38). It was serviced by Chuck Pfeiffer while in Joplin, then sold to a Mr. Parry in Australia in 1986.
That same year Ron and Mary Jo traded the previously noted Link 2E for a nice Nelson Wiggins 5X Orches.trion from Bill Pohl (Figure 19, Page 38). The Nelson Wiggins had a nice sound with a complement of traps to accompany the piano. It was sold in 2004 to Bill Rau of New Orleans.
Also in 1986, the Bopps acquired a Seeburg C Xylophonion from Sam Robbins (Figure 20, Page 39). An uncommon Seeburg coin piano, it featured a reiterating xylophone (found at the bottom of the case instead on top where it could be viewed). Unusual for an A roll piano was the tune indicator. It was sold in 1989 to Dan Daniels of Wichita, KS.
In 1988 Ron and Mary Jo acquired their beloved 52-key Gebruder Bruder Fair Organ (Figure 21, Page 39) from Don Snyder, a collector who lived in New Springfield, OH. Ron was made aware of the organ and flew to Pitts.burgh, PA, where Don picked him up from the airport. They drove to DonÕs car parts store where he sold Model A replicas and test-played the organ. Ron negotiated a 10 percent discount on the asking price, had a nice lunch and then Don drove Ron back to the airport. Ron flew back to Joplin all in one day! They never regretted that quick transaction. The organ came with one stack of book music.
Over the next 20 years Ron made and cut approximately 16 more stacks (each playing 22 minutes) of music. Another aspect of the hobby was making and punching out music for the organ. For Ron, there was nothing more satisfying than spending eight hours to make a two-and-a-half-min.ute piece of music, then going to the organ and playing it. The organ was maintained by Terry Haughawout. The organ was trailered to multiple organ rallies and for various events and celebrations.
The Bopps sold the organ to Tom Hutchinson of Sturgeon, MO, in 1988 in preparation for a move to Florida. The Bopps were afraid the loud music might be offensive to their new neigh.bors but later found that most were hard of hearing. Tom subsequently sold the organ and the chassis is now behind a different faade on JaneÕs Carousel (under the Brooklyn Bridge) and the BruderÕs original faade is at the Merry-Go-Round museum in Sandusky, OH.
In 1989 the Bopps acquired a beautiful Seeburg C (Figure 22, Page 40) from a Mr. Herzog. This Seeburg model had only piano and mandolin effect but had gorgeous art glass and lamps on the end post. Ron had been wanting this piano ever since he saw one in the Don McDonald collection in 1976. It was sold in 1993 to Dave Weber of St. Louis, MO.
A second Tangley calliope was added to the collection in 1990. It was a reproduction and purchased from the Dave Miner calliope manufactur.ing firm in Iowa. Mounted in its own trailer, this unit was easy to pull in parades (Figure 23, Page 40). Again, pulling with their restored 1929 Slant Windshield Model A, it won many prizes in the Joplin parades. It was sold in 2004 to a Chevrolet dealership in Enid, OK, to be used for sales promotion.
In 1997 Ron and Mary Jo acquired a very large instrument, a 77-key Burs.ens Dance Organ (Figure 24, Page 40) from the auction of the Miles Musical Museum in Eureka Springs, AR. The auctioneer talked fast and retrospec.tively Ron felt that they paid more than they should have, a cautionary tale for those buying at auctions! The Bopps had a large metal building next to their lake home which could house this tall organ. It took five people (Terry and Joan Haughawout, Jerry Biasella, Mary Jo and Ron) to move this from the trailer to the inside of the building. It sold to Blaine Thomas of Manhattan, KS, in 2004. As of Septem.ber 2018 the organ was up for sale by the descendants of Blaine.
The last instrument added to the traveling collection was a third Mills Violano (Figure 25, Page 40) which came to the BoppsÕ log home on Grand Lake OÕ The Cherokees in 2001. A 100-point restoration was performed by the Haughawout Music Company. It was paid in full with a trade for their former Weber Unika. This machine used MIDI as well as the traditional roll which added much versatility. At the time the Bopps owned it, David Wasson did the excellent arrange.ments for the MIDI files. They parted with it in 2003 to a coin-op collector from the North East United States.
Ron and Mary Jo have had many smaller instruments over the years along with reproducing pianos. Two of these pianos stand out. A nice Mason & Hamlin AMPICO reproducing piano (Figure 26, Page 40) in burl walnut was acquired and restored by Bill Ackman of Cleveland, OH. It eventually went to Carla Weimer (a past president of MBSI) in Springfield, MO.
The smaller organs and similar instruments of note included a Deagan Xylophone mounted on a Cushman Truckster (Figure 27, Page 41), various street organs by Pell, Raffin, JŠger & Brommer (including a medium-sized organ) and a 45-key Verbeeck which recently has transferred to the owner.ship of Stefan Batist of Rome, GA.
The other piano that recently left the collection was a 5-foot 8-inch Louis XV Knabe AMPICO with matching bench (Figure 28, Page 41). It was purchased from Bill Pohl in 1986 and restored by Jerry Biasella. The piano in its art case stood out in their collection. It was sold to Steve Cobb of Kansas City, MO.
Afterthoughts
A fun fact is that Ron had the first personalized plate issued for Joplin, MO, in 1979. Of course, ÒAMPICOÓ had to be on the plate.
Interestingly, the instruments Ron and Mary Jo possessed the longest, and enjoyed the most, were the 52-key Gebruder Bruder Fair Organ and the Weber Unika Salon Piano, both having their origins in Waldkirch, Germany.
Today, the Bopps are downsizing to move to a smaller dwelling. They currently have a pair of Pell Harmonette organs and a small music box. This does not mean that they have lost interest in mechanical music in general and coin pianos and organs, specifically. Ron finds being editor of a mechanical musical journal to be quite rewarding and an interesting aspect to this wonderful hobby.
Additionally, Ron and Mary Jo have enjoyed organizing tours to Europe and England to view and listen to more great mechanical music, specifically fair, dance and Dutch street organs. The next Bumbling Bruder Tour will be the 9th tri-annual tour.
Ron Bopp can be reached at rbopp1@tampabay.rr.com

