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Volume 65, No. 2 March/April 2019

· March 1, 2019 ·

Mechanical Music Mechanical Music
Journal of the Musical Box Society International
Devoted to All Automatic Musical Instruments

Volume 65, No. 2 March/April 2019

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Pictured are a few of the high quality musical antiques in our current inventory.

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RENAISSANCE ANTIQUE S

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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 The article will not be published with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

Journal of the Musical Box Society International

Devoted to All Automatic Musical Instruments

Volume 65, No. 2 March/April 2019

MBSI NEWS
5 PresidentÕs Message
7 EditorÕs Notes

56 In Memoriam

Features

8 Nickel Notes
by Matt Jaro

15 The Hunt: Charles Levy

19 An E. Karrer-Hoffman
music box restoration

36 AMICA invites you to its
annual convention

On the Cover
Tom Kuehn walks us through the
restoration of Loesche Flute and
Violin Solo Piano serial number
2753. Page 20.
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 Directory
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 2019. The Musical Box Society International,
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

CHAPTER
REPORTS

38 Lake Michigan
41 National Capital
44 Northwest International
46 Snowbelt
48 Southeast
52 Sunbelt
54 Golden Gate

MBSI has replanted 48 trees so far as part
of the Print ReLeaf program.

Orgelmuseum Belgium

Robby Peeters (son of Luc Peeters)
tempts you to take a tour of their
mechanical music museum in
Waterloo, Belgium. Page 30.

March/April 2019 MECHANICAL MUSIC 3

The World of Mechanical Music The World of Mechanical Music
Copy this page, and give it to a potential new member. Spread the word about MBSI.

MEMBERSHIP APPLICATION

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A
A
fascinating hobby! It combines all the appeals of
art, history, craftsmanship, and music all into one.
Automatic music doesnÕt just sit there; it is ever
willing to perform for those who care to hear it. Play an
automatic music machine in a room full of people and all
else will stop as the machine enraptures the audience with
the sparkling melodies of yesteryear!

A ÒMusic BoxÓ is any sort of automatic music instrument
that plays music via the plucking of teeth on a tuned steel
comb through various mechanisms; musical automata;
orchestrions; player and reproducing pianos and organs;
phonographs; and self-playing stringed, wind, and percussion
instruments of any kind.

The Musical Box Society International, chartered by the
New York State Board of Regents, is a nonprofit society dedicated
to the enjoyment, study, and preservation of automatic
musical instruments. Founded in 1949, it now has members
around the world, and supports various educational projects.

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Member Benefits

Six magazines annually Ñ Mechanical Music plus the
Directory of Members, Museums, and Dealers (published
every two years). Membership also entitles you to participate
in the Annual Meeting and to join regional chapters.
New members receive a welcome letter, a Goods & Supplies
Order Form, Directory of Members, Museums, and
Dealers, and a list of the regional chapters.

Regional chapters and an Annual Meeting held each year
in different cities within the United States enable members
to visit collections, exchange ideas, and attend educational
workshops.

Members receive the scholarly journal, Mechanical
Music, which also contains advertising space for members
who wish to buy, sell, and restore mechanical musical
instruments and related items; the Directory of Members,
Museums, and Dealers.

The only requirements for membership are an interest in
automatic music machines and the desire to share information
about them. And youÕll take pride in knowing you
are contributing to the preservation of these marvelous
examples of bygone craftsmanship.

More Information:

Phone/Fax: (417) 886-8839

Email: jbeeman.mbsi@att.net

4 MECHANICAL MUSIC March/April 2019

By Clay Witt

MBSI President

I hope everyone is surviving the
winter, particularly the brutal cold the

U.S. north endured, and is encouraged
that Spring, at least for those of us
in the northern hemisphere, is just
around the corner.
Ostensibly, it might seem to be a
quiet period for MBSI, but things are
going on behind the scenes. Your trustees
and I have begun planning for the
trusteesÕ mid-year meeting that will
be held in Florida in early April. Our
annual meeting team at the National
Capital Chapter continues all the hard
work necessary to put on the 2019
MBSI Annual Meeting that will be held
Aug. 27-31, 2019, in Rockville, MD, a
Washington, DC, suburb. It looks to
be a great meeting! Work at my own
chapter, the Southeast Chapter, is
already well underway for the 2021
MBSI Annual Meeting.

I am continually amazed at the selflessness
of so many of our members
everywhere as they give their time, and
sometimes a bit of their treasure, to
making the Society work smoothly for
all our mutual benefit. One of the persons
who has done so is Trustee John
Bryant. He began his trustee service in
2014 and was scheduled to serve until
2022. However, John has resigned to
concentrate on health issues. I hope

topics of interest to mechanical musical
instrument collectors. Many of
these workshops are recorded and the
videos are available on the website in
the video library in the members area.
When you log in, you will see an icon
for ÒVideo LibraryÓ to click. Videos
from the workshops at the 2018 annual
meeting have recently been added.

There is also an icon that will take
you to the MBSI Meetings Manual
in the members area of the website.
This manual lays out just about
everything a local chapter hosting
an MBSI Annual Meeting will need to
know to get the job done. We believe
that having the manual on the web
will be a plus in terms of accessibly
and it will allow us to make updates
or corrections on the fly so that members
who need the information can
always get the latest.

you will join me in thanking John for
his service to the Society and wishing
him well.

I would like to extend our collective
thanks to the East Coast Chapter for
their generous donation of $3,500 to
the MBSI Museum Committee to use
for conserving one or more pieces in
MBSIÕs collection of mechanical music
items. I would like to also encourage
all our members who have the opportunity
to visit the American Treasure
Tour Museum in Oaks, PA (near Valley
Forge). Most of our instruments are
kept there and many of our interesting
instruments can be viewed during the
museum tour.

Finally, I would like to remind
our members and friends of what a
valuable resource our MBSI website
(www.mbsi.org) is, and note that more
content is being added all the time. For
example, a great slide presentation
prepared by our Vice President ,Tom
Kuehn, for the 2018 annual meeting
will let you know who won awards
from MBSI in 2018 and it provides
information about each recipient. You
can find it by clicking on the ÒMoreÓ
menu and then on ÒMBSI NewsÓ at the
bottom of that menu.

There are special resources for
MBSI members who sign in to the
members only section of the website.
We have workshops at every annual
meeting covering a wide variety of

A Lasting Legacy In order for anything
once alive to have
meaning, its effect
must remain alive in
eternity in some way

Ð Ernest Becker, Philosopher
Throughout its history, MBSI has fostered an interest in and
preservation of automatic musical instruments. Your gift to the The Musical Box Society International
Endowment Fund will support programs that will help future is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization.

All donations to the Endowment

generations appreciate these achievements of manÕs creative

Fund are tax deductible.
genius. Visit www.mbsi.org to learn more.

A gift of any size is welcome.

MBSI MEMBERSHIP DRIVE
EACH ONE/REACH ONE NEW MEMBER

MBSI is always interested in increasing its membership and is pleased to offer new members a $15
discount off their rst year’s membership. You are considered a new member if you have not been a
member in the past three years. This discount is also available on our website, www.mbsi.org.

Current MBSI members who sponsor a new member will receive a $5 discount off their next year’s
MBSI membership renewal for each sponsorship. Attach a copy of the discount voucher below to a
copy of the membership application form on Page 4 of this issue of Mechanical Music. Place your
name as ÒsponsorÓ on the application form.

Please make copies of these forms as needed and send the completed forms with checks to the MBSI
administrator at the address listed below.

Please mail this form together with your check made payable to ÒMBSIÓ to the MBSI Administrator at the address listed
above. Memberships are $45 for U.S. residents, $55 for Canadian residents, and $60 for other International residents.

EditorÕs Notes EditorÕs Notes
By Russell Kasselman

MBSI Editor/Publisher

Welcome to another jam-packed
issue of Mechanical Music full of content
I canÕt wait for you to read. From
the cover story on the restoration of
Loesche Flute and Violin Solo Piano
serial number 2753 written by Society
Vice President Tom Kuehn to the short
announcement about the discovery of
two unblemished tune sheets for a cylinder
box as reported by Mechanical
Music Library International Librarian
Bill Edgerton, this issue just begs to be
read from cover to cover.

I want to thank all the writers who
contributed to making this issue the
success it is. Regular columnist Matt
Jaro takes us through the formation
and history of the Nelson-Wiggen Piano
Co. and then Charles Levy follows up
with a great story for our column ÒThe
Hunt.Ó Charles details his fortunate
finding of a French automaton maker
and gives us the story of a long-term
relationship between two families that
found a way to share a passion despite
being separated by an ocean.

Robin Biggins adds to the mix with
a piece detailing his experience finding
and restoring an E. Karrer-Hoffman
cylinder box with bells, and then
Robby Peeters, from Belgium, provides
an inviting glimpse into the museum
that he, and his father and mother
operate in the township of Westerlo. In

my opinion, anyone heading to Europe
this summer (or any summer for that
matter) should seriously consider making
a stop for a tour and what are sure
to be some good conversations with
Robby and his family.

One unique feature in this issue is
an invitation extended to MBSI members
to attend the annual convention
of AMICA, the Automatic Music
Instrument CollectorsÕ Association.
The AMICA convention is set to take
place in Seattle, WA, and looks to have
several engaging tours scheduled. So,
if you are looking for a different way
to experience mechanical music, why
not check it out.

Another neat thing to know is that
AMICA, in its May/June 2019 journal,
The AMICA Bulletin, will publish a
similar invitation for AMICA members
to attend the MBSI Annual Meeting in
Rockville, MD, later this year. We hope
to see many of them join us as well!

It seems to me this sort of partnership
and information sharing between
AMICA and MBSI can only benefit
both groups and I look forward to
what it will bring.

Speaking of sharing, I have to especially
thank all the chapter members
who serve as reporters and photographers
for the meetings. We have
reports from seven chapters in this
issue allowing you to catch a glimpse
of who your fellow Society members
are and what they do when they get

MAILING ADDRESS

MBSI Editorial/Advertising
130 Coral Court
Pismo Beach, CA 93449

EMAIL ADDRESS

editor@mbsi.org

PHONE

(253) 228-1634

together. Honestly, I wish I could
spend a couple of years just driving
around the country to attend some of
these sessions. Everyone looks to be
having so much fun.

Now, for those of you who have
sent in an article and not yet seen it
published, donÕt lose hope. I have your
articles cataloged and saved, ready
to be published at the right time to
give Mechanical Music just the right
mix of good stuff to keep everyone
interested. If you have questions or
concerns about when your article
might be published, please feel free to
contact me at your convenience.

If you are working on an idea or
even an article you would like to see
published here, get in touch with me
soon and I will be happy to collaborate
with you on making it the best
presentation of material possible.

My contact information is on this
page. I look forward to hearing from
you.

Welcome new members!
December 2018
Luke Schaedle
Benton, ME
James Spangler
Langhorne, PA
Marvin & Susie Tuchklaper
Plantation, FL
Sponsor: Joel Jancko
Paul Lindsay
Guyton, GA
Sponsor: Frank McDonald
January 2019
Kara Kovalev Michael & Debbie Falco
Columbus, NJ Shirley, NY
Keith Olesen Elaine & James Napoda
Anaheim, CA Williamsburg, VA
Jack & Robert Flanigan Ronald Strojny
New York, NY LaGrange Park, IL
Larry & Laura Lupo Frank Blondale
The Villages, FL Troy, MI
Thomas Bera
Mauston, WI

March/April 2019 MECHANICAL MUSIC 7

Nickel Notes

By Matthew Jaro

This is an age when companies
frequently split by spinning off one
of their units into a new and separate
company. Companies also own other
companies that may seem to compete
with the owning company. Key
employees may quit a company and
start their own business, taking experience
and technology with them. Wait
a minute! Is this new? Ð It happened
in the golden age of the nickelodeon.
The creation of the Nelson-Wiggen
Company and the Western Electric
Piano Company are of specific interest
to collectors. This edition of Nickel
Notes presents Ð

The Seeburg Spin-off Saga

Jan. 4, 1906 (Presto)

The Presto trade journal reports
that the Marquette Piano Co., Chicago,
IL, was incorporated with a capital of
$50,000 with Justus P. Seeburg as the
organizer. J.P. Seeburg had a thriving
business making piano actions (the
Kurtz-Seeburg Action Company in
Rockford, IL). Marquette was organized
in 1905.

Aug. 29, 1907 (Presto)

NEW COIN-OPERATED
ELECTRIC ÒCREMONAÓ PIANO

Latest Production of the Marquette
Piano Co. of Chicago Attracts
Attention Because of Its Novelty and
Self-Evident Durability.

J. P. Seeburg, superintendent and
general manager of the Marquette
Piano Company, 415-417 West
Fifteenth Street, near Blue Island
Avenue, Chicago, is highly gratified
with the success his company has
achieved in the manufacture of a
new electric player pianoÑa new
The Marquette Piano Co. factory in Chicago, IL.

departure from every previous style
of coin-operated player known. None
of the mechanism is exposed in this
new instrument, which has been
named the ÒCremona.Ó

From this you can see that J.P.
Seeburg starts making Cremona
nickelodeons. This is important to the
history of the Western Electric Piano
Co.

Sept. 26, 1907 (Presto)

J.P. wastes no time — He forms the
J.P. Seeburg Piano Company with the
express purpose of marketing the
Cremona Electric Piano. H.W. Austin
provides the capital. Seeburg continues
as general manager of Marquette
(Cremona).

Feb. 6, 1908 (Presto)

J.P. Seeburg resigns from the Marquette
Piano Company.
Dec. 3, 1908 (Presto)

J.P. Seeburg announces that the J.P.
Seeburg Piano Company will handle
lines of other makers than Marquette.
Oct. 21, 1909 (Presto)

The J.P. Seeburg Company opens a

8 MECHANICAL MUSIC March/April 2019

Inside the Marquette Piano Co. factory.

Cremona from the Smythe collection.
Note original clear beveled window in
bottom board, likely intended for an
exposition.

factory to make their own machines.

ÒWe have not chosen a name for our
player piano,Ó said Mr. Seeburg to a
Presto representative Monday, Òbut
will probably call it the J. P. Seeburg
player piano. I am not very fond of
the names ending in ÔolaÕ because so
many of them sound alike, confusing
the buyer. ÒThe factory is running. We
put in some machinery last week and
are installing more machinery this
week. Oscar Nelson and P. Wiggen
are in charge of the factory, which is
on Clybourn Avenue near Division
Street. Our coin-operated electric
pianos are well known and our player
pianos will soon have a very wide
sale.Ó

Oscar Nelson and Peter Wiggen
would form the Nelson-Wiggen

company years later, but now they are
really in charge of things for Seeburg.

Oct. 25, 1911 (Music Trade Review)

Mr. Seeburg, himself a practical
action, piano and player manufacturer,
is extremely exacting as to the
quality of his product, and his watchword
is that of constant improvement
and advancement. He has had able
lieutenants in the development of the
Seeburg coin-controlled piano.

Oscar Nelson, superintendent of the
Seeburg factory, and Peter Wiggen,
the assistant superintendent, are both
young men in point of years, but old
in practical experience. Mr. Nelson
was for years connected with large
western factories, and for several
years prior to going with the Seeburg
Co. at the inception of its business
had specialized on player and electric
piano construction. Mr. Wiggen, like
many player experts, gained his fundamental
knowledge of pneumatics

March/April 2019 MECHANICAL MUSIC 9

in the building of pipe organs, and
from this graduated into the field of
player construction some years ago.
These men, working in conjunction
with Mr. Seeburg, are continually
developing additional improvements
and devices, and the records of the
United States Patent Office furnish
constant evidence of the creative work
being done in the Seeburg factory.