Ron and Mary Jo Bopp on their anniversary in 2018.

Figure 2: Ron with Mills Violano No. 1.

Figure 1: The Seeburg E from Jim Wells (1974).

Figure 3: Ron with the Wurlitzer 125 in 1981.

Figure 3A: ÒCharlie ChaplinÓ with the Wurlitzer.

Figure 3B: Ron with the Wurlitzer.

Figure 3C: Wurlitzer at the BoppsÕ wedding.

Figure 4: The Western Electric keyboard.

Figure 5A: The Cremona G on the cover of American International Galleries magazine.

Figure 5: The Cremona G.

Figure 6: The Fox PianoTainer.

Figure 7: The Peerless 44 coin piano.

Figure 8: Peerless Elite coin piano.

Figure 8A: Peerless Elite roll frame with a wide roll.

Figure 9: A Standard coin piano.

Figure 10: American Fotoplayer Style 20.

Figure 10A: American Fotoplayer Style 20.

Figure 11: Wurlitzer B orchestrion art glass.

Figure 12: 49-key Limonaire and Charlie Chaplin.

Figure 11A: Wurlitzer B orchestrion.

Figure 13: The Weber Unika Salon piano.

Figure 14: The Seeburg KT orchestrion.

Figure 15: Weber Salon piano (unre.stored) and Fred Kern

Figure 15A: Weber Salon piano (restored).

Figure 16: The PopperÕs Konzertist Welte Piano.

Figure 17: The Weber Grandezza.

Figure 18: The Mills Violano No. 2.

Figure 19: The Nelson-Wiggin 5x orchestrion.

Figure 20: The Seeburg C ÒXylophonion.Ó

Figure 21: The 52-key Gebruder Bruder fair organ.

Figure 22: Seeburg C coin piano.

Figure 23: The Tangley Calliope reproduction.

Figure 25: The Mills Violano with Mike Kropff.

Figure 26: The Mason & Hamlin AMPICO.

Email Matt Jaro at mjaro@verizon.net if you would like any information about style ÒAÓ, ÒGÓ, Ò4XÓ, ÒHÓ or ÒOÓ rolls. Also, comments and suggestions for this column will be appreciated.
Reprinted with permission of the author and The Auto.matic Musical Instrument CollectorsÕ Association (AMICA). Originally printed in the January/February 2019 issue of The AMICA Bulletin.

Figure 24: The 77-key Bursens dance organ.

Figure 28: The 5-foot 8-inch Louis XV Knabe AMPICO.

Figure 27: The Deagan Unifon on a Cushman Truckster.