Did Mr. Seeburg realize he had
future competitors in his midst?

Dec. 12, 1914 (Music Trade Review)

Oscar Nelson and P. Wiggen are
practical pneumatic and mechanical
experts of long experience, and have
from the first worked in co-operation
with Mr. Seeburg in the creation of
the Seeburg instruments and in the
perfecting of the factory equipment
and organization. They are both
financially interested in the company.

Aug. 24, 1918 (Music Trade Review)

Oscar Nelson in Hospital

Oscar Nelson, superintendent of the

J. P. Seeburg Piano Co.Õs factory, was
operated upon for appendicitis on
Wednesday of last week in the Columbus
Hospital of this city. For a time
Mr. NelsonÕs condition was serious,
but owing to the excellent work of the
attending surgeons he was brought
through the crisis in an excellent
manner and is now on the road to
rapid recovery. It is not expected that
Mr. Nelson will be able to resume his
duties as factory superintendent at
the Seeburg plant for at least a month.
Jun. 5, 1919 (Presto)

Now things start moving pretty fast.
The headline is

J. P. SEEBURG CO.
CHANGES OWNERS
Sale of the Industry Which Has
Grown to Large Proportions in Chicago
in Phenomenally Short Time, Is
One of the WeekÕs Interesting Items.

J. P. Seeburg Piano Company has
bought out the Seeburg interests in
that concern, whose well known and
prosperous factory is at 413-419 West
Erie Street, Chicago. In other words, J.

P. Seeburg has sold out. It is his intention
to devote his time and talents to
manufacturing pianos, including
the Marshall piano, as Presto said
in a recent issue. The purchasers of
the Seeburg interests in the Seeburg
Piano Co. are H. W. Austin, who has
been elected secretary and treasurer;
Henry Hogans is the new president;
O. Nelson, the former superintendent,
who is the vice-president and general
manager, and Peter Wiggen, who is
the superintendent.

The New Owners.

Mr. Wiggen and Mr. Nelson take
two-thirds of the stock, and the rest is
to be held in the treasury temporarily.
The four gentlemen mentioned are
the stockholders. Mr. Nelson, who
has succeeded Mr. Seeburg to the
active management, when seen this
(Thursday) morning at his office by
a Presto representative, said: ÒWe
will continue making the lines of

10 MECHANICAL MUSIC March/April 2019

J.P. Seeburg
goods that the Seeburg Company has
been manufacturing. There will be
no change, but we will continue the
business and work it up to the highest
efficiency.Ó

Mr. Hogans is not going to be
actively engaged in the conduct of the
business. As Mr. SeeburgÕs successor,
Mr. Nelson brings into the office
familiarity with all the details of
Seeburg manufacture, having been
formerly superintendent of the factory.
He knows all the economies; he
will take care of the customers in the
right way. He has been connected with
the concern since it was organized.
It was Mr. Wiggen and Mr. Nelson,
who originated the Seeburg automatic-
devices on which the patents were
secured that have proved such great
successes for the house.

Mr. SeeburgÕs New Industry.

Several weeks ago it was announced
that Mr. Seeburg had organized a
new company, to be known as the
Marshall Piano Company, for the
purpose of manufacturing player
pianos. It was then known to this
paper that the change here referred
to was in contemplation. In fact, Mr.
Seeburg actually made an offer for
the ÒEverettÓ piano with a view to
manufacturing that instrumentÑbut
meantime the Everett had been withdrawn
as a possible purchase. Later
it was announced that the new enterprise
would be conducted by Marshall
Seeburg, son of the well-known

Chicago manufacturer. It now seems
that the purpose was, as Mr. Seeburg
has since said, to procure a going
business for his son, who recently
returned from overseas. There is, of
course, no connection between the J.P.
Seeburg Piano Company and the new
Marshall Piano Company.

Dear reader, do you really believe
there is no connection? Ð Read on.

Jan. 15, 1920 (Presto)

Nelson is still an officer of the See-
burg Co. into 1920:

THE SEEBURG EXHIBIT.

The Seeburg style X will be especially
featured by the J. P. Seeburg
Piano Co., Chicago, at the Bush Terminal
Building, New York, during the
week of the annual conventions of the
music trade organizations. The display,
which will be made particularly
attractive to dealers, will be in charge
of Oscar Nelson, vice-president and
general manager of the company.
Other officials will also attend.

Jun. 19, 1920 (Presto)
Oscar Nelson is general manager
of the J.P. Seeburg Piano Company
and Walter Hogans (HenryÕs son) is
wholesale sales manager. Walter is in
charge when Oscar is on vacation.

Aug. 7, 1920 (Presto)

Guess what? — J.P. Seeburg buys
back his own company.

MERGER OF THE TWO
SEEBURG INDUSTRIES

J. P. Seeburg Piano Co. and Marshall
Piano Co. Combined Under Control of
the Founder of Both Industries.
The combination of the J. P.
Seeburg Piano Co. and the Marshall
Piano Co., which has been generally
talked about for three weeks past, has
been consummated. Mr. Seeburg, who
established both of the industries, will
head the coalition, and the new Marshall
instruments will be continued.
The chief activity of the industry will
be the production of electric pianos.
Mr. Seeburg has made a record as a
successful manufacturer and there
can be no question of the still greater

progress of the combined industry.
The officers of the company will be: J.

P. Seeburg, president; Walter Hogans,
secretary, and N. Marshall Seeburg,
secretary.
Now J.P. has a piano company so he
wonÕt have to buy pianos from Gram,
Hadoroff or Seybold anymore for the
Seeburg machines and he has control
of his old company back. Notice that
Walter Hogans is now secretary of the
company. This is probably a misprint
since Henry Hogans is listed as Secretary
in other 1921 articles. But what
happened to Oscar Nelson and Peter
Wiggen? Was there an argument? Did
these guys take the opportunity to
cash out?

Jan. 8, 1921 (Presto)

O. NELSONÕS NEW
ENTERPRISE.
A new repair and player piano
rebuilding industry has been
established by O. Nelson, for a time
president of the J. P. Seeburg Piano
Co. Mr. Nelson is an expert player
man whose experience perfectly
fits him for the undertaking he has
assumed. His place of business is at
208 Sigel Street, Chicago. It seems
almost unfortunate, however, that
Mr. Nelson has chosen a name for
his enterprise which has long been
in use by a Boston company. It is the
National Piano Company. Mr. Nelson
is already doing a good business in
the repairing line.

Nelson is definitely out of the See-
burg Piano Company.

Feb. 5, 1921 (Music Trades)

Numatone Mfg. Co. Launched

CHICAGO, Feb. 2.-The Numatone
Mfg. Co. has been incorporated
under Illinois laws with a capital
of $100,000 to manufacture the
Numatone, an electric motor and
reproducer for player-pianos. The
factory will be in Cincinnati and the
executive offices and salesrooms on
the fifth floor of the Republic Building,
Chicago. Oscar Nelson, former
vice-president and manager of the J.

March/April 2019 MECHANICAL MUSIC 11

Oscar Nelson

P. Seeburg Piano Co., and P. Wiggens,
former superintendent of the Seeburg
factory, will have charge of the manufacturing
end.
Notice that the player piano repair
business did not last very long. By
May, Nelson moves to Cincinnati,
because of a takeover involving Numatone
(Smith and Nixon Corp.).

Feb. 11, 1922 (Music Trade Review)

Oscar Nelson Resigns

Oscar Nelson has resigned as
superintendent of the factory of the
Smith & Nixon Corp. He has not yet
announced his plans for the future,
Mr. Nelson is one of the best-known
factory men in the West and has
experience in all lines of piano manufacture,
although he specialized for
a number of years in the production
of coin controlled instruments.

Jul. 8, 1922 (Music Trade Review)

Now Oscar Nelson makes his big
move —

ENTER COIN-OPERATED
FIELD

Nelson-Wiggins Piano Co. Orga

nized With Manufacturing Plant in

Chicago

CHICAGO, III., July 5.ÑOscar

Nelson and P. Wiggins, well-known

manufacturers in the automatic

instrument field here, have organized
the Nelson-Wiggins Piano Co., and
will manufacture coin-operated pianos
and orchestrions in a factory at
224 North Sheldon street, which they
occupied on July 1.

Notice that the name ÒWiggenÓ was
spelled as ÒWigginsÓ. Old man Seeburg
must be throwing a fit now that his old
managers have betrayed him.

Jul. 29, 1922 (Music Trade Review)

This photo of Oscar Nelson and Peder
Wiggen appeared in the Music Trade
Review on July 22, 1922.

Nov. 18, 1922 (Music Trade Review)

Nelson-Wiggen Now Shipping

The Nelson-Wiggen Piano Co., after
preparations lasting for some months,
have made their first shipment of
automatic instruments. Before many
more weeks have passed they hope to
be running on schedule time. So far
they have announced three models of
coin-operated instruments, namely,
the Piano Grand, the Harp-O-Grand
and the Dance-O-Grand.

The Piano Grand is their Style
No. 1 and the instrument upon
which they have earliest attained
production. It is a piano and mandolin
combination. Speaking of this
instrument President Oscar Nelson
says: ÒIt is offered to the public for the
reason that there are many keepers
of small restaurants and ice cream
parlors who are not in the market
for large coin-operated instruments
because these take up too much room,
but, nevertheless, are ready for a
small- instrument, incorporating a
quality as high as that of the larger
instrument.

ÒWe have combined all the quality
that can be put in the large size piano
in this Piano Grand and can assure
those who use it of maximum musical
results in a minimum of space.
ÒThis piano is finished in very attractive
veneer of two distinctly different
kinds. Probably the Nelson-Wiggen
Piano Co. is one of the first to incorporate
two-tone veneer effect in a piano,
although this has long been practiced
with certain of the well-known furniture
manufacturers.Ó

Nov. 3, 1923 (Music Trade Review)

Excellent Results During
First Year

The Nelson-Wiggen Piano Co. has
every reason to be satisfied with the
result of twelve months on the market,
as Mr. Oscar Nelson, president of
the company, remarked the other
day. The company is selling all it
can make and the output is being
steadily increased. This output is
really remarkable, considering the
short time the company has been in
existence, and could not have been
accomplished had it not been for the
wide experience and acquaintance in
the trade of the members of the house.
One of the minor, but really quite
important, features of the product
is the new banjo attachment, which
gets a very realistic effect. It is the
joint invention of Messrs. Nelson and
Wiggen and has been duly patented.

Aug. 15, 1925 (Music Trades)
One of the most well-known

machines from Nelson-Wiggen was

the Style 4-X. Here is its debut:

NEW NELSON-WIGGEN
ORCHESTRA INSTRUMENT
MAKES ITS DEBUT

Style Just Placed on Market
Contains Piano, Banjo Attachment,
Xylophone, Snare Drum and Triangle-:-
Available in Four Finishes

CHICAGO, Aug. 11.-The
Nelson-Wiggen Piano Co. here, manufacturer
of automatic pianos and
home player-pianos, has just placed
on the market a new Nelson-Wiggen
Orchestra, known as Style 4 X. It
contains a piano, banjo attachment,

12 MECHANICAL MUSIC March/April 2019

xylophone, snare drum and triangle
and is put out in beautiful mahogany,
walnut, mission oak or silver gray
oak to fit the more exacting needs of
better class places of amusement and
stores.

The new orchestra is sixty-two
inches in height, forty-six inches in
width and twenty-three inches in
depth. It is so compact that it will fit
into almost any convenient corner.

While the Style 4 X was only recently
announced to the trade, Oscar Nelson,
president of the Nelson-Wiggen Piano
Co., reports much interest among

dealers. Especially is interest being
shown in the various finishes which
make the instrument adaptable to
any surroundings.

A small special two-page catalog
telling about the various features
of the new instrument is being sent
dealers.

May 15, 1929 (Presto)

A NELSON-WIGGEN ITEM.

It is announced that the Nel

son-Wiggen Piano Co., manufacturers

of automatic pianos and organs, will

move their factory and headquarters
to Rockford, Ill., and become more
closely associated with the Haddorff
Piano Co. of that city. This evidently
signifies that the Nelson-Wiggen line
of automatic pianos will be entirely
produced at the Haddorff factory.

Early 1930
The Nelson-Wiggen Piano Co.

ceases its business activities. I havenÕt

been able to determine the exact date

because the trade journals generally

didnÕt report bad news for the industry.
What ever happened to Henry and

Walter Hogans, the officers of the

original Seeburg Piano Company?

Oct. 22, 1921 (Music Trade Review)

Smith Unit Organ Co.
Incorporates

The Smith Unit Organ Co., of
Chicago, has been incorporated with
a capital stock of $100,000 and factory
at Ô415-419 W. Erie Street. The
officers are Henry Hogans, president;

F. W. Smith, vice-president; Walter J.
Hogans, secretary and treasurer. The
company will manufacture the Smith
Unit organ.
Later, the company is renamed to

the Geneva Organ Company after

moving to Geneva, Illinois.

Dec. 8, 1928 (Music Trade Review)

Henry Hogans, President

Geneva Organ Co., Dies

GENEVA, III., December 5.ÑHenry
Hogans, president of the Geneva
Organ Co. and one of the leading
members of the organ industry,
passed away at his home here. Mr.
Hogans was sixty-nine years old
and has long been identified with
the organ business. In addition to
his widow and three daughters he
is survived by three sons, who are
Charles, Walter and Harry. His sons
are associated with the Geneva Organ
Co., having been carefully trained in
pipe-organ building by their father,
who was a master craftsman. They
hold important executive positions
in the business and will carry on the
affairs of the company.

March/April 2019 MECHANICAL MUSIC 13

Notice that there is no mention
of their involvement in the Seeburg
enterprises. Was this a period that
they would rather forget?

The story of the Western Electric
Piano Company is another story and
best left for another time, but J.P.
SeeburgÕs involvement with Marquette
(Cremona) played a large part.

I wish to acknowledge the assistance
of Art Reblitz with this article.

As always, emails are always welcome.
My email address is mjaro@
verizon.net

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 Automatic Musical
Instrument CollectorsÕ Association
(AMICA). Originally printed in the January/
February 2013 issue of The AMICA
Bulletin.

The Music Box Makers, The History of the Music Box in Ste. Croix

Jean-Claude PiguetÕs compilation of two separate works chronicles the development of the musical
box industry in the Saint-Croix region of Switzerland. Beginning in the early 1800s before mass
communication and electricity were common and continuing through to the age of assembly lines,
this fascinating story describes the erratic fortunes of the people who were involved, their companies,
and the social and economic climate they endured. An outstanding and important work,
originally in French, now in English. Original Price: $77.50

SPECIAL: $10 PPD U.S.A.

The Golden Anniversary Book

A pictorial and editorial walk through 50 years of
MBSI. This is a 240 page hardcover treasure of
over 800 photos and 58,000 words. It is a must for
every member, new and old, of MBSI.
Original Price: $35.00

SPECIAL: $10 PPD U.S.A.

MBSI Pins

Proudly wearing your MBSI Pin shows your
membership in the society and will encourage
conversation about mechanical music.

$5 PPD U.S.A.

Order Online at
www.mbsi.org
Or send your order to: Administrator, P.O.
Box 10196, Springeld, MO 65808-0196
All prices here include U.S. Media Mail postage. Make
checks payable to MBSI, or Musical Box Society
International
Additional shipping charges for 1st class U.S. or airmail
foreign shipments are shown on the checkout page.
For other shipping options or quantity pricing, please
email info2008@mbsi.org.
Prices subject to change.
14 MECHANICAL MUSIC March/April 2019

The Hunt
Column Graphic by Mary Clegg
By Charles Levy
Photos courtesy Charles Levy
The Hunt
Column Graphic by Mary Clegg
By Charles Levy
Photos courtesy Charles Levy
As a lover and collector of musical
automata, I am always looking for an
opportunity to add to my collection
and to observe interesting automata
owned by other collectors or ones
available for view in museums.

A number of years ago, just prior to
a planned trip to France, I read Mary
HilyerÕs book entitled ÒAntique Toys
and AutomataÓ and was interested
to learn of the existence of a couple,
Messr. and Madame Farkas who lived
in a village near Brittany in France.
The FarkasÕ had, before their retirement,
manufactured small musical
automata that they distributed and
sold primarily in France. The items
were very popular.

On an impulse, and still a few days
before my wife Lydia, and I were
scheduled to depart for France,
I decided to write to Messr. and
Madame Farkas. I did not know their
street address but simply addressed
the envelope to them at the village in
which they were reported to live.

When I arrived at my hotel in France,
I was surprised to find a letter, written
in French, awaiting me. The hotel
concierge obliged and translated. It
was an invitation from the Farkas to
visit their home in Brittany.

Since my wife and I planned to
travel to Normandy to tour the World
War II invasion beaches, it was easy
to route the trip through Brittany.
When we talked about it, my wife suggested
we not accept the invitation,

pointing out that we were on a very
tight schedule. She felt that the stop
Òcould take all morning.Ó I, however,
was very excited about meeting
Messr. and Madame Farkas
and assured her that the
time spent would not be Òall
morning.Ó

Indeed, it was
morning; it was all day and
we look back upon it now
as one of the most pleasant,
delightful and memorable
days we spent.

As planned,
I reached the
square early in the morning,
Messr. Farkas was
waiting for me in his
previously described
automobile
wearing the blue
beret that the
invitation had
stated he would be wearing.
When I signaled to
him, he immediately
knew who I was
and indicated
for me to follow
him, which
we did.

Fortunately
for all of us,
Messr. and
Madame
Farkas had
a next-door

not all
when
village
and a
neighbor, a gentleman who was literate
in both English and French, and
served as an excellent interpreter.
The interpreter and his wife lived in
a most interesting home, a low
slung, stone house, set at the
immediate side of the ocean,
which at an earlier time had

served as a facility at which oysters
were shucked.

Messr. and Madame Farkas
had the most interesting of
homes. It was actually a home
museum together. On
the first floor the museum
consisted, primarily, of toys
of Marie AntoinetteÕs children.
A lovely, quaint and
comfortable living quarters
occupied the second floor.
Lydia and I spent a great
deal of time observing
and playing with the toys
that, before their motherÕs
head was removed
from her royal body,
had entertained Marie

AntoinetteÕs children.
While touring the

An example of one
of the automata
produced by Messr.
Farkas that is now
proudly in the Levy
collection.

March/April 2019 MECHANICAL MUSIC 15

museum, and to show what a great
history buff I was, I stated that ÒI
remember Marie Antoinette Ð it was
she who said Òlet them eat cake.Ó

Messr. Farkas reacted visibly and
negatively when the interpreter
translated for him. He claimed that I
Òchanged history.Ó When he saw how
puzzled I looked, he explained that
Marie Antoinette had not said Òlet
them eat cakeÓ but instead Messr.
Farkas claims she had stated Òlet them
eat brioche.Ó

The remainder of the day was
spent touring the local area enjoying
both lunch and dinner at which the
Farkases explained, through the interpreter,
that they had spent many years
making small musical automata and
were now retired from the business.
They had one or two of the automata
they had produced available for
viewing.

I was intrigued. I asked the Farkases
the total different styles of automata
they had manufactured and the
response was 16. I asked if they would
be able to manufacture all 16 for me
so that I could purchase them.

They were quite surprised and
pleased. However, they said they
had retired and did not want to go
back into the business. After a bit of
coaxing, Messr. Farkas said that he
felt that, from time to time, it would
interest him to again make an automata
and as he did, he would sell them
to me.

At that time, pre-Euro, the franc was
at the astronomical high of 91/2 francs
to the United States dollar. Since the
rate was favorable to me, I feared the
opportunity would fade and asked
Messr. Farkas if I could pay him, that
day, for all 16 automata I hoped he
would manufacture. He insisted he did
not want to undertake that much of a
commitment and he declined my offer
to prepay.

Over the years, we received communications
from the Farkases that they
had manufactured an automata or
two for us. Lydia and I were then frequently
visiting Europe and we would
schedule a stop in Paris. Messr. and
Madame Farkas or, on one occasion,
Messr. Farkas alone, would journey to
Paris. We would have a very pleasant

A second example of a Farkas-made automatons in the Levy collection.

More examples of the wonderful craftsmanship of the Farkases.

16 MECHANICAL MUSIC March/April 2019

A third Farkas-made automaton in the Levy collection.

The automata on the upper left and lower right in this image
were both made by the Farkases.

Intricate details and vibrant colors show the skill and careful
attention paid to these works by the Farkases.

lunch. He would present the automata
or two he had manufactured and I
would, of course, pay him.

Approaching the mid-1990s, when
Malibu, CA, was afflicted with fires
and then mudslides, we received a
letter from the Farkases inquiring as
to whether we had avoided these two
tragedies of nature or whether we had
been included in them. I was able to

respond that we had not been affected
by either the fires or mudslides but
that, unfortunately, our Santa Monica
home had been destroyed in the
January 1994 Northridge earthquake.
They responded with a very kind
letter expressing their sympathies and
wishing us well.

Not long after that, I was advised
that the Farkases had passed away

and their collection had been sold
at auction that I had known nothing
about.

Although I have gone on to collect
much larger and more important
automata, I still retain the automata
we purchased from the Farkas in our
collection and they always bring back
fond memories when I look at them
and play them for our guests.

March/April 2019 MECHANICAL MUSIC 17

Interesting Tidbits

William H. Edgerton, Mechanical
Music Library International librarian,
wrote in recently to report a donation
by Dave Bowers of two original
tune sheets for a Mermod Sublime
Harmonie-Piccolo cylinder box that
are in good condition and ready to
be Òre-homedÓ to someone that has a
cylinder box that plays the tunes.

The tune sheets measure 11-inches

wide by 71/4-inches high and they have
no holes, so they were never applied
to a lid. The first has a serial number
of 118478 and the second is serial
number 118479. Both sheets have six
airs, 36 lignes and 25 pouces at the top.

The first program is ÒLohengrin,
Invitation to the Dance.Ó It is hard to
read, but it appears to be ÒLoin du Bal,
Mignon,Ó and ÒSerenadeÓ of Schubert.

The second is ÒKunztler Leben,Ó
ÒCloches de Corneville,Ó ÒCarmen,Ó
ÒEstudiantina,Ó ÒDonauwellen,Ó and
ÒLes ???eaux.Ó

The tune sheets will be provided at
no charge, postage paid to the right
person.

Contact William at (203) 857-0240 or
by email at wedgerton@aol.com.

An E. Karrer-Hoffmann Musical Box

Story and Photos By Robin Biggins

I recently had an opportunity to
restore an unusual musical box, and
I thought it interesting enough to
document some of its features, since
machines of this make are quite rare.

In 1999 a comprehensive article
about this maker was submitted by
David Snelling (now deceased) to the
Musical Box Society of Great Britain
(MBSGB). It was published in two
parts: The Music Box volume 19-1-10
and The Music Box volume 19-2-36. In
order to avoid repeating all the information
David discovered and archived
via the MBSGB, I will just point out
some of the more interesting features
of this box.

There seems to have been some

family deviousness during the early
days of the manufacturing of Karrer
musical boxes. Rudolph Karrer married
Elise Hoffmann in 1868 and they
branched out with their own company
in 1880.

English Provisional Patent No. 3241
of Aug. 7, 1880 states that the inventor
was E.K. Hoffmann, whereas United
States Patent No. 241,373 was issued
on May 10, 1881 and lists the inventor
as Rudolph Karrer. So that is how
the E. Karrer-Hoffmann brand came
about. The basic provision of the
patents is the concentric direct spring
drive of the cylinder by a weaker than
normal spring mounted on the left
hand end of the machine, and wound
by a lever connected to a large gear
to increase the rotational moment.

The winding gear is clearly stamped
with ÒE. Karrer-Hoffmann, Teufenthal,
Suisse.Ó There is a female Geneva
stop-work mounted on the spring
barrel that limits 12 revolutions of the
mainspring barrel.

This machine is serial number 6433,
which is earlier than any of the eight
attributed machines discovered by
David Snelling, and the date is probably
1881. The cylinder is 20.5 centimeters
by 6.5 centimeters diameter, which is
a bit larger than Ònormal.Ó It plays six
tunes and has six engraved bells (all
with different patterns). The bells are
struck by beautifully decorated bees.
The accompanying photos show the
features. The tune sheet is similar to
number 202 in the MBSGB Tune Sheet
book.

March/April 2019 MECHANICAL MUSIC 19

The
Resurrection
of Lazarus

Also known as the restoration of
Loesche Flute and Violin Solo
Piano serial number 2753

Story and Photos By
Thomas Kuehn

This is the story of how an instrument that was dead,
really beyond dead, was resurrected and now functions,
looks, and sounds much like it did when new.

Not much is known about this instrumentÕs early history.
It was constructed in the shop of Paul Loesche in Leipzig,
Germany, most likely in the early to mid 1920s. It is a later
design than many existing Loesche instruments in that
it has a relatively simple two-tier stack for playing the
piano and a separate vacuum control box mounted above
the pump just below the keybed. The piano plate is not
marked PL for Paul Loesche as in many instruments but is
attributed to Gerbstaedt.

In addition to the piano with mandolin rail, this instrument
contained three ranks of pipes imitating a violin, flute
and clarinet. This piano was most likely used somewhere
in Belgium as it survived the ravishes of World War II and
may have been kept alive by playing music rolls manufactured
in Belgium after the German factory ceased roll
production.

Eventually, the instrument was imported to the U.S.
and given a second life by converting it to play American
G-rolls. The conversion included removing the entire
spoolbox shelf and all its components, except the mandolin
rail pneumatic, and replacing it with two pieces of angle
iron that supported a G-roll spool frame. An electric motor
replaced the original air motor to drive the roll frame. Bass
and snare drums were added as were an instrument cluster

that contained a triangle, tambourine, wood block and
castanets. The owner was someone named Moore. Then,
sometime after the conversion to G-rolls, the machine
went through a fire. The heat was most intense in the
upper right-hand side based on the damage observed on
the surviving pipework. Of course, the water used to douse
the fire caused additional damage.

Galen Bird purchased the remains at an auction in Tulsa,
OK. Having faith that it could be restored, he had Loun M.
Crawford of Clay Center, KS, install new sides for the case,
and fabricate a replica top, front and rear panels, and an
upper front assembly with blanks roughed out for some
of the carvings but no mirrors or lamps. Galen also began
the construction of a replica three-rank pipe chest, had a
replacement set of flute pipes made and began to acquire
other necessary missing components. Eventually, Galen
and Linda decided to move to the St. Louis, MO, vicinity
from their home near Kansas City, KS, and were willing to
sell the instrument along with two other partially-restored
Loesche pianos and miscellaneous Loesche parts and rolls
in a package deal.

This is where your author joined the story by purchasing
the three Loesche pianos and parts with the ultimate intent
of completing the restoration of all three. The one that
had been in the fire was quite a sight. Some might have
seen it as a Òdiamond in the roughÓ while others would
simply see a Òpiece of junk.Ó I was definitely in the Òdiamond
in the roughÓ group. As a mechanical engineer with
an inquisitive mind who likes to take on challenges, this
seemed to me to be an intriguing challenge. As every part
of the piano needed attention I had no reservations about
taking everything apart and starting over. In fact, some of
the disassembly work had already been done by the fire,
some components had literally fallen apart which resulted
in some pieces being identified as missing. Other parts
required more persuasion to disassemble as their screws
had rusted in place.

The good news was that most of the major components
had survived the fire and been retained albeit with significant
damage. These included the entire piano, electric
motor, pump and vacuum control box under the keybed,
the piano playing stack, the upper valve chest with the lock
and cancel and tremolo mechanisms, the electric switch
panel, all the clarinet pipes, some of the flute and violin
pipes, and various small parts. Figure 1 shows the pump
assembly as received in the bottom of the case. The main
components missing were the spoolbox shelf and its components
including the spoolbox itself, the pipe chest and
many pipes. All the original lead tubing was gone and had
been replaced with rubber tubing. Also missing were most
of the vacuum and pressure connecting conduits. The fire
had occurred many years prior to the purchase so no burnt
smell was evident.

The first task was to remove the pump assembly and clean
out the debris in the bottom of the case while identifying
and salvaging useful parts. A photo taken after the pump
had been removed is shown in Figure 2. Bits of charred
interior components and ash covered the bottom of the

Figure 1: The pump assembly as received in the bottom of the
case.

Figure 2: Instrument undergoing disassembly and cleaning.

case. Other components were also removed and carefully
photographed before any disassembly. The piano keys,
action, strings and soundboard were nearly all accounted
for with the exception of a few dampers and one extension
mounted on the rear of the keys. My thought going forward
was, if the piano can be restored, the rest of it should be
restorable also.

March/April 2019 MECHANICAL MUSIC 21

Figure 3: Piano and case ready to send to piano restorer.

Fortunately, most of the components
retained their original, factory
parts such as pouches, valves, leather
and cloth so it could be seen how the
instrument had been constructed,
although everything was in sad condition.
Not much had been changed
except the replacement of the components
on the spoolbox shelf and the
addition of the percussion.

To complete the front of the case,
the beveled mirrors and carvings
were needed. Gene Buck, who
operates a small wood carving shop
near Eau Claire, WI, was approached
about carving the roughed-out wood
blanks provided by Mr. Crawford that
included the dagger and shield molding
around the top, the top of the front
posts, and some other small sections.
Additional carvings were needed

around the oval mirrors and installed
on various locations on the front. One
original carving was on hand for most
of what was needed but not for the
top gallery. Dean Junker had restored
a nearly identical instrument for the
Music House Museum in Acme, MI,
and kindly sent closeup photos of the
carving needed on top. Ricky Diggs in
California was contracted to provide
these missing carvings. All carvings
were made using white oak. White
Bear Glass was given the task of
providing a new set of beveled glass
mirrors for the front.

The main case and piano was
stripped of all player components as
shown in Figure 3 and sent to AckermanÕs
Piano in Burnsville, MN. They
have experience with restoration of
pianos that have survived fires so

this piano was not an entirely new
experience for them. They completely
disassembled the piano and case and
began to work from the ground up.
The piano soundboard was badly
damaged so they had an entirely new
soundboard fabricated with the correct
ribs and bridges. The plate was
cleaned and regilded and a new pin-
block installed. The only original parts
retained on the harp were the plate
and the beams on the back. Most of
the action parts were replaced except
for the mounting brackets and some
of the rails. The keys were cleaned
up with new keytops added and the
bushings replaced.

As the case needed to be stained and
finished, two matching roll storage
cabinets were designed and built, one
for each side, and finished to match.

22 MECHANICAL MUSIC March/April 2019

Figure 4: Completed piano and case.

March/April 2019 MECHANICAL MUSIC 23

Figure 5: Pipe chest parts.