Interesting Tidbits

John E Osborne wrote in recently to share a photo he took of his 3-year-old grandsons listening to their first nickelodeon. They are captivated by the music, intently studying the operation of the Nelson-Wiggen pump. John has titled the photo ÒNew Members On the Way.Ó

Snowbelt Chapter

Chapter Chair: Tracy Tolzmann
Reporters: Merrie and Tracy Tolzmann
Photographer: Tracy Tolzmann
Jun. 15, 2024 ÑÊBig Lake, MN
The Snowbelt Chapter of MBSI met with the Northern Lights Chapter of the Automatic Musical Instrument CollectorsÕ Association (AMICA) for a joint meeting at the beautiful rural Big Lake, MN, home of Gary Goldsmith and Alex Stolitza.
The rainy weather on the warm afternoon of June 15 did not dampen the spirits of the 24 in attendance as members reacquainted themselves, gathering in Gary and AlexÕs new conservatory. A gallery room is under construction which will feature GaryÕs glass collection consisting of Art Nouveau items and some choice pieces from the Steuben Glass works.
Alex conducted a tour of the numerous musical boxes in their collection, including several Kalliope instruments, one featuring bells. A coin-operated 24.-inch Polyphon required two pennies to play and featured a gambling attachment that may have returned the userÕs investment and then some! A Mermod Frres cylinder box with bells, drum, and castanets was a fascinating instru.ment to 4-year-old Georgia Klosinski, whose father, Stephen, was a guest and a new collector of automatic musical instruments. It was nice to have some young blood in our ranks, and if GeorgiaÕs interests continue, there will be future generations of members to come!
Of particular interest was the QRS Playola system installed on a Fischer AMPICO reproducing piano. Using a regular Windows PC running vanBas.coÕs KaraokeÊPlayer software, a link to a USB port on the computer provides input to the Playola system.ÊThe end result is the piano plays with recorded orchestral accompaniment and vocals coming through stereo speakers.
Following the tour, appetizers were enjoyed as business meetings of the two organizations were held jointly. A substantial number of members belong to both societies and have enthusiastically endorsed the idea of meeting jointly. Business began with the introduction of Nate Otto, who owns Rum River Restorations in Anoka, MN. Nate expertly restores pneumatic instruments and did a workshop on his Style 15 American Fotoplayer at last yearÕs MBSI Annual Meeting in Saint Paul, MN. He invited everyone to an open house to demon.strate the instrument the day after our meeting, and several members planned to attend. The Snowbelt Chapter and Nate are partnering in an effort to organize a public display and demonstration of instruments to spread the joy of collecting and to encourage new MBSI memberships.
It was reported that Lawrence and Phyllis Crawford are both convalesc.ing at an Arlington, MN, health care facility having suffered some medical issues. The Crawfords have made the difficult decision to move off their beautiful farm, with their collection of rare musical boxes going to auction through Stanton Auctions on Aug. 29Ð31. Their clock collection will be sold by StantonÕs Jun. 29. An online sale of their household items will be conducted by Southern Minnesota Auctions of Nicollet, MN, and will take place Jul. 23ÐAug. 8. The CrawfordsÕ collection is primarily made up of musical boxes from LawrenceÕs late parents, F. Richard and Esther Craw.ford, who were founding members of MBSI. This collection features exam.ples of every instrument described in a 1938 article by L. G. Jaccards that had inspired Richard to start the collection. LawrenceÕs 3/24 Wurlitzer Theater Pipe Organ, Opus 916, is being offered by Marty PerskyÕs Mechmusic.com.
The upcoming 2024 MBSI Annual Meeting in Los Angeles was discussed, with delegates from the Snowbelt Chapter registered, although no one from the local AMICA chapter will be attending. The two local chapters have decided that both organizationsÕ future meetings will be held jointly, with the next event scheduled for Saturday, Sept. 28, at the Robbinsdale, MN, home of Ron Olsen. Volunteers were encouraged to host a meeting, and a late summer session may be scheduled. Finding a host for a holiday gathering is a goal.
With the tragic January death of Bill Nunn, the Snowbelt Chapter is seeking a new vice president and treasurer, positions Bill had held in the chapter for many years. BillÕs widow, Stacy, is continuing BillÕs tradi.tion of offering tours of the Skyrock Farm Organ Collection, with Tracy Tolzmann conducting the tours of the instruments. The interest generated in automatic musical instruments by these tours is a wonderful outreach for the society.
Business concluded with the serv.ing of a delicious dinner featuring fried chicken and fresh corn-on-the-cob with side dishes and desserts provided by attendees. Needless to say, the traditional Minnesota potluck meal was excellent! Socializing and listening to instruments continued as the rain finally stopped, allowing members to depart without getting soaked. Everyone thanked Gary and Alex for their hospitality and a wonderful afternoon as we look forward to our next meeting.

Alex Stolitza displays the PolyphonÕs disc storage as Ralph Schultz looks on.

Alex plays the Mermod Frres as AMICAn Craig Remmen observes.

The Mermod Frres cylinder box with bells, drum, and castanets.

Georgia and Steve Klosinski enjoy the Polyphon.

A Kalliope box is enjoyed by (L to R) John Ellingson, Tom Chase, Tom Kuehn, Jeff Ingebrigtson, and Ron Olsen.