The shelves were designed to be
removable and could be inverted, one
side flat for rolls in boxes, the other
had wooden ribs that supported rolls
on spools.

The completed carvings were
supplied to AckermanÕs before the
staining began so they could be
attached and finished along with the
rest of the case. The mirrors were
added later using similar techniques
as in the original instrument with
cardboard and thin wood panels covering
the rear side. The only remaining
item needed on the exterior was the
hanging lamps. Some original lamps
were purchased in Germany, cleaned
up, rewired and installed with some
old glass beaded fringe.

This completed the restoration
of the piano and the exterior of the
case as shown in Figure 4 (previous
page). The piano could now be played
manually as a very large, fancy upright
but the ultimate goal was to bring it
back to its original automatic playing
condition.

As the pipe chest had disappeared,
a replica began by Galen was completed.
Fortunately, an unrestored

Figure 6: Bottom of completed pipe chest.

original three-rank chest from an early parts necessary and Figure 6 is a view
Loesche orchestrion was on hand in of the underside of the completed
the shop from another instrument chest showing how three valves, one
that was used to help determine the for each rank of pipes, are controlled
details. Figure 5 shows some of the by a single pneumatic using a wooden

24 MECHANICAL MUSIC March/April 2019

Figure 7 (above): Air motor parts. Figure 8 (below): Completed replacement air
motors.

connecting arm. By eliminating false
motion and minimizing the travel of
these components, very fast repetition
could be achieved.

A set of old violin pipes from an
unknown orchestrion was purchased
from Germany. They were in good
condition but needed some cleaning
up by sanding and refinishing the
exterior and polishing the freins and
tuning slides. A regulating screw was

added to the foot of each similar to
those used in the original Loesche
pipes which facilitated regulation.
Regulating screws are not present
on the pipes of most German orchestrions
but make regulation a very
simple task. The rank of replica flute
pipes included in the initial purchase
of the instrument had regulating
screws already installed by the pipe
manufacturer. The clarinet pipes will

be discussed later.

A fortunate event occurred that
helped to complete the missing
parts. Loesche Flute and Violin Solo
Piano, serial number 2744, became
available for purchase. This is nearly
a twin to the one being restored as
they are nearly identical internally
and the serial numbers are very
close. Although this instrument also
needed significant restoration work
and had been largely disassembled,
it contained nearly everything that
serial number 2753 lacked. So, the
decision was made to purchase the
other instrument as well and complete
both. This benefited both instruments
as, for example, 2753 had all original
valves whereas those in 2744 had been
replaced with American player piano
valves and pouches. The key cover
with the brass inlay was missing from
2744 but 2753 had the original cover
and inlay as shown in Figure 3.

The main advantage of having
2744 on hand was that it had the
original spool box shelf with all the
components except the air motor.
Fortunately, an original Loesche spool
box was located and purchased in Germany.
Although it had been installed
on a different style instrument, without
pipes, it could readily be modified.
However, it was missing the tracker
bar assembly so Ralph Schultz was
asked to fabricate a replica tracker bar
for it by copying the one from Loesche
2744. This was quite a challenge but
he was successful and also fabricated
several steel parts that were missing
by copying originals from the other
machine. The remaining missing components
were made by copying the
ones on Loesche 2744 and included
the damper and hammer rail pneumatics,
the manual rewind and stop
assemblies mounted on the left side
of the spool box, and the air motor
speed governor. Neither machine had
an original air motor as both had been
converted to operate using an electric
motor. An original Loesche air motor
from one of the other instruments
purchased from Galen was used as a
model and two replicas were made,
one for 2744 and one for 2753. Figures
7 and 8 were taken as the new air
motors were being built.

March/April 2019 MECHANICAL MUSIC 25

Figure 9: Exploded view of piano stack.

Now the stack assembly could be
completed by restoring the original
two-tier stack and adding the new
spoolbox shelf on top. Replacing the
pillow pouches, rebuilding the valves
and recovering the pneumatics was
relatively straightforward. Figure 9
shows most of the components of the
stack in an exploded view. Only one
of the two tiers is shown so perhaps
three quarters of the total number of
parts are shown in this photo. I had
never seen a photo of a piano stack
disassembled like this, but a typical
player piano has approximately the
same number of parts and complexity,
so I knew it would take a significant
amount of time and labor cost to
restore.

The next component tackled was
the pump assembly. The pump extends
the entire width of the case as shown
in Figure 1 with the top half being the
pressure portion and the lower half
vacuum. Loesche retained this early
type of horizontal pump design into
the 1920s whereas many other manufacturers
switched to a type of box

pump. As the damage from the fire
was primarily near the top of the case
and the pump is situated below the
keybed, it was relatively unharmed.
The top boards of the pressure feeders
were replaced as the heat from the fire
had ÒweldedÓ them to the connecting
boards and they were heavily damaged
when disassembled. The remaining
work was similar to a normal pump
rebuilding job. The vacuum control
box mounted above the pump was
also disassembled and rebuilt. This
contains the cutout during rewind and
provides three levels of vacuum to the
stack; low for soft playing, normal, and
high for loud passages. It can also shut
off the vacuum supplied to the treble
portion of the split stack for solo pipe
playing without the corresponding
piano notes being played. Thus, the
designation Òflute and violin ÔsoloÕ
piano.Ó The electric motor had been
severely damaged and was replaced
with a new one as was the leather belt.

The next component restored was
the upper valve chest. This supplies
vacuum to operate the pneumatics on

the pipe chest, contains the lock and
cancel assembly and provides vacuum
for some other features such as the
tremolo and instrument shutoff. As
with the piano stack, nearly all the
original parts were present but everything
needed a thorough overhaul.
Figure 10 shows the lock and cancel
assembly as received and Figure 11
the same after restoration.

As one would expect, no wiring or
tubing diagrams were available so
some creative thinking and ingenuity
were required to resolve both. The
original electric switch panel survived
and was cleaned up and reused. Two
tilt switches were installed to replace
the two open mercury switches for
the lights and the motor but the rest
of the switch panel was unaltered. A
push button start switch was installed
in the spool box and connected via
a removable plug to the start electromagnet.
The start coil was wired
in series with the lamps on the front
to reduce the voltage across it and
reduce the likelihood of burnout.

Nearly all the original lead tubing

26 MECHANICAL MUSIC March/April 2019

Figure 10: Lock and cancel assembly as received. Figure 11: Lock and cancel assembly after restoration.

had been removed and replaced by
rubber tubing which was, of course,
either gone or unusable. The original
tubing on Loesche 2744 had also been
removed so that did not offer much
help. The decision was made to reinstall
lead tubing per original using new
tubing on hand and repurposing some
old tubing that had been removed
from another machine. Art Reblitz
helped resolve the tubing connections
needed for the tremolo system as
several valves and pneumatics need
to work together. Everything else was
deduced from the 69-track ÒAngelusÓ
roll scale printed in the book ÒTreasures
of Mechanical MusicÓ by Reblitz
and Q. David Bowers and the way
control holes are used on the rolls.
The most complex control is the soft.
This one hole in the roll performs
three tasks. First, it reduces the vacuum
level in the piano stack. Second,
it moves the piano hammers closer to
the strings. Third, it closes the swell
shutters on top of the case.

The main vacuum and pressure lines
that connect components in Loesche
instruments consist of cardboard tubing,
sealed on the inside with shellac,
painted a gray color on the exterior
with leather strips glued on the ends
that are then ÒstuffedÓ into holes
bored into the wood. Replacements
were made using cardboard tubing
available at a local hobby store for use
as model rocket bodies. Cardboard
inserts used to connect these tubes
together were found to be valuable to
increase the thickness and reinforce
mitered corners. These tubes are
made to be air tight with a thin plastic
layer incorporated. The exterior was

Figure 12: Clarinet pipes near the beginning of restoration.

painted gray similar to the color used
by Loesche.

The last major challenge was to
restore the free-reed clarinet pipes.
Figure 12 shows the starting point
after all the remaining salvaged pieces
were given a home somewhere, often
by matching wood grain. The good
news was that all the reeds, shallots,
tuning wires and steel resonator caps
were present. The bad news was most
of the wood boxes or boots had fallen
apart and were heavily damaged,

some pipe feet were missing and most
of the cardboard resonator tubes had
burned up. Some pipes actually still
spoke under these conditions so there
was hope that they could be rescued.
After removing the top portion of each
pipe, the boots were placed in a tray
of hot water until the glue softened
and they could be taken apart. The
reeds, shallots and tuning wires were
carefully disassembled, cleaned and
reassembled. New cardboard resonators
were fabricated as were missing

March/April 2019 MECHANICAL MUSIC 27

pipe feet. Several boots required new
wood that was taken from some old
salvaged pipe organ pipes that closely
matched the color and grain, others
simply needed to be sanded down and
re-glued.

Figure 13 was taken during the
rebuilding process and shows parts
associated with various pipes. The
result of all this effort was satisfactory.
Most of the clarinet pipes are
now playing as desired whereas a
few needed additional expert voicing
to bring them to their full potential.
Figure 14 shows the restored pipes
installed in the back of the case.

The instrument was now complete
and restored to near perfection as
shown in Figure 15. The final step was
to check the operation of everything,
tune the piano once more and regulate
and tune the pipes. As one might
expect, all components were bench
tested (some more than once) until
they performed flawlessly before they
were installed.

Now with the entire instrument
assembled it was time to do some
final checking and debugging. Where
does one find a test roll for a Loesche?
Perhaps such an item exists but a
custom test roll was made using extra
leader paper from some recut rolls,
also included in the purchase from
Galen, and manually punching out and
labeling the holes. By using this test
roll, the function of everything could
be checked individually.

Four sets of bleeds are present,
the ones on the piano stack consist
of holes drilled into copper strips.
The ones on the upper valve chest
were made by drilling holes into
small round plastic disks that were
then inserted into holes recessed in
the wood with the perimeter sealed
with shellac. All are supplied with
unregulated vacuum supplied directly
from the pump. The set of bleeds on
the left end of the piano stack is used
for the control valves. The set in the
center of the stack is used for the bass
and tenor notes on the piano. The
third set is used for the treble notes
on the piano stack and also for the
pipe chest valves on the upper valve
chest. Thus each bleed in this third set
is connected to two valves in parallel,

Figure 13: Clarinets undergoing restoration.

Figure 14: Completed clarinets installed.

one for the piano and one for the pipe
chest. The fourth set is located on
the right-hand end of the upper valve
chest and is used for the lock and
cancel valves and the tremolo mechanism.
Testing everything for prompt
response and repetition sometimes
required an original bleed hole to be
reduced in size by covering it with a
small piece of tape and poking a hole
through it with a very small drill bit.

By playing several rolls and listening

to the results, all the pipes were regulated
and tuned a few times until they
sounded very good and in balance
with each other and the piano. The
instrument was now performing
much like it had when new and most
likely sounded very similar. With good
expression and three ranks of pipes it
is capable of playing serious overtures
as well as popular music of the day. A
Belgian roll containing the tunes ÒItÕs
a Long Way to TipperaryÓ and ÒOver

28 MECHANICAL MUSIC March/April 2019

Figure 15: Completed interior.

Figure 16: Kiven Lukes and Tom Kuehn after the move and
setup in its new home

ThereÓ is fun to listen to considering instrument in its new home. The great personal satisfaction to have
we recently passed the 100th anniver-present caretaker, Kiven Lukes, has completed the restoration of this
sary of the end of the Great War. It is given it the name ÒLazarus,Ó and that is seemingly hopeless case. With approunlikely
that these tunes would have entirely appropriate. Another moniker priate care this instrument should
ever been released by Loesche. could be ÒPhoenix.Ó continue to provide musical entertain-

Figure 16 shows the restored It has been very rewarding and of ment for many years to come.

WE WANT YOUR STORY!

Every mechanical musical instrument has a tale to tell. Share the history of people
who owned your instrument before you, or the story of its restoration, or just what
makes it an interesting piece. Send stories via email to editor@mbsi.org or
mail your story to Iron Dog Media, 130 Coral Court, Pismo Beach, CA 93449

March/April 2019 MECHANICAL MUSIC 29

A Limonaire 35-key Orchestrophone that plays from cardboard books.

Orgelmuseum Belgium

Take a trip to Township Westerlo and lose yourself in a bounty of mechanical music

By Robby Peeters

How it all began:

My father (born in 1939) was a
little in love with Decap organs from
a young age. In the early days of my
fatherÕs collecting, around the 1960s,
he obtained a small barrel organ. He
thought, back then, that he didnÕt have
enough money to buy a big organ,
but what he didnÕt know was that
(especially Decap) organs were cheap
at that time because jukeboxes were
more popular instead. He also was
handicapped by the fact that he did

not know anyone who could find large
organs at good prices. This didnÕt stop
him, however, as he kept buying small
music boxes and little organs, until
finally he bought his first big organ. He
paid too much for it, of course, as he
was still learning who was who in the
organ world and he was also learning
the prices of organs. As his collection
grew bigger and bigger, the township
of Westerlo came to ask, in the late
1990s, if he would open his doors to
the public. At first the organs were not
all working properly and my father
would simply sit and have a drink with
the people that came to visit while

talking with them about the organs. It
didnÕt take long for him to realize that
a great many people were interested,
so he organized and restored all the
instruments and the real museum
was born in 2000 with a guided tour,
a proper cafe and, of course, a wide
variety of music for the customers.

About me and the other family:

I was born in 1986 and immediately
fell in love the organs and the whole
package of mechanical music. My
interest grew beyond organs to
include Weber, Hupfeld and other
types of wonderful machines. When

30 MECHANICAL MUSIC March/April 2019

A Steck Pianola is framed by two phonographs with their lids closed.

A Decap A. Herentals accordeon playable via midi and a 36-key Verbeeck organ built in 1990 just down the road in Sint Job InÕt
Goor Belgium.

I turned 16, I began to buy my own
music boxes. Later I added barrel
organs and bigger organs to my collection.
My two sisters are not interested
in the hobby, but my nephew Stef,
born in 1996, is also in love with the
mechanical music, like me and my
father. My mother has learned to
accept our passion for the machines
and supports us in our efforts to share
them via the museum.

Today at the museum:

My father and I have assembled a
collection of 100+ items, including
accordeons, miniatures, barrel
organs, a harmonium, a pianola, an
electric piano, several orchestrions,
dance organs, cafe organs, street
organs, ornaments, dolls, clowns, disc
and cylinder music boxes, paintings,
a station music box, a hand made

March/April 2019 MECHANICAL MUSIC 31

Laurel and Hardy figurines enjoy the music from a Decap Jazz Organ while a Raffin organ stands in the foreground.

carousel miniature, gramophons,
a honky tonk, a cardboard folding
machine, cardboard cutting machine,
cardboard press, cardboard glue
machine, cardboard computerized
punching machine, organ fronts, jukeboxes,
antiques and decorations.

About our collection:

We have two J. Verbeeck pipe organs
with books: a barrel organ 36-key
from 1990 and a street organ 43-key
from 1980. Verbeeck is a builder from
Sint Job InÕt Goor Belgium that is still
existing. He has a beautiful career
from building street organs, barrel
organs, fairground organs, dance
organs, cafe organs, etc., etc. We also
have very wonderful restorations of
older Decap organs, Mortier organs,
Limonaire organs and several from

A table full of disc and cylinder music boxes is only a small bit of the collection.

32 MECHANICAL MUSIC March/April 2019

An Albert Decap 52-key organ on display.

An unusual music box in a metal con

tainer that looks like it may once have A 79-key Decap Stereofono with a mix of drums, saxophone, pipes and accordion
been a bread box. in the museum.

March/April 2019 MECHANICAL MUSIC 33

other makers.
We have eight Decap organs:

¥ 105-key Decap Herentals semi
electronic with Farfisa organ on
midi cassettes and books from
1980s recently sold but at the
moment still standing in our
museum
¥ 105-key Decap Herentals semi
electronic with Hammond organ
on midi from 1969
¥ Two 105-key Decap Antwerp semi
electronic with Hammond organ
on books from 1973 (one is in
storage)
¥ 79-key Decap Herentals semi
electronic organ on books from
1950
¥ 72-key Decap Antwerp pipe organ
on books from 1954
¥ 92-key Decap Antwerp pipe organ
on books from 1935
¥ 52-key Albert Decap pipe organ
on books from 1981
We also can punch organ books for

An Arthur Burssens organ made in 1940.

An IDEAL Arthur Burssens dance organ made in 1938 dominates part of a wall in the museum.

34 MECHANICAL MUSIC March/April 2019

Small replicas of certain organs are available for purchase.

Lamps and antique accordions line a shelf in the museum.

others, we can deliver cardboard, also
we have Welte red and Frati rolls for
sale.

Visiting us

Our museum is open for individuals
and groups (groups above 15 people
must make an appointment) from the
Apr. 1 until Sept. 30. Hours are from
1 p.m. until 8 p.m. (We will stay open
a little later for those arriving near 8
p.m.). The museum is open every day
except Mondays and Wednesdays.

Price is 2.50 euro per person.

The address is Kloosterstraat 25
Westerlo 2260 Belgium.

Email orgelmuseum@telenet.be

Website at www.orgelmuseum.be
and on facebook.com/orgelmuseum.
be.

English and Dutch phone number:
+32 498 34 80 85 (Robby Peeters),
Dutch, French and German phone
number: +32 475 83 32 38 (Luc
Peeters).

Robby Peeters is the son of Orgelmuseum
curator Luc Peeters, Westerlo, Belgium.

Even roller cob organs are represented
in the collection.

An 18-key organ that looks like you might be able to cart it out
A Princes 32-key made in 1976 is on display. of the museum under your arm.

March/April 2019 MECHANICAL MUSIC 35

2019 AMICA Convention

By Carl Dodrill, Convention Chair

You are invited to attend the annual
convention of the Automatic Musical
Instrument CollectorsÕ Association
(AMICA) which will be held in Seattle,
WA, Jul. 2-7, 2019. Seattle is a very
interesting area for a visit in the
summer and this article gives all the
information you need to attend.

Registration

A copy of the Registration Form for
the convention can be found at www.
amica.org/events.htm by clicking on
registration information. You can
also get more information about the
convention by clicking on previous
AMICA Bulletin articles on the website
and by viewing an informative video
by clicking on the picture of the Space
Needle. One basic registration fee
($440 until May 1) covers everything
and there are no other fees unless you
add on the preconvention tour or the
extra museum tour at the end.

Hotel accommodations. After your
free ride from the airport to the hotel,
you wonÕt be renting a room at the
Doubletree Suites Hotel in South-
center, but rather a suite which will
accommodate up to four people for
the basic rental rate. The cost is only
$129 per night plus tax which is not
only good for the convention but also
three days before and after. Reserve
your suite soon by calling the Double-
tree Suites Hotel (206 575-8220), give
the Group Code (AMI) and indicate
the dates in which you wish to stay.

Convention schedule

To assist your planning, here is an
overall schedule of the convention:

Tuesday, Jul. 2 Ð AMICA Board
Meeting and pre-convention Seattle
city tour. Registration is open all day
and the hospitality suite will be open
beginning at 3 p.m. At 8 p.m., we will
hear Marc Sachnoff, who is a highly
skilled pianist with a long history of
mechanical music.

Wednesday, Jul. 3 Ð Following the
Welcome Breakfast at 8 a.m., we will
load buses for the nearby Museum of
Flight. This is the largest private air
and space museum in the world. It
hosts the largest K-12 educational program
in the world and you will have
several hours to see a huge number
of exhibits, take mini-tours and
learn a great deal.

Wednesday evening,
half of the convention
will hear Dennis
James who will
be playing theatre
organ accompaniment
to the 1919 silent
movie ÒTrue Heart SusieÓ
starring Lillian Gish. Dennis
will tell about his personal
contacts with Lillian as he
played for her performances
for several years later in her
life. This is a chance to rub
shoulders with a person who
had first hand connections with
a major star of a silent film and
this one a star 100 years ago!

The other half of the
convention will hear a piano
concert by Nathan Bello in
the hotel ballroom. A highly
accomplished artist, NathanÕs
training has been highly influenced
by mechanical music.
He has played for a series of
national conventions.

Thursday, Jul. 4 Ð This will
be an all-day tour of three
homes with automatic musical
instruments.

David Goodwin and Larry
Sanchez, Annie and Dale
Tyvand, and Carl and Halie
Dodrill have offered to
open their homes for
these tours. There are
a variety of automatic
instruments at each home
and each collection is substantially
different from
every other collection.

In the evening you will hear either
Dennis James or Nathan Bello.

Friday, Jul. 5 Ð In the morning, nine
workshops in three parallel sections
will present information on a variety
of topics of interest to persons with
an appreciation of mechanical music.
In the afternoon, an old time radio
event by the Radio Enthusiasts
of Puget Sound will include
a recreation of a Fibber
McGee and Molly program
in which Fibber
attempts to tune a
piano. This will be
followed by our Pumper
Contest headed up by Julian
Dyer from the United Kingdom.
At 7 p.m., Morten Gunnar
Larsen, a world famous ragtime
pianist brought from Norway

specifically for this event, will
favor us with a dazzling concert.
An ice cream social will follow.

Saturday, Jul. 6 Ð Our Mart
operates in the morning and in
the afternoon you can take local
tours including several free time
hours in downtown Seattle. In

the evening will be our banquet
following a cocktail hour and
our dance band for the evening

is the Cornucopia Concert
Band.

Sunday, Jul. 7 Ð Following
the Farewell Breakfast, there
will be open houses in several

homes with mechanical
instrument collections.

Come to Seattle for a truly
enjoyable convention and
meet new friends, many

of whom you will see at
the joint MBSI/AMICA
convention next year.
Address questions to Carl
Dodrill (206) 788-7761 or
carl@dodrill.net.

36 MECHANICAL MUSIC March/April 2019

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Lake Michigan Chapter

Sanfilippo And Krughoff Holiday Extravaganza

Chair: Aaron Muller
Reporter: Marty Persky
Photographers: Bob and Ingrid Lindberg
and Glenn Thomas

Dec. 15-16, 2018 Ð Barrington Hills, IL

On Dec. 15-16 the Sanfilippo Foundation
and Krughoff Family hosted
a two-day Holiday Extravaganza for
the benefit of MBSI as well as Automatic
Musical Instrument CollectorsÕ
Association (AMICA), Carousel Organ
Association of America (COAA) and
American Theatre Organ Society
(ATOS). The weekend was organized
by Marty Persky with James Huffer of
MBSIÕs Lake Michigan Chapter.

Sanfilippo Foundation director Greg
Leifel and his staff supported SaturdayÕs
event for more than 280 people.
Sunday was the first opportunity for
most to visit the Krughoff collection
since the passing of Jim Krughoff 10
months earlier. Sherrie Krughoff and
family provided all food and drinks
on Sunday for the 105 attendees and a
dozen helpers.

Upon arrival at the Sanfilippo home,
all noticed a new 8,000 square foot
addition off the theater which will
open in May. This dramatic wing will
include a Parisian streetscape, an
authentic American drugstore, and
an exquisite Art Deco room and will
house the Jeffrey Sanfilippo collection
of antique perfume bottles and
related paraphernalia. Once receiving
their badges all visitors were free to
explore the collections as docents
played instruments and took requests.

Coins were available in the Penny
Arcade to enjoy the many amusement
machines. Steam engines in the lower
level of the theater were in operation
as well.

At 5 p.m., everyone came together
in the theatre. Jeffrey Sanfilippo, Greg
Leifel and Marty Persky all addressed

Marian and Jasper Sanfilippo greeting the guests.

Cory and Shauna Oakwood with Evan Zivin and Irina Doncheva by the Violano.

Registrar James Huffer finding Marian SanfilippoÕs Badge.

Members dance to the 110-key GavioliphoneÕs Can Can.

the group prior to a concert by Zach
Frame on the 5/80 rank Wurlitzer theatre
organ. Zach artfully accompanied
a silent movie with Charlie Chase
titled ÒTheir AinÕt No Santa Claus.Ó
This wonderful, young musician gave
a superb performance.

After the organ concert, everyone
moved to the 27,000-square-foot

Carousel Pavilion, home to the 1890
Eden Palais salon carousel and 24
fairground, dance and street organs. A
social hour with wine, soft drinks, and
music put everyone in an even more
festive mood.

After a delicious buffet dinner, the
large organs were featured including
the 110-key Gavioliphone fairground

Zach Frame on the 5/80 Wurlitzer.

Jeffrey Sanfilippo addressing the group
in the theatre.

One of Three Cakes for the Four
Organizations

and Wurlitzer 180 band organs. Four
of the organs had an upgrade to their
MIDI system only the day before,
allowing Marty Persky to selectively
play each organ, alternating holiday
music and other great pieces. Moving
between the organs, utilizing the
MIDI-equipped tablet, he announced
each program.

March/April 2019 MECHANICAL MUSIC 39

Just after 9 p.m. Jasper Sanfilippo
started the Eden Palais salon carousel
for all to ride. Additional selections on
the fairground organs throughout the
pavilion continued as people started
to leave. It was a wonderful conclusion
to the first day of the Holiday
Extravaganza.

On Sunday, Sherrie Krughoff and
her family opened their home and
nearby music building to members,
guests and helpers for an afternoon of
great music and a celebration of Jim
KrughoffÕs life. Dan Krughoff, Jerry
Biasella and Marty Persky demonstrated
instruments throughout the
collection.

Music played throughout the house
for the first few hours as all enjoyed
the holiday lunch buffet provided
by the Krughoff family. Among the
instruments in the house are a Hupfeld
Pan Orchestra I, Helios II/25,
Phonoliszt Violina A and Sinfonie Jazz
Model 19, Popper Felix, Welte Style 4
Concert Orchestrion, Weber Maesto
and Unika, Hepplewhite Mason &
Hamlin Ampico B, Double Violina,
Philipps/Wurlitzer PianOrchestra 33,
Wurlitzer 4/33 theatre organ and several
large-scale musical automata and
music boxes.

After lunch the music building
across the road was opened where the
38er Ruth & Sohn concert fair organ,
Philipps Model 12 ÒMonstreÓ Paganini,
Welte Brusgovia C Luxus, Arburo
dance organ, Steenput Concert Fair
Organ and 105 Decap Robot band
were all played in turn to end a perfect
weekend..

Marty Persky on the Niemuth Bacigalupo is dwarfed by the Monstre Paganini.

Listening to the Wurlitzer PianOrchestra 33 in the bar.

Krughoff familyÕs Holiday extravaganza in the theater. Sherrie Krughoff with the holiday lunch spread.

40 MECHANICAL MUSIC March/April 2019

National Capital Chapter

Chair: Matt Jaro
Reporters: Donna and Gene Borrelli
Photographers: Gene Borrelli and
Paul Senger

Dec. 9, 2018 Ð Annapolis, MD

The National Capital Chapter held
its holiday meeting on Sunday, Dec. 9,
at the house of Cheryl and Dick Hack,
which is on the western shore of the
Chesapeake Bay in Annapolis, MD.
There were 56 people in attendance
including 10 guests, some coming from
as far away as the United Kingdom,
Oregon, New Jersey and Pennsylvania.
We were treated to a catered luncheon
followed by a business meeting.

The business meeting centered
around plans for the 2019 MBSI
Annual Meeting which will be hosted
by the National Capital Chapter and
held Aug. 27ÐSept. 1. Everything is
falling into place: hotel, collection
tours, transportation, entertainment,
table favor, workshops, door prizes,
etc. The theme of the convention is
ÒIt All Began with Ragtime: American
Popular Music, American Mechanical
Music.Ó More information on the
convention may be found elsewhere
in this edition of Mechanical Musical.
The registration package will be
included in a future edition.

Following the business meeting,
Dick and Cheryl demonstrated their
collection to members. The Hacks
have an extensive collection of
mechanical music. It includes a variety
of nickelodeons, organs, orchestrions,
pianos, music boxes, phonographs,
jukeboxes, and movie jukeboxes.
Some of the larger pieces are a Weber
Unika, Hupfeld Phonoliszt Violina, See-
burg G Orchestrion, Welte Orchestrion,
Wurlitzer CX Orchestrion with added
bells, Wurlitzer 153 Band Organ, Davrainville
Clockwork Barrel Organ, Regina
Hexaphone Phonograph, Decap 92 key
Dance Organ, Mortier Organ, Mills
Violano with Drum box, Mills Panoram

Chapter members listen intently to the presentations at the business meeting.

New member Jon Ford, Rory Lehman, and Tom Larsen watch the Hupfeld Phonoliszt
Violina.

New member Chele Kelly enjoys the Wurlitzer CX Orchestrion with Cheryl and Dick
Hack.

Rory Lehman and David Burgess take video of RoryÕs Christmas roll playing on the
Wurlitzer 153.

movie jukebox, Polyphon 151/2-inch
musical tall clock, Wurlitzer Model B
Harp reproduction built by Dick, a Link
2E Nickelodeon and a Banjo-Orchestra
manufactured by the D.C. Ramey Piano

Company of Chicago.

Russell Wattam from the United
Kingdom was on hand. He has been
helping Dick restore a Ruth model 36
German fairground organ that plays

Cheryl Hack and Ginny Little take a
break after lunch.

Russell Wattam, from the United
Kingdom, and Bob Goldsmith with the
Bursens CafŽ Organ.

Members contributed wonderful deserts
for the party that were enjoyed by all.

book music. While the restoration is
not quite complete, it is playing well,
and looks gorgeous.

We thank Cheryl and Dick for again
hosting our Holiday Party.

42 MECHANICAL MUSIC March/April 2019

Members enjoy the Mortier organ which is the centerpiece of John Wells, Durward Center, and Donna Borrelli catch up on
the music room. old times. Jan Bender is in the background.

Ken Gordon and Doug Wiggins discuss the dayÕs activities

while waiting for lunch. Terry Bender, Nancy Goldsmith, and Jan Bender take a
moment for some friendly conversation.

David Burke, Bob Goldsmith, Helen Stiska, Jack and Mildred
Hardman and John and Patricia Ball enjoy lunch.

Knowles Little checks out a music box and cylinder
phonograph.

March/April 2019 MECHANICAL MUSIC 43

Northwest International Chapter

Chair: Rick Swaney
Reporter: Dale Tyvand
Photographer: Dale Tyvand

Dec. 8, 2019 Ð Sammamish, WA

The annual cookie exchange for
the Northwest International Chapter
(NWIC) was held on Dec. 8, 2018 at the
home of chapter chair Rick Swaney in
Sammamish, WA.

In keeping with tradition, Rick
tested his culinary skills by providing
lunch for the group. Duplicating an
old family favorite, members were
served a wonderful Beef Louise
complemented with homemade soda
bread and a pear and avocado-green
salad.

Adding to the festive atmosphere,
Rick provided cork drink coasters
laser-etched with the well-known
dog-and-gramophone trademark of
RCA Victor along with a dated MBSI
NWIC annotation. Rick provided
enough extras to allow members to
take them for keepsakes.