Host Alex Stolitza with the 18.-inch Mira disc music box.

Alex shows the Mira discs as Carol Schultz and Georgia, Steve and Victor Klosinski listen.

Alex at the computer control center for the Playola system.

Alex explains the wonders of the QRS Playola piano system on the Fischer AMPICO.

Georgia and Steve Klosinski enjoy the Polyphon.

Alex displays a 15.-inch Regina disc as Victor Klosinski looks on.

Southern California Chapter

Chapter Chair: Robin Biggins
Reporter: Robin Biggins
Photographer: Lowell Boehland
Jun. 23, 2024 Ñ San Diego, CA
Promptly at noon on Jun. 23, 2024, Brent Hoag and Sonia Johnson opened their San Diego, CA, home to the Southern California Chapter of MBSI. Brent and Sonia are most cordial hosts. They provided us with a sumptuous Asian luncheon followed by a tasty dessert. Because of the somewhat smaller number of attend.ees at this meeting, Brent was able to give us a more personal tour of his varied collections.
Chapter Chair Robin Biggins opened the business meeting where members discussed the upcoming AMICA/MBSI annual meeting in Agoura Hills, CA, and introduced a new member, Blue Lolan, along with a friend, Vincent Johnson. Brent has collected many interesting things from around the world, but of course his collection of musical boxes interested us the most. There were smaller early sectional comb and key-wind cylinder boxes along with larger orchestral formats with bells and organ sections. Most all had features not typically seen. Chap.ter members marveled at a stunning collection of Reuge boxes, including an automaton and a huge box with 15 interchangeable cylinders that was produced to commemorate the bicen.tennial of the musical box. The box is named ÒAntoine Favre.Ó Because of long travel distance and heavy traffic, some members had to depart the meeting early and were not included in the group photo. Lowell Boehland, as he so often does, took wonderful photos at our event.
More photos from the event are presented on the following pages.

Brent demonstrates his Reuge automaton to new members, Blue Lolan and Vincent Johnson. The automaton features a young Mozart sitting at a mahogany piano. While the music plays, his head moves up and down and his hands move up and down above the keyboard. MozartÕs head is made of Limoges porcelain from France. His costume is sewn from fine silk and lace. It plays three excerpts from a Mozart sonata: Allegro, Andante and Rondo.

Brent shows guests the hidden drawer where interchangeable cylinders are stored for this musical box that features drums, bells and castanets.

Brent demonstrates a Bremond orchestra box with multiple cylinders.

A ÒFranois LecoultreÓ limited edition interchangeable cylin.der music box made by Reuge. It was created to honor the Swiss watchmaker who developed a way to make the musical movementÕs comb in one piece, allowing for more elaborate pieces of music to be played.

Brent displays a beautifully hand-carved Bremond with inter.changeable cylinders.

The incredible John Manger & Co. overture machine with four combs, the first two are sublime harmonie, then mandoline and piccolo.

A Capital ÒCuffÓ box.

Sonia and Brent show some of their art and sculpture.

A small showing of BrentÕs replica FabergŽ egg collection.

Brent shows one of his carved Mammoth tusks.

The view of San Diego from the Hoag home.

A ÒPetit OrchestraÓ by Bremond, with separate organ controls for reeds and flutes that was made in 1872. The picture on the right shows the tune sheet for this musical box.

The traditional group photo caught almost all the participants who attended the meeting.