For the show-and-tell portion of the
meeting, Rick displayed a recently
constructed pendulum-based clock
powered by rubber bands built with
wooden gears from a kit. He also
provided an update on his on-going
project to complete his chess playing
Turk automata. Kathy Baer followed
Rick by playing a recently acquired
manivelle which delivered a clear and
lively tune.

Following up on a request, Rick
completed the show-and-tell segment
by performing a couple of his
always-entertaining magic tricks.
Despite careful attention from his
audience, he dazzled them with his
ability to have cards change before
their very eyes. He also somehow
managed to have a limp rope turn
rigid without the use of even a magic
wand.

In a follow-on tour of his collection,
Rick played some songs on his

Rick and Kathy Baer study Rick SwaneyÕs clock.

Barb and Jim Sinclair listen to the cylinder box with drum and bells.

AMPICO player piano with recently cookie exchange, allowing all the
restored ivory keys. He also played members to share their favorite Òcalotunes
on other music boxes in his rie-freeÓ desserts for the holidays.
collection including a large cylinder The next meeting of the NWIC will
box with bells and a drum. be hosted by Ernie Lopez on the Kit-

The meeting concluded with the sap Peninsula in April 2019.

Ernie Lopez scrutinizes Rick SwaneyÕs sleeves for the card trick.

Rick and Kathy Baer examine the re-ivoried
keys on the AMPICO piano.

Jim Sinclair, Ernie Lopez, and Rick Swaney enjoy lunch.

Laser-etched RCA Victor coasters were
provided for NWIC members.

Kathy Baer cranks out the manivelle tune for Barb and Jim Sinclair.

March/April 2019 MECHANICAL MUSIC 45

Snowbelt Chapter

Chair: Tracy Tolzmann
Reporters/Photographers: Merrie and
Tracy Tolzmann

Dec. 2, 2018 Ð Mahtomedi, MN

The Snowbelt Chapter gathered on
Sunday, Dec. 2, 2018, at the home of
MBSI Vice President Tom and Hongyan
Kuehn in Mahtomedi, MN. The
previous eveningÕs heavy snowfall in
some areas of our Òtheater of seasonsÓ
unfortunately prevented several
members from attending. Those
present were treated to wonderful
conversation and hors dÕoeuvres
while they enjoyed the KuehnsÕs
varied collection, which includes a
single Mills Violano Virtuoso, Mason
& Hamlin RBB Ampico reproducing
piano, 68-key Bursens Street Organ,
52-key Gasparini Fair Organ, Seeburg
B piano, Popper Konzertist, Lšsche
Flute and Violin Solo pianos and other
pneumatic orchestrions.

The business portion of our afternoon
began with a screening of the
promotional video for the upcoming
MBSI Annual Meeting to be hosted by
the National Capital Chapter in Rockville,
MD, next summer. The clever,
informative, and entertaining promo
had several members seriously contemplating
attending the event. After
the video, meeting host Tom delivered
a power point presentation on his
Lšsche piano restoration project. This
was the same program he gave as a
workshop during the MBSI Annual
Meeting in Minneapolis in 2016, and
many local members had not seen
the informative and educational slide
show. We had a delightful bonus not
experienced by attendees of the 2016
workshop: hearing the finished pianos
during the afternoon!

The chapter business meeting followed
with treasurer Gary Goldsmith
reporting a healthy bank balance and
reminding members that $10 dues are
due for 2019. The election of a new

Left to right, Dale Lukes, Tom Kuehn, and Alex Stolitza enjoy the Mason & Hamlin
Ampico reproducer.

The ladies catch up on news of family and friends.

slate of officers was the main order of
business, and the clichŽ ÒwhatÕs old is
newÓ applies as the current roster of
Snowbelt leadership will continue in
their respective capacities for another
two years. Gary will hold the purse
strings while Bill Nunn continues as
vice chair. Merrie Tolzmann remains
as secretary and co-editor of the chapterÕs
newsletter, The Resonator, with
husband, Tracy, who enters his third

term as chapter chair. An invitation
was extended to members to consider
hosting a chapter meeting in 2019
or to suggest an activity that would
be of interest to our club. Member-
ship-building was discussed, and we
are exploring ways to introduce the
wonders of automatic musical instruments
to new audiences with hopes
that they may join our organization.

At the conclusion of business, a

Snowbelters enjoyed the Annual Meeting promo video and TomÕs program.

The gentlemen listen to coin pianos on the lower level before the business meet-
ing. The loud Gasparini organ is in the background, and an all-original, unrestored
46-key North Tonawanda Musical Instrument Works band organ is just behind the
screen.

delicious dinner was served with
everyone having plenty to eat, making
note to save room for the numerous
tasty dessert options. Before everyone
departed, Tom held a drawing for
door prizes with every household in
attendance receiving a hobby-related
gift. Prize items included books on
mechanical music, ÒspareÓ annual
meeting table favors, and CD

Our Christmas party hosts, Hongyan
and Tom Kuehn in front of their Lšsche
pianos.

recordings of instruments. As we
bundled-up to head out into the crisp
Minnesota air, we all bade one another
ÒHappy HolidaysÓ and ÒMerry ChristmasÓ
knowing we would be enjoying
further entertainment in the form
of a holiday light show on the many
decorated homes throughout the local
neighborhoods as we made our way
back to our own homes!

Each One
Reach One
New Member
March/April 2019 MECHANICAL MUSIC 47

Southeast Chapter

By Jack Hostetler

The Southeast Chapter held its
sixth annual Special Exhibit event
Dec. 15-16 at The Villages, FL, and it
was a great success. An estimated
700 people visited our exhibit, and we
had several visitors request an MBSI
membership application.

We exhibited at a newer recreation
center this year. The Villages has
expanded its borders nine miles
further south in the last two years,
and the Rohan Recreational Center is
about four miles south of the Eisenhower
Recreation center that we had
used for our exhibit the previous four
years. The change in venue meant we
were able to get many new residents
to come see and hear our machines.
We also saw a lot of our regular fans
who visit with us every year.

Mary Ellen Myers chats with two visitors in front of an 1852 Ducommun Girod cyl-
inder box.

Jim Kracht (right) discusses a music machine during the event. Clay Witt discusses his disc player with a visitor.

Cotton and Julie Morlock with their display of cylinder and
disc boxes.

Denis Henn (center) shows his collection to interested
attendees.

Southeast Chapter

Chair: Jack Hostetler
Reporter: Margery Sanford
Photographer: Howard Sanford

Jan18-20, 2019 Ð Tampa, FL

The Southeast Chapter met on a
cool (cold for us) weekend in January
2019. Ninety people were registered,
a number of Òsnow birds,Ó guests,
and newer members were warmly
welcomed.

Festivities began on Friday night
with an open house hosted by Howard
Wyman. His beautiful home is filled
with band organs he built and/or
restored himself, an original Calliope
as well as American nickelodeons and
a disc box.

Saturday morning saw a show business
meeting during which time the
gavel was passed from Judy Miller to
new chairman Jack Hostetler.

Plans were begun for the 2021
national convention to be happily,
jointly sponsored by MBSI and COAA.
It will probably not be held on the
usual Labor Day weekend because
of the September heat and likelihood
of hurricanes. The exact location is
still to be determined but will be on
FloridaÕs Gulf (west) coast.

After a small mart, the group visited
two homes in the area. One was Marilou
and Martin Van ZantenÕs where
members enjoyed a 151/2-inch Mira
disc box, cylinder boxes, bird box and
cage, boat models and a small street
car Martin is building.

The second home visit was nearby
at John Martin and Norman BauerÕs.
There we enjoyed a huge number
of varied instruments all in pristine
condition including a Seeburg nickelodeon,
calliope, Raffin street organ,
Ampico reproducing piano plus many
disc and cylinder boxes. In addition,
their stained glass, art nouveau lamps,
and abundant chocolate pots were
much marveled at. A great deal of
the stained glass was crafted by John

Howard Wyman and hand made monkey organ.

Norman Bauer with a Raffin organ.

Vernon Gant and Martin Van Zanten with hand crafted vintage
John Martin with an unusual calliope. trolley

The Welte orchestrion in the Yaffe collection being enjoyed by
Howard Wyman, Craig Darlak and Howard Sanford. Mary Lou Van Zanten with reproducing piano (electronic).

Three reproducing pianos with art cases in the center of the
music room at the Yaffee home. Mark Yaffe and restorer Ron Cappel with an orchestrion.

50 MECHANICAL MUSIC March/April 2019

Open house hosts Cristel and Mark Yaffe with one of their carved figures.

The YaffeÕs Mortier organ from 1939.

Martin himself.

Saturday night, the group enjoyed
a beautiful buffet dinner at Mark and
Christel YaffeÕs where all were in positive
awe at the immensity and quality
of their collection. Members were
astounded by the number of European
orchestrions, overture boxes, art -case
pianos, American nickelodeons and
fabulous automata including a life size
flute player. Restorer Ron Cappel from
California demonstrated a number of
instruments and Mark Yaffe demonstrated
the automata.

And the dinner was delicious
too, especially the desserts. Sunday
morning saw a half-frozen group
(temperature in the 50s) at the John
Eberson designed historic Tampa
ornate theater. It opened in 1926 and
still hosts more than 600 events each
year, including films, recitals, special
events, and educational programs. An
entertaining concert of popular music
was given on their original 1,400 pipe
theater organ by Robert Perkins,

So, concluded a most memorable
musical weekend. Please do join us
in Naples, FL, during the weekend of
Apr. 5-7, 2019 for the next Southeast
Chapter meeting.

The life-size Flute Player automaton at
the YaffeÕs home.

A docent provides a tour in the historic Tampa theater. Robert Perkins plays the theater organ in the Tampa theater.

March/April 2019 MECHANICAL MUSIC 51

Sunbelt Chapter

Chair: Ray Dickey
Reporter: Diane Caudill
Photographer: Diane Caudill

Dec. 20, 2018 Ð Houston, TX

The evening of Dec. 20, 2018, marked
a special event as the Sunbelt Chapter
Christmas party was held at the home
of Alan Bies and Steve Boehck. About
40 members attended and had a
wonderful time listening to Christmas
music and enjoying an Italian buffet,
complete with scrumptious desserts.

Chicken alfredo, meatballs, marinara
sauce, crab balls, boiled shrimp,
cheese puffs, and salad were on the
menu, followed by SteveÕs rum cake,
brownies, and other assorted sweets.

Every music box in the house got
playing time as the evening progressed,
and those who braved the
unusually strong winds made the trek
to the carriage house to hear Wayne
HoltonÕs beautiful arrangements on
the band organ.

By the end of the evening, several
members were even singing the carols
as the tunes played Ð although they
may have had a few of the words
wrong. It was definitely a night to
remember.

Shelly Mathews and Alan Bies enjoy
some friendly conversation.

Timothy Pitts, Katherine Winkler and daughters listen to the Welte.

Andy and Frances Ware enjoy the chips and Mexican queso with Ray and Nancy
Dickey in front of the Lochmann.

Jennifer Lehman admires the Christmas tree in the front parlor

with host Alan Bies. Strung with hundreds of lights, the tree is
Sunbelt President Ray Dickey shows his grandson Danny the adorned with beautiful antique ornaments from Christmases
Hupfeld Phonoliszt Violina. past

Charles Foulkes and Jack Kane pose in Alan and SteveÕs historic Victorian house, also known as the Milroy House, is a
front of the Welte and the Seeberg H. standout in the Houston Heights, named for being the highest point in Houston, TX.

March/April 2019 MECHANICAL MUSIC 53

Golden Gate Chapter

Chair: Jonathan Hoyt
Reporter: Jenny Hoyt and

David Corkrum
Photographer: Jonathan Hoyt

Nov. 11, 2018 Ð Woodside, CA

Members of the Golden Gate Chapter were welcomed
back to the home of Marc and Marguerite Kaufman for our
Fall meeting held on Nov. 11, 2018. The KaufmanÕs home,
which is located in Woodside, CA, is one of our favorite
gathering places.

Their collection of cylinder boxes is extensive, and
everything has been restored and beautifully maintained.
Notable pieces include boxes from B.A. Bremond, Mermod
Freres, Nicole, Regina, Polyphon, and Symphonion. Disk
boxes include a 133/8-inch Imperial Symphonion with edge
drive, a 151/2-inch Regina in an ornate oak case and a 271/2inch
Symphonion with 12 bells in an Art Nouveau case.
Two grand pianos plus lots of smaller-scale treasures and
unique mechanical finds round out the collection.

The home features a large deck which overlooks the garden
with free-roaming geese and a koi pond. Guests had
plenty of time to mingle with friends before being invited
inside to eat a full ÒpreÓ Thanksgiving meal. It was a lovely
and relaxing way to spend a sunny Fall afternoon! The
group then settled in for a business meeting which centered
around venues for chapter gatherings in the coming year.
Next, Marc led a show-and-tell. Some of the special items
shown were an automata of a woman spinning yarn (circa
1920), a cylinder box which plays Scottish tunes, a quarter
repeater watch on chain, Swiss-made snuff boxes (circa
1820), and a four-tune Nicole Freres Forte Piano overture
box. Each item was absolutely beautiful!

The Golden Gate Chapter would like to sincerely thank
the KaufmanÕs for their hospitality. They have created a
home and collection that is truly worth admiring.

Meeting hosts Marc and Marguerite Kaufman with the newest
piece in their collection, an Eroica Clock.

Show-and-tell showcased items included these Swiss-made
snuff boxes, circa 1820.

A dual-comb cylinder box with wonderfully-illustrated tune
sheet is played for the attendees.

Marc Kaufman shares the history of a beautifully-restored cylinder box in the

collection. The KaufmanÕs home is chock full of
beautiful music boxes like this overture
cylinder box with inlaid case.

Marguerite Kaufman is a master weaver.
Here, she shows off a few of the kitchen
towels she made for a recent swap with
a group of fellow artisans.

Marc Kaufman demonstrates a roller cob music box for an eager audience.

A happy and well-fed group gathers quickly for a photo before stepping back inside to enjoy more music!

March/April 2019 MECHANICAL MUSIC 55

In Memoriam In Memoriam
Compiled from various reports

Henk Strengers

Hendrik (Henk) Strengers, a well-
known mechanical music collector
and expert, passed away Oct. 1, 2018,
in the Netherlands. Henk also had a
vast collection of mechanical music
documentation. He contributed articles
to MBSI and the online resource
Mechanical Music Digest. In 1987
Henk was awarded the Q. David Bowers
Literary Award. He was granted
the MBSI PresidentÕs Award in 1998.

Henk often assisted staff in the
Speelklock Museum, sharing his
knowledge and stories of calliopes
and many other types of music boxes.
Much of HenkÕs mechanical music
documentation collection is now

stored in the museum.

Henk also worked to help the Dutch
Pianola Association and other groups
interested in sharing information
about and preserving mechanical
music.

Ann Boyd

Ann Boyd, of Metairie, LA, passed
away Sept. 17, 2018 after battling
cancer for the past year. Ann and her
late husband Louis Boyd were longtime
members of Creole Chapter #43
of the National Association of Watch
and Clock Collectors as well as a
members of the Southeast Chapter of
MBSI. She was an avid crafter and also
spent many days on the water with
her husband, fishing and enjoying the
quiet and peacefulness of the river and

bayous. She was a very special person
and was loved by many.

Jerry Christner

MBSI has also learned that member
Jerry Christner of Port Charlotte, FL,
passed away May 10, 2018.

Weldon Clegg

Weldon, 85, of Redlands , CA passed
away peacefully at home. He was born
on Feb. 6, 1933, in Henryetta, OK . He
was the middle child of seven children.
In 1956 he met and married Mary Ellen
Graves. Enlisted in the United States
Air Force, Weldon proudly served our
country faithfully and honorably for
24 years. Through his assignments he
traveled to Japan, Greece, Germany,
and Labrador. With a three-year

The Amazing Musical Oddity

After nearly 45 years of collecting, many of the admired
mechanical music machines and other unique collectibles
enjoyed by Ralph and Gloria are now available.

To the members of MBSI, including The Southern California Chapter and friends
across the country and around the world, thank you for bringing so
many years of enjoyment to our parents. Collecting was their
passion, though enjoying your friendships was always cherished.

Sincerely, Howie
& Linda

www.theamazingmusicaloddity.com

Large Machines ¥
Cylinder Music Boxes ¥
Disk Music Boxes ¥
Bird Boxes ¥
Rolls ¥
Art
Phone: 817 994 4321 Email: MusicalHowie@gmail.com

56 MECHANICAL MUSIC March/April 2019

In Memoriam In Memoriam
Weldon Clegg

assignment to Hawaii, the family was
able to join him. Upon retirement,
with interest in antiques he opened
his own shop in San Bernardino, CA
for 17 years.

WeldonÕs other interests include
gardening, golfing, early morning yard
sales, and attending auctions. He was
a member of the Music Box Society
of Southern California, having an
extensive collection dating from the
1800-1900s.

Weldon is preceded in death by his
wife, Mary of 62 years and their son
Daniel W. Clegg. A service was held at
Emmerson Bartlett Mortuary on Dec.
21, 2018. He will be laid to rest at the
Riverside National Cemetery.

Hayes McClaran

Hayes ÒMacÓ McClaran passed away
Dec. 7, 2018. Mac and his wife, Lois,
moved to Batesville, IN, from Fresno,
CA, to be near his daughter.

Mac was instrumental in restoring
the Popper Felix owned by Rick
Crandall, who describes him as Òa
perfectionist who had a great love for
these instruments.Ó The restoration
story and photos are at www.rickcrandall.
net/popper-orchestrion/

Condolences

MBSI offers its most sincere condolences
to the families of the following
members who have passed away:

¥ Michael Conway in January 2018
¥ Erich Traber in June 2018
¥ Dennis Reilly in August 2018
The Musical Box Society of Great Britain announces the publication of two new books
Published in September 2018
100pp Hard Back ISO A4 format [8.27Ó . 11.70Ó; Profusely illustrated in

Supplement to

colour throughout with Additional Illustrations of Models, 89 Additional Lid
The Disc Musical Box Pictures Additions to Lists of Models, Patents, Tune Lists & Serial Numbers;
Combined Index of Images in the original book and its Supplement.

Compiled and Edited by
Kevin McElhone

Originally published in 2012 and still available The Disc Musical Box

ISBN 978-0-9557869-6-9

is a compendium of information about Disc Musical Boxes, their Makers and
their Music; profusely illustrated in colour throughout with Illustrations of
each Disk Musical Box Model, and with Catalogue Scans, Lists of Models,
Patents & Tune Lists.

Supplement to
The Organette Book
Compiled and Edited by
Kevin McElhone
ISBN 978-0-9557869-5-2
100pp Hard Back ISO A4 format [8.27Ó . 11.70Ó; Profusely illustrated in
colour throughout;Additional Illustrations of Models; Additions to Lists of
Patents, Tune Lists & Tuning Scales; A New Section on Trade Cards;
Combined Index of Images in the original book and its Supplement.
The Organette Book is a compendium of information about Organettes,
their Makers and their Music. Originally published in 2000 but now out of
print although second-hand copies are occasionally available in online
auctions.
************************************************************************************************************************
For all MBSGB Publications, please refer to the Musical Box Society of Great Britain website for further details including latest
availability, discounted prices and information on how to order. -www.mbsgb.org.uk

March/April 2019 MECHANICAL MUSIC 57

70th Annual Meeting
WEÕRE CELEBRATING !
ü
÷
Xîä
þAnnual Meeting
WEÕRE CELEBRATING !
ü
÷
Xîä
þ
Musical Box Society IntÕl

ROCKVILLE, MARYLAND
August 27 – 31, 2019

Four Collections
Mart
Workshops
Live Music
Mechanical Music
Two Dinners
Keynote Speaker
Awards Luncheon
MBSI Anniversary Speaker
Banquet
Internationally Known Pianist
Learn about ragtime
Visit with friends
See Washington, D.C.

Please look for registration forms in the May/June Journal.

National Capital Chapter

BenÕs Player Piano Service
Repair and restoration of air powered mechanical music
devices of all description.
Player pianos
Reproduing pianos
Dance organs
Fairground organs
Nickelodeon pianos
Original historically
Correct techniques
And materials used
Throughout in the
Rebuilding process.
Benjamin R Gottfried
464 Dugan Road, Richfield Springs NY 13439
Bensplayerservice.com 315-858-2164
SAMPLE Restorations, LLC.
Joe Smith
Email: mbsi@irondogmedia.com to place your ad here!
This could be your ad right here!
Chet Ramsay
Antiques
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Services Available.
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Ð Ð
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Come visit our Victorian
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East Fallowfield Twp.
2460 Strasburg Road
Coatesville, PA 19320
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610-384-0514
Showroom open by appointment
Criterion Upright Double Comb
Music Box – $4,000-$6,000
French Interchangable Cylinder
Music Box – $3,000-$5,000
Regina Music Box – $1,500-$2,500
Upcoming at Auction – March 23, 2019
For more info about buying or selling at auction, please contact: Matt Cottone | 585-243-1000
cottoneauctions.com
COTTONE AUCTIONS
March/April 2019 MECHANICAL MUSIC 59

AUCTIONEERS & REALTORS STANTONÕS StantonÕs Auctioneers,
Appraisers, & Realtors
144 S. Main, P.O. Box 146
Vermontville, MI 49096
Phone: (517) 726-0181
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E-mail: stantonsauctions@sbcglobal.net
Website: www.stantons-auctions.com
Steven E. Stanton
(517) 331-8150 cellular
(517) 852-0627 evening
E-mail Ð stevenEstanton@gmail.com
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(517) 231-0868 cellular
E-mail Ð mcbleisch@gmail.com
Accepting quality collectionsand specialized items for ourSpring Event. Music Boxes,
Band organs, Phonographs, roll-
er organs, records and other fine
examples of automatic musicmachines. Already included are
3 excellent Band organs includ-
ing a North Tonawanda Model
182, Wurlitzer Model 146A, and
a smaller Wurlitzer unit, pho-
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eras, Eldridge R. Johnson handcranked toy phonograph with
original disc recording, “For theChildren”, Excellent music box-
es, fine Herzog and Salter re-
cord cabinets and lots more.
Stanton’s Upcoming Music Machine Auction
To be held on the Barry County Fairgrounds, at 1350 M-37 Highway, Hastings, Michigan on:
Thursday, Friday & Saturday, April 25, 26 & 27, 2019
AUCTIONEERS & REALTORSSTANTONÕSStantonÕs Auctioneers,
Appraisers, & Realtors
144 S. Main, P.O. Box 146
Vermontville, MI 49096
Phone: (517) 726-0181
Fax: (517) 726-0060
E-mail: stantonsauctions@sbcglobal.net
Website: www.stantons-auctions.com
Steven E. Stanton
(517) 331-8150 cellular
(517) 852-0627 evening
E-mail Ð stevenEstanton@gmail.com
Michael C. Bleisch
(517) 231-0868 cellular
E-mail Ð mcbleisch@gmail.com
Accepting quality collectionsand specialized items for ourSpring Event. Music Boxes,
Band organs, Phonographs, roll-
er organs, records and other fine
examples of automatic musicmachines. Already included are
3 excellent Band organs includ-
ing a North Tonawanda Model
182, Wurlitzer Model 146A, and
a smaller Wurlitzer unit, pho-
nographs including Edison Op-
eras, Eldridge R. Johnson handcranked toy phonograph with
original disc recording, “For theChildren”, Excellent music box-
es, fine Herzog and Salter re-
cord cabinets and lots more.
Stanton’s Upcoming Music Machine Auction
To be held on the Barry County Fairgrounds, at 1350 M-37 Highway, Hastings, Michigan on:
Thursday, Friday & Saturday, April 25, 26 & 27, 2019

Proudly serving the Music Box
Community since 1968!
COLLECTION DISPERSAL – I can find appreciative
homes for your collection, large or small. Call for a
confidential consultation.
RESTORATION SUPPLIES Ð Check out my growing
online catalog for disc and cylinder box restoration
supplies, including jewels, governor gears, tools, damper
and tip wire, mylar dampers, paper goods and more!
CYLINDER AND DISC BOXES Ð See my Webpage
for a list of some pieces in stock. Or let me know what
youÕre looking for! Some boxes are restored, many are
unrestored. Many ÔsmallÕ pieces, including musical beer
steins, Reuge pieces, 4.5Ó Thorens and more!
DISCS Ð Over 8,500 original discs for many brands and
sizes. Reproduction discs available. What do you need? I
can e-mail you listings of what I have.
BOOKS Ð over 200 titles of new and used books in stock.
E-mail for listing.
REPRODUCTION TUNE CARDS Ð Over 80
reproduction tune cards, single and multi color. Email for
catalog, sent in pdf format.
Nancy Fratti
Specialist in
Cylinder & Disc
Music Box
Sales and
Restorations
Restoration
Supplies
——
Collection
Dispersal
Nancy Fratti Music Boxes (315) 684-9977
P.O. BOX 400 ¥ CANASTOTA, NEW YORK 13032-0400 U.S.A.
Email: musicbox@frontiernet.net www.nan cyfrattimusicboxes.com

THE MART THE MART
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 MUSICAL
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. MECHANICAL
MUSIC PRESS-M, 70 Wild Ammonoosuc
Rd., Woodsville, NH 03785. (603) 747-2636.

http://www.mechanicalmusicpress.com

1928 WEBER 6Õ4Ó Duo Art Walnut Art Case
Louis XVI 80118 with original matching
bench. Finish in good condition, original ivory

keys, player restored 20 years ago but still
plays well. $8,500 Donald Huene, 7429 North
Valentine, Fresno CA 93711 (559) 431-1639,
yosemf@aol.com Contact: DONALD HUENE,
(559) 431-1639, yosemf@aol.com 7429 N
Valentine Ave Fresno, 93711-0643 United
States

AEOLIAN ORCHESTRELLE. Beautiful
restored walnut case with bench. 6 rolls.
Nelson Wiggins coin-op nickelodeon. Mills
Single Violano. Baciagalupo Barrel Operated
Monkey Organ. Several smaller music boxes.
Contact: BECKY SODERSTROM, (209) 6698709,
bannsode@gmail.com

VIOLANO VIRTUOSO Serial #260 44 key
piano, REGINA CORONA Style 34 27Ó
Automatic Changer, ENCORE AUTOMATIC
BANJO (reproduction), HOWARD BALDWIN

– WELTE MIGNON REPRODUCING PIANO
with bench. Please call or e-mail for more
information. Buyer responsible for shipping.
Contact: CHRISTINA IRONS, (626) 7959020,
info@vintagemusicboxes.com, http://
www.vintagemusicboxes.com. Pasadena, CA
91103 United States

CLASSIFIED ADS

¥ 47¢ per word
¥ ALL CAPS, italicized and bold
words: 60¢ each.
¥ Minimum Charge: $11 per ad.
¥ Limit: One ad in each category
¥ Format: See ads for style
¥ Restrictions: Ads are strictly
limited to mechanical musical
instruments and related items and
services
¥ MBSI memberÕs name must
appear in ad
¥ Non-members may advertise at the
rates listed plus a 10% surcharge
PLEASE NOTE:

The first two words (or more
at your choice) and the memberÕs
name will be printed in all caps/bold
and charged at 60¢ per word.

Mechanical Music

Mechanical Music is mailed to all
members at the beginning of every
odd month Ñ January, March, May,
July, September and November.

MBSI Advertising Statement

It is to be hereby understood
that the placing of advertisements
by members of the Society in this
publication does not constitute nor
shall be deemed to constitute any
endorsement or approval of the business
practices of advertisers. The
Musical Box Society International
accepts no liability in connection
with any business dealings between
members and such advertisers.

It is to be further understood that
members are to rely on their own
investigation and opinion regarding
the reputation and integrity of
advertisers in conducting such business
dealings with said advertisers.

Display Advertising Dimensions and Costs
Dimensions 1 issue 3 issues* 6 issues*
Back Cover 8.75Ó x 11.25Ó $600 $540 $510
Inside Covers 8.75Ó x 11.25Ó $450 $405 $383
Full Page 7.25Ó x 9.75Ó $290 $261 $246
Half Page 7.25Ó x 4.5Ó $160 $144 $136
Quarter Page 3.5Ó x 4.5Ó $90 $81 $77
Eighth Page 3.5Ó x 2.125Ó $50 $45 $43
Add a 10% surcharge to the prices shown above if you are not a member of MBSI.
*Display Discounts shown above are calculated as follows:
3 consecutive ads 10% Discount
6 consecutive ads 15% Discount

SUBMIT ADS TO:

MBSI Ads
130 Coral Court
Pismo Beach, CA 93449
(253) 228-1634
Email: editor@mbsi.org

Add a photo to your ad!

Photos are only $30 extra per issue.

Email editor@mbsi.org or

call (253) 228-1634 for more details.

ALL ADS MUST BE PREPAID

We accept VISA/MC and Paypal.

ADVERTISING DEADLINES:

The 1st day of each even month:
Feb., Apr., Jun, Aug., Oct. and Dec.

Display ads may be submitted
camera-ready, as PDF files, or with
text and instructions. File submission
guidelines available on request.

Errors attributable to Mechanical
Music, and of a significant nature, will
be corrected in the following issue
without charge, upon notification.

62 MECHANICAL MUSIC March/April 2019

O-ROLL ORCHESTION collection of 75 rolls.
Excellent condition. $2500. Contact: ROBERT
WERTH, 208-920-3453, werth2b@yahoo.
com Sandpoint, ID 83864

CHICKERING REPRODUCING AMPICO A,

1920s parlor grand 69-inches. Original ivory
keys. Restored 25 years ago. Plays but needs
servicing. Photos on request. SWISS STREET
BARREL ORGAN, hand crank, wood pipes, 10
songs. Plays but needs servicing. 25 inches x
24 inches x 13 inches. DON WRIGHT (918)
630-9029, clwright37@gmail.com

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.

WANTED
REGINA 20-3/4 inch Changer in mahogany.
Prefer dragon front case in good operating
condition. Also looking for a Wurlitzer CX or

LX. Contact: DON KROENLEIN, (217) 6208650,
fbac@one-eleven.net
EMPTY 27Ó REGINA case (upright, single
play, not a changer). Also looking for bell
Òshut-offÓ levers for 22Ó Polyphon (barbell)
and needing 22Ó Polyphon discs. Contact:
JACK KANE, 713-726-6927, Luvstocook@
gmail.com Dallas, Texas 75224 United States

LOOKING TO BUY Grand Roller Organ
32-note cobs. Contact: DAVID COSMO, 845224-
6355, dave@cprdave.com

SERVICES
REPRODUCTION POLYPHON discs; Catalogs
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 Pennsylvania
Ave., Lomita, CA 90717-1516. Phone:

(310) 534-1557 Email: MBRCU@AOL.COM.
On the Web: www.musicboxrepaircenter.com
Advertise in The Mart

Have some spare parts or extra rolls taking up the space where you should be
installing your next acquisition? Ready to trade up, but need to sell one of your
current pieces first? Get the word out to other collectors by advertising in The
Mart, an effective advertising tool at an inexpensive price.