Arthur W.J.G. Ord-Hume Ñ 1932Ð2024

By Steve Ryder
Historian, restorer and prolific author Arthur Ord-Hume, passed away May 25 following a short illness. At 92 he remained completely active, with his latest book published just this past January.
Descended from a line of musicians, composers and conductors Arthur grew up on the northwestern fringe of greater London.1 The inner core of the family home was devoted to a vast music archive, and so it became a meeting point for luminaries and historians of the music world. Arthur, however, charted a somewhat differ.ent path than his family and their friends.
Arthur was a small boy when he caught his first sight of a light aircraft taking off, followed in time by his being offered a flight in one. He caught the bug and aviation became his first love.2 As he grew, he tried his hand at redesigning, and attempting to remodel, light aircraft that were damaged or left rotting after World War II, but post-war authorities were wary of licensing any craft that was home-modified or home-built. So, Arthur set up an association of like-minded people to advocate for licensing, and the resulting publicity pushed the ultralight flying movement forward.
After serving in the Royal Air Force and earning a mechanical engineering degree, Arthur started a career in structural aircraft design. He sold design plans to those who wanted to build an aircraft at home, but his day job was as lead designer at De Havilland Aircraft and other firms. Eventually, he formed a partnership in his own company, Phoenix Aircraft, in the late 1950s.3
Arthur built a bungalow on the Isle of Wight. All along the English Channel were old resort hotels and pubs that were still adorned with antiquated, wall-hanging, coin-op Polyphon disc music boxes. Most were largely broken, neglected and mute. Arthur became curious about them, especially since they could be purchased for next to nothing, so he explored how he might repair them. This search for information led to him meeting pioneer collectors in the London area, chief amongst them, Cyril de Vere Green.
It was at CyrilÕs urging and with Hughes RyderÕs assistance that Arthur paid a one-night visit in 1962 to the collection of Murtogh D. Guinness in New York, NY.4 He returned for an extended stay with the Ryders in 1968. Having seen the Guinness collection on the prior visit, Arthur brought with him an extra suitcase jammed with camera and recording equipment.
At least four of his subsequent trips to the U.S. centered around delivering keynote presentations at MBSIÕs annual meetings. Many might recall his talk on ÒMusical ClocksÓ in Sara.sota, FL. Such trips always included a stop to visit New York-area collections and, oftentimes, visits to the original factory buildings of Regina, Symphon.ion, F.G. Otto and the Aeolian Co.
Some American MBSI members may also recall organized tours to Europe that included meetings of MBSIÕs sister organization, the Musical Box Society of Great Britain (MBSGB), with side-visits to various collections. On more than one of those tours, the red carpet was rolled out at the Victo.ria & Albert Museum where Arthur demonstrated instruments.
Arthur served variously as the editor and the president of MBSGB. The societyÕs journal, The Music Box, featured, as it does now, articles of interest by members, articles by its editor, reviews and the occasional catalog reprint.
Best known around the world for his illustrated books, Arthur produced more than a dozen in the field of mechanical music, primarily on collect.ing or repair but with greater insight on their music than could previously be found. Arguably, the most highly-refer.enced of his tomes are ÒMusical BoxÓ and ÒBarrel Organ,Ó followed by ÒThe Musical Clock.Ó5 In addition, he wrote numerous articles for specialized jour.nals within allied fields.
It can be said with great respect that not all of ArthurÕs suppositions, historical interpretations or recom.mended techniques passed without controversy, but this merely served to generate vibrant discussion amongst those who might otherwise have remained mute and the collective body of knowledge is better for it. Arthur was chosen by MBSI to be the first recipient of its Q. David Bowers Literary Award.
It can be said that Arthur was not driven by the same forces that drive many enthusiasts. While many collectors are naturally drawn to those instruments that are accessible, if not affordable, Arthur became increasingly driven towards the study of instru.ments that were out of a collectorÕs normal orbit, the rare and unique. One example of this is the Componium, an organ that improvised innumerable musical variations as it played.
The decision to self-publish a twice-yearly journal called Music & Automata was a perfectly natural next step for Arthur. This journal served as a blank canvas on which he could dig into ancient themes, present more exhaustive analyses of obscure objects, transcribe previously unknown music to written scores and so on. Music & Automata was produced from 1983 to 1992. They contain a meaningful part of ArthurÕs discoveries.
The 1980s and 1990s were a fruitful period for Arthur as he formed a strong relationship with the National Museum van Speelklok tot Pierement (now Museum Speelklok) in Utrecht, the Netherlands. He personally enjoyed a strong bond with its then director, Drs. Jan Jaap Haspels. Arthur and Jan Jaap were invited to be part of an international team advising the restorers of ItalyÕs oldest mechanical (water-driven) organ at the Quirinal Palace in Rome.
In 1993 I was asked to accompany Arthur to examine an exotic organ and carillon called ÒPagoda Clock.Ó It was about to come up for auction at SothebyÕs, London. Attributed to James Cox, circa 1775, the instrument featured a nine-tier pagoda that rose as the music played and an automa.ton Peacock performed. It sold for a handsome sum to a Middle Eastern client. This instrument was delivered to Arthur for restoration. When he took it apart, Arthur found he was the first one to peer into its bellows in its more than 200-year history. The grain of the thin pallets were sealed with pages torn from a school copybook signed by a young Mary Ann Beloudy, thus identifying the organÕs maker as her father, Joseph Beloudy of London (1759-1838). It doesnÕt get more personal than that!
In the 1990s I and my brother were approached by an institution to restore a tall-case clock made by Kinzing and Roentgen that had played music from a pipe organ together with a dulcimer. (Any collectors who have seen the dulcimer-playing lady automaton in Paris, which was made for Marie Antoinette, will recall that Kinzing and Roentgen were its maker.) Little did I know that dulcimers in these rare clocks were built to be easily remov.able for tuning, the result being that many of the few surviving examples have lost their dulcimers over time. We quickly realized we were in over our heads, so Arthur graciously offered to team up with us on the restoration and revive the dulcimer.
He arranged to personally take the measurements of a similar clock at the MusŽe des Arts et Metiers in Paris, France, and, despite some incongru.ities with the subject clockÕs specs, he drew up precise engineering drawings for our missing dulcimer. He and his wife Ruth searched timber yards over.seas for the proper woods, and other places for the proper wire. He crafted the new dulcimer by hand, built a tran.sit case to hold it, and carried it over on his flight from London. He assisted us with the rest of the restoration, and it was a success.
Arthur sometimes helped influence events. He, Ruth and I were present for the Guinness familyÕs private memorial ceremony for Murtogh in England in 2002. After the service, MurtoghÕs sister, Lady Normanby, asked for assistance in finding a suit.able location for his collection. Arthur provided valuable advice. When the Morris Museum was considered, he wrote a strong letter of endorsement in support of the location. Later, the Morris Museum invited him to pen the preface to the collectionÕs catalog.6
It was a pleasure to see Arthur shift gears in the new century. While continuing to produce books and articles on mechanical music, he pivoted back to his first love, avia.tion. He and Ruth became familiar faces at air shows where there was obvious demand for affordable, highly illustrated books on the post-war era of flight. Arthur produced some two dozen of these type books. Books on other subjects included local histo.ries. He seemed to ease into a rhythm of taking time for other enjoyments, while at the same time never slowing down.
A tribute like this could never go without making mention of his incred.ible library on mechanical music, automata, and the related field of horology. The idea for the library took root, according to Arthur, during the same time his interest in the subject was growing in 1958. There were few books in English available at that time, so he started to collect rare, out-of-print and foreign works. Then, in a premeditated fashion, he went to the British Library to examine its pre-war catalog in order to determine what listed works had perished in the bombings. He did the same at major libraries around his home country and then across the rest of Europe. He subscribed to the related serial publications and as they accumulated would have them handsomely bound. Great care was taken to integrate original makersÕ catalogs, news and magazine articles, monographs, manuscripts, and treatises pertaining to the social context and trade history of these instruments. In addition, he maintained a sound archive, film positives and a photo collection. I certainly hope that his lifeÕs work can be preserved in its entirety and pref.erably where it can be appreciated by serious students.
My family will certainly miss him greatly. Our sympathies go to Ruth Ord-Hume, to his family and friends.
Acknowledgments:
First, thanks go to Ruth. We are also indebted to Ben Dunnell, editor of Aeroplane magazine, for the early photos and for the benefit of ArthurÕs final interview, which appeared in the October issue of that publication.

Arthur designing the undercarriage for an ultra-light aircraft in the 1950s.

Musical Pagoda Clock. Its height at rest is 47 inches or 1.2 meters. (SHR, London, 1993)

in the mid 1990s in Summit, NJ, working with Jere Ryder on the disassembled chas.sis from the tall-case musical clock made by Kinzing/Roentgen.

Posing with the newly-crafted dulcimer in his garden. (Photo courtesy Ruth Ord-Hume, Surrey, mid-1990s)

Sources
1. The homes were in suburban Pinner and the then semi-rural hamlet of Hatch End. MBSI member Andrew Pilmer points out that one of his grandfather JamesÕ best known marches, Lynwood, Òis still a fair organ favourite.Ó Thanks to Dr. Timothy Thirst, MBE, for his input.
2. There is a British PathŽ short on YouTube titled (1953) Garden Plane, that shows a 21-year-old Arthur working on a Luton Minor aircraft in the front garden of his parentÕs home: Garden Plane (1953) (youtube.com/watch?v=K0GRi_UGNxU)
3. MBSI News Bulletin, issue #42, Sept. 1981, pp.8-9.
4. MBSI News Bulletin, issue #165, Mar/Apr 2002, pp.16-17
5. Musical Box Ð A History and CollectorÕs Guide (George Allen & Unwin, London, 1980); Barrel Organ Ð The Story of the Mechanical Organ and How to Repair It (George Allen & Unwin, London, 1978); The Musical Clock Ð Musical & Automaton Clocks & Watches (Mayfield Books, Derbyshire, 1995).
6. Musical Machines and Living Dolls Ð The Murtogh D. Guinness Collection of Mechanical Musical Instruments and Automata by Ellen M. Snyder-Grenier (Morris Museum, Morris.town, NJ, 2011)

FOR SALE
RESTORED MUSICAL BOXES Offering a variety of antique musical boxes, discs, orphan cylinders, reproducing piano rolls & out of print books about mechanical music. BILL WINEBURGH 973-927-0484 Web: antiquemusicbox.us
THE GOLDEN AGE of AUTOMATIC MUSI.CAL INSTRUMENTS By ART REBLITZ. Award-winning classic that brings historical, musical, and technical information to life with hundreds of large, vivid color photos. We guarantee youÕll find it to be one of the most interesting, inspiring, informative books you have in your libraryÐor your money back. Everyone has been delighted, and some readers have ordered several copies. Get your copy today for $99 plus S/H. MECHANI.CAL MUSIC PRESS-M, 70 Wild Ammonoosuc Rd., Woodsville, NH 03785. (603) 747-2636.
http://www.mechanicalmusicpress.com
1898 GERMAN POLYPHON coin operated music box. Comes with 10 – 19-1/2 inch disks. Plays beautifully! $6,900.00. Contact SUE OLSON, at sue_olson2@comcast.net or (360) 480-5827
EXTREMELY RARE home model Encore Banjo Serial #H2. 1900, African Mahogany Original motor & electronics Original Directions & Operating Instructions Original Rewind hard.ware Many Old & New rolls Including ÒDulling BanjosÓ Best offer over $75,000. Contact WAYNE MYERS, at wmyers5@cfl.rr.com or (407) 630-1360
MYERS COLLECTION FOR SALE
¥
Encore Banjo 1900 Home Model H2 American Mahogany

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Seeburg K 1920 Original motor

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Symphony 18 1/4 Disc Box Circa 1888 Matching Table

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Bremond Interchangeable 13 inch circa 1875 Matching Table 3 Cylinders

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Regina 15 1/2 in Changer 1900 Stain glass Bow Front Dozens of discs

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Symphony 13 in Wall Mount Circa 1890 5 pfennig coin operated Carved Walnut with Clock

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Edison Fireside Model A 2&4 min. Circa 1909 Oakland Decorative Horn

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BrittaniÕs 9 in Disc Box Circa 1900 Original & New Discs

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Gem Roller Organ Circa 1880 Original & New Cobs

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Edison Diamond Disc Floor Model Many Classic Discs

Contact WAYNE MYERS, at wmyers5@cfl.rr.com or (407) 630-1360
FOR SALE
MARVELS OF MECHANICAL MUSIC – MBSI Video. Fascinating and beautifully-made film which explains the origins of automatic musical instruments, how they are collected and preserved today, and their historic importance, MBSI members and collections are featured. $20 USD. Free shipping in the continental U.S. Additional postage charges apply for other locations. Purchase now at www.mbsi.org
SERVICES
REPRODUCTION POLYPHON discs; Cata.logs available for 19 5/8Ó, 22 1/8Ó, and 24 1/2Ó. DAVID CORKRUM 5826 Roberts Ave, Oakland, CA 94605-1156, 510-569-3110,
www.polyphonmusic.com
SAVE $Õs on REUGE & THORENS MUSIC BOX REPAIR & RESTORATION Ð MBSI MEMBERS RECEIVE WHOLESALE PRICING. 40 + Years experience servicing all makes & models of cylinder and disc music boxes, bird boxes, bird cages, musical watches, Anri musical figurines, et al. All work guaranteed. WeÕre the only REUGE FACTORY AUTHORIZED Parts & Repair Service Center for all of North America. Contact: DON CAINE – The Music Box Repair Center Unlimited, 24703 Pennsyl.vania Ave., Lomita, CA 90717-1516. Phone: (310) 534-1557 Email: MBRCU@AOL.COM. On the Web: www.musicboxrepaircenter.com

THE MARTTHE MART

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2……….Renaissance Antiques
54……..Morphy Auctions
55……..Morphy Auctions
56……..American Treasure Tour
56……..Music Box Restorations
56 …….Automata Magazine
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58……..NAWCC
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OFFICERS, TRUSTEES & COMMITTEES of the
MUSICAL BOX SOCIETY INTERNATIONAL¨

OFFICERS
President
Matthew Jaro
24219 Clematis Dr
Gaithersburg, MD 20882
mjaro@verizon.net
Vice President
Bob Caletti,
605 Wallea Drive
Menlo Park, CA 94025
bcaletti@pacbell.net
Recording Secretary
Linda Birkitt
PO Box 145,
Kuna, ID 83634
scarletpimpernel28@yahoo.com
Treasurer
Edward Kozak
3615 North Campbell Avenue
Chicago, IL 60618
ekozak1970@gmail.com
TRUSTEES
Dave Calendine
Bob Caletti
Edward Cooley
David Corkrum
Richard Dutton
Rich Poppe
Matt Jaro
Mary Ellen Myers
Rick Swaney
COMMITTEES
Audit
Edward Cooley, Chair, Trustee
Bob Caletti, Vice President
Dave Calendine, Trustee
Endowment Committee
Edward Kozak, Treasurer, Chair
Edward Cooley, Trustee
Dave Calendine, Trustee
B Bronson
Executive Committee
Matthew Jaro, Chair, President
Bob Caletti, Vice President
David Corkrum, Immediate
Past President
Edward Cooley, Trustee
Rich Poppe, Trustee
Finance Committee
Edward Kozak, Chair, Treasurer
Edward Cooley, Trustee
Peter Both
Marketing Committee
Bob Smith, Chair
Edward Cooley, Trustee
Richard Dutton, Trustee
Judy Caletti
Don Caine
John Miller
Meetings Committee
Rich Poppe, Chair, Trustee
Judy Caletti
Tom Chase
Cotton Morlock
Tom Kuehn
Membership Committee
Chair, Vacant
Richard Dutton, Trustee
Mary Ellen Myers, Trustee,
Southeast
Robin Biggins, Southern California
Judy Caletti, Golden Gate
Gary Goldsmith, Snowbelt
Florie Hirsch, National Capital
Judy Miller, Southeast
Rob Pollock, Mid-America
Dan Wilson, Southeast
Gerald Yorioka, Northwest IntÕl
TBD, East Coast
TBD, Lake Michigan
TBD, Sunbelt
Museum Committee
Sally Craig, Chair
Dave Calendine, Trustee
Glenn Crater, National Capital
Ken Envall, Southern California
Julian Grace, Sunbelt
Richard Simpson, East Coast
Museum Sub-Committees
Ohio Operations
Rob Pollock, Mid-America
Nominating Committee
Judy Caletti, Chair
David Corkrum, Immediate
Past President
Bob Caletti, Golden Gate,
Vice President
Mary Ellen Myers, Trustee,
Southeast
Tracy Tolzmann, Snowbelt
Rob Pollock, Mid-America
Marc Pichla, Lake Michigan
Publications Committee
Bob Caletti, Chair,
Vice President
Richard Dutton, Trustee
Paul Bellamy
Steve Boehck
Christian Eric
Kathleen Eric
Publications Sub-Committee
Website Committee
Rick Swaney, Chair
B Bronson
Knowles Little, Web Secretary
Special Exhibits Committee
Mary Ellen Myers, Chair, Trustee,
Southeast
David Corkrum, Immediate Past
President, Golden Gate
Donald Caine, Southern California
Richard Dutton, Trustee, East Coast
Jack Hostetler, Southeast
Knowles Little, National Capital
Judy Miller, Southeast
Aaron Muller, Lake Michigan
Wayne Myers, Southeast
Rick Swaney, Trustee,
Northwest International
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CALENDAR OF EVENTS

Date
Event
Location
Sponsor

Aug. 11, 2024
Mid-America Chapter meeting
NelisÕ Dutch Village Holland, MI, 10am
Rob Pollock

Sept. 22, 2024
National Capital Chapter meeting
Gaithersburg, MD
Matt and Beni Jaro

Sept. 28, 2024
Snowbelt Chapter Meeting
Robinsdale, MN
Ron Olsen

Oct. 28, 2024
East Coast Chapter meeting
Zoom (online)
Roger Wiegand

Email event details to editor@mbsi.org by Oct. 1, 2024, for the November/December 2024 issue.
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CONTACTS

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CHAPTERS

East Coast
Chair: Elise Low
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No Dues in 2024
Roger Wiegand
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Dues $5 to Dave Corkrum
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Japan
Chair: Naoki Shibata
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Treasurer: Makiko Watanabe
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Lake Michigan
Chair: Mark Pichla
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Dues $5 to James Huffer
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Mid-America
Chair: Rob Pollock
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Dues $10 to Harold Wade
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National Capital
Chair: Cheryl Hack
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cahack@aacc.edu
Dues $5 to Florie Hirsch
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Northwest International
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Dues $7.50/person to Kathy Baer
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Snowbelt
Chair: Tracy Tolzmann
(651) 674-5149
No Dues in 2024
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Chair: Jim Kracht
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Dues $5 to Bob Yates
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Naples, FL 34119
Southern California
Chair: Robin Biggins
(310) 377-1472
Dues $10 to Franne Einberg
10524 Blythe Ave
Los Angeles CA 90064
Sunbelt
Chair: Marty Nevel
currency33@AOL.COM
No Dues in 2024

CHAPTERS

Copyright 2022 the Musical Box Society International, all rights reserved. Permission to reproduce by any means, in whole or in part, must be obtained in writing from the MBSI Executive Committee and the Editor. Mechanical Music is published in the even months. ISSN 1045-795X