Fill out the form below and mail to MBSI at 130 Coral Court, Pismo Beach, CA
93449. Call (253) 228-1634 with questions.

Name Phone

Text of ad

Display Advertisers

2 Renaissance Antiques
56 Schack Collection
57 Musical Box Society of Great
Britain (MBSGB)
58 National Capital Chapter
59 BenÕs Player Piano Service
59 Chet Ramsay Antiques
59 Cottone Auctions
59 Bob Caletti Music Box
Restorations
60 StantonÕs Auctions
61 Nancy Fratti Music Boxes
66 Marty Persky
67 Morphy Auctions
68 Auction Team Breker

Each One
Reach One
New Member
March/April 2019 MECHANICAL MUSIC 63

OFFICERS, TRUSTEES & COMMITTEES of the
MUSICAL BOX SOCIETY INTERNATIONAL¨

OFFICERS
President

Clay Witt
820 Del Rio Way Unit 303
Merritt Island, FL 32953
floridaclay@floridaclay.net

Vice President

Tom Kuehn
4 Williams Woods
Mahtomedi, MN 55115
kuehn001@umn.edu

Recording Secretary

David Corkrum
5826 Roberts Avenue
Oakland, CA 94605
musikwerke@att.net

Treasurer

Edward Kozak
3615 North Campbell Avenue
Chicago, IL 60618
kozak@seldenfox.com

TRUSTEES

Judy Caletti
Ed Cooley
Sally Craig
Wayne Finger
Tom Kuehn
Mary Ellen Myers
Mary Pollock
Clay Witt

BOARD ADVISER

Junichi Natori,
International Adviser

MBSI FUNDS

COMMITTEES
Audit

Edward Cooley, Chair, Trustee
Mary Pollock, Trustee

G.Wayne Finger, Trustee
Endowment Committee

Edward Kozak, Treasurer, Chair
Mary Pollock, Trustee
B Bronson

Executive Committee

Clay Witt, Chair, President
Tom Kuehn, Vice President
Mary Pollock, Trustee
Judy Caletti, Immediate Past Pres.
John Bryant, Trustee

Finance Committee

Edward Kozak, Chair, Treasurer
Wayne Wolf, Vice Chair
Tom Kuehn, Vice President
Judy Caletti, Trustee
Peter Both
B Bronson

Marketing Committee

Rob Pollock, Chair
John Bryant, Trustee

G.Wayne Finger, Trustee
Bob Smith
Meetings Committee

Tom Kuehn, Chair, Vice President
Mary Pollock, Trustee
Don Henry
Matt Jaro
Cotton Morlock
Rich Poppe

Membership Committee

Rob Pollock, Chair
Judy Caletti, Trustee, Immediate
Past President
Linda Birkitt, Southern California

Membership Committee
(cont.)

Tom Chase, Snowbelt
Glen Crater, East Coast
Mary Grace, Sunbelt
Florie Hirsch, National Capital
Julie Hughes, Golden Gate
Julie Morlock, Southeast
Dale Stewart, Mid-America
Dan Wilson, Piedmont
Gerald Yorioka, Northwest IntÕl
TBD, Great Lakes
TBD, Japanese IntÕl

Museum Committee

Sally Craig, Chair, Trustee
John Bryant, Trustee
Ken Envall, Southern California
Julian Grace, Sunbelt
Wayne Myers, Southeast

Museum Sub-Committees

Ohio Operations
Emery Prior

Nominating Committee

Dan Wilson, Chairman
John Bryant, Trustee
Judy Caletti, Trustee
Mary Pollock, Trustee
Johnathan Hoyt
Judy Miller
Dale Tyvand
Bill Wineburgh

Publications Committee

Bob Caletti, Chair
Tom Kuehn, Vice President
Steve Boehck
Dave Corkrum
Christian Eric
Kathleen Eric
Terry Smythe

Publications
Sub-Committee

Website Committee
Rick Swaney, Chair
Julian Grace
B Bronson
Don Henry
Knowles Little, Web Secretary

Special Exhibits Committee

Wayne Myers, Chair

John Bryant, Trustee

David Corkrum, Golden Gate

Robert Ebert, Mid-America

Jack Hostetler, Southeast

Judy Miller, Piedmont

Mary Ellen Myers, Southeast

Rick Swaney, Northwest IntÕl

SPECIAL ACTIVITIES
Publications Back Issues:

Jacque Beeman

Regina Certificates:

Bob Yates

MBSI Pins and Seals:

Jacque Beeman

Librarian:

Jerry Maler

Historian:

Bob Yates

MBSI Editorial Office:

Iron Dog Media
130 Coral Court
Pismo Beach, CA 93449
editor@mbsi.org

Members can donate to these funds at any time.
Send donations to: General Fund (unrestricted)
MBSI Administrator, Endowment Fund (promotes the purposes of MBSI, restricted)
PO Box 10196, Ralph Heintz Publications Fund (special literary projects)
Springfield, MO 65808-0196. Museum Fund (supports museum operations)

All manuscripts will be subject to editorial review. Committee and the Editorial Staff. are considered to be the authorÕs personal opinion.
Articles submitted for publication may be edited The article will not be published with significant The author may be asked to substantiate his/her
or rejected at the discretion of the Publications changes without the authorÕs approval. All articles statements.

64 MECHANICAL MUSIC March/April 2019

CALENDAR OF EVENTS

Date Event Location Sponsor
Mar. 16, 2019 Snowbelt Chapter Meeting Skyrock Farm, Medina, MN Bill and Stacy Nunn
Apr. 5 -7, 2019 Southeast Chapter meeting Joint with COAA,
(Plus MBSI Trustees Mtg.)
Naples, FL Bob Yates
May 19, 2019 Golden Gate Chapter Meeting Menlo Park, CA Bob and Judy Caletti
Aug. 18, 2019 Golden Gate Chapter Meeting Belmont, CA Richard and Julie Hughes
Aug 27-31, 2019 2019 MBSI Annual Meeting Rockville, MD National Capital Chapter

Please send dates for the Calendar of Events to Russell Kasselman (editor@mbsi.org)

CONTACTS

Administrator Jacque Beeman handles back issues (if available) $6;
damaged or issues not received, address changes, MBSI Directory
listing changes, credit card charge questions, book orders, status of your
membership, membership renewal, membership application, and MBSI
Membership Brochures.
P.O. Box 10196
Springfield, MO 65808-0196
Phone/Fax (417) 886-8839
jbeeman.mbsi@att.net

CHAPTERS

East Coast

Chair: Elise Low
(203) 457-9888
Dues $10 to Geoffrey Wilson
804 Appleton Way
Whippany, NJ 07981

Golden Gate

Chair: Jonathan Hoyt
(408) 214-9313
Dues $5 to Dave Corkrum
5826 Roberts Ave.
Oakland, CA 94605

Japanese International

Chair: Tomiju Endo x
+81-42-339-9099
Dues Japanese yen 4,000 to
Sadahiko Sakauchi
5-2-41 Nigawa-cho
Nishinomiya-shi
662-0811 Japan

Lake Michigan

Chair: Aaron Muller
(847) 962-2330
Dues $5 to James Huffer
7930 N. Kildare
Skokie, Illinois 60076

Mid-America

Chair: Rob Pollock
(937) 508-4984
Dues $10 to Harold Wade
4616 Boneta Road
Medina, OH 44256

National Capital

Chair: Matthew Jaro
(301) 482-2008
Dues $5 to Florie Hirsch
8917 Wooden Bridge Road
Potomac, MD 20854

Northwest International

Chair: Rick Swaney
(425) 836-3586
Dues $7.50/person to Kathy Baer
8210 Comox Road
Blaine, WA 98230

Piedmont

Chair: Vernon Gantt
(919) 264-2222
vgjr123@yahoo.com
Dues $10 to Vernon Gantt
PO Box 20238
Raleigh, NC 27619

Traveling MBSI Display
Bill Endlein
21547 NW 154th Pl.
High Springs, FL 32643-4519
Phone (386) 454-8359
sembsi@yahoo.com

Regina Certificates: Cost $5.
B Bronson
Box 154
Dundee, MI 48131
Phone (734) 529-2087
art@d-pcomm.net

Advertising for Mechanical Music
Russell Kasselman
Iron Dog Media
130 Coral Court
Pismo Beach, CA 93449
Phone (253) 228-1634
editor@mbsi.org

CHAPTERS

Snowbelt

Chair: Tracy Tolzmann
(651) 674-5149
Dues $10 to Gary Goldsmith
17160 – 245th Avenue
Big Lake, MN 55309

Southeast

Chair: Jack Hostetler
(352) 633-1942
Dues $5 to Clay Witt
820 Del Rio Way Unit 203
Merritt Island, FL 32953

Museum Donations
Sally Craig,
2720 Old Orchard Road
Lancaster, PA 17601
Phone (717) 295-9188
rosebud441@juno.com

MBSI website
Rick Swaney,
4302 209th Avenue NE
Sammamish, WA 98074
Phone (425) 836-3586
r_swaney@msn.com

Web Secretary
Knowles Little
9109 Scott Dr.
Rockville, MD 20850
Phone (301) 762-6253
kglittle@verizon.net

Southern California

Chair: Robin Biggins
(310) 377-1472
Dues $10 to Bob Lloyd
1201 Edgeview Drive
Cowan Hgts, CA 92705

Sunbelt

Chair: Ray Dickey
(713) 467-0349
Dues $10 to Mary Grace
13431 Grand Masterpiece
Houston, TX 77041

Copyright 2018 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

March/April 2019 MECHANICAL MUSIC 65

MARTY PERSKY

Instrument Brokering & Locating / Appraisals / Inspections / Free Consultation

Spectacular Ruth 38

Popper Felix Mortier 84 key CafŽ Hupfeld Helios II/25 Welte 4 Concert

Wurlitzer 850A Wurlitzer BX with Wonderlight Bow Front Violano Niemuth 45-Key Bacigalupo
Visit www.Mechmusic.com for information on these and other fine instruments.

T:847-675-6144 Email: Marty@Mechmusic.com

For more highlights and videos, visit www.Breker.com/New Highlights
or youtube.com/auctionteambreker
Fully-illustrated bilingual (Engl.-German) COLOUR Catalogue available against prepayment only:
Euro 28.Ð (Europe) or elsewhere Euro 37.Ð (approx. US$ 44.Ð / Overseas)
(Bank draft, cash or by Credit Card with CVV and expiry date: MasterCard/Visa/AmEx)
. Consignments for Future Auctions Always Welcome! .
Ð The Specialists in ÈTechnical AntiquesÇ Ð
P. O. Box 50 11 19, 50971 Koeln/Germany á Tel.: +49 / 2236 / 38 43 40 á Fax: +49 / 2236 / 38 43 430
Otto-Hahn-Str. 10, 50997 Koeln (Godorf)/Germany
e-mail: Auction@Breker.com á www.breker.com á Business Hours: Tue Ð Fri 9 am Ð 5 pm
PLEASE FEEL FREE TO CONTACT OUR INTERNATIONAL REPRESENTATIVES:
U.S.A.: Andrew Truman, Tel. (207) 485 8343 * AndrewAuctionTeamBreker@gmail.com
Australia & New Zealand: P. Bardenheier, (NZ), Tel./Fax (+64) (0)9 817 72 68 * dbarden@orcon.net.nz
Japan: Murakami Taizou, Tel./Fax (06) 68 45 86 28 * murakami@ops.dti.ne.jp á China: Jiang Feng, Tel. 138 620 620 75 * jiangfengde@gmail.com
Hong Kong, Taiwan, Singapore: Alex Shih-Chieh Lin, (HK), Tel. (+852) 94 90 41 13 * alexsclin@gmail.com
England: Tel. (0)777 963 7317 * AuctionTeamBrekerUK@outlook.de á France: Pierre J. Bickart, Tel. (01) 43 33 86 71 * AuctionTeamKoln@aol.com
Russia: Maksim Suravegin, Tel. +7 903 558 02 50 * Maksim-ATB.ru@gmx.net
Éand many more!
Contemporary Musical
Automaton Portrait
ÒPutin EcrivainÓ
by Christian Bailly
Estimate: 20.000 Ð 25.000 /
$ 23,000 Ð 28,000
Singing Bird Box by
A. Leschot, c. 1870
Estimate: 5.000 Ð 6.000 /
$ 5,700 Ð 6,850
Automaton Chef by Gustave Vichy,
c. 1890
Estimate: 7.000 Ð 9.000 /
$ 8,000 Ð 10,250
Automaton Banjo
Player by Vichy,
c. 1900
Estimate:
5.000 Ð 8.000 /
$ 5,700 Ð 9,100
Symphonion Musical
Hall Clock, c. 1899
Estimate: 5.000 Ð 7.000 /
$ 5,700 Ð 8,000
Regina Style 33 Automatic Disc-
Changing Musical Box, c. 1900
Estimate: 22.000 Ð 25.000 /
$ 25,000 Ð 28,500
Lifesized Leopard
Automaton by J.A.F.,
circa 1930
Estimate: 2.500 Ð 3.000 /
$ 2,850 Ð 3,400
Station-type Musical Theatre, c. 1890
Estimate: 12.000 Ð 18.000 /
$ 13,700 Ð 20,500
Orchestral Cylinder Musical Box, c. 1890
Estimate: 8.000 Ð 12.000 / $ 9,100 Ð 13,700
Rock Ola Tempo I Jukebox, 1959
Estimate: 7.000 Ð 9.000 /
$ 8,000 Ð 10,250
150th Specialty Auction
ÈMechanical Music &
Technical AntiquesÇ
18 May 2019
Girl on the TelephoneÕ Musical
Automaton by Renou, c. 1900
Estimate: 6.000 Ð 8.000 /
$ 6,800 Ð 9,100

Volume 65, No. 1 January/Feburary 2019

· January 1, 2019 ·

Journal of the Musical Box Society International
Devoted to All Automatic Musical Instruments

Volume 65, No. 1 January/Feburary 2019

Mechanical Music

PuRchAse ¥ sAles ¥ consignment

of Quality Cylinder & Disc Music Boxes, Musical Clocks & Automata

496 First Street, California 93463 ¥ Ron & Julie Palladino
Open Seven Days a Week 10-6 ¥ 805-452-5700
www.renantiques.com ¥ info@renantiques.com

Visit the charming Danish Village of Solvang, half an hour above Santa Barbara in the beautiful Central Coast Wine Country
RENAISSANCE ANTIQUE S

Renaissance Antiques of solvang

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

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 Directory
of Members, Museums and Dealers is published
biennially. Domestic subscription rate, $60. Periodicals
postage paid at San Luis Obispo, CA and additional
mailing offices.

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

Mechanical Music

Journal of the Musical Box Society International

Devoted to All Automatic Musical Instruments

Volume 65, No. 1 January/February 2019

MBSI NEWS

5 PresidentÕs Message
7 EditorÕs Notes
10 Society financial reports

Features

8 Book Reviews

13 Nickel Notes
by Matt Jaro

CHAPTER
REPORTS

36 East Coast
40 Golden Gate
41 National Capital
43 National Capital
46 Northwest International
49 Southeast
51 Southern California
55 Southern California

On the Cover
Bob Caletti turns a pile of parts
in to a spectacular example of a
271/2-inch Symponion upright disc
player with 12 bells. See Page 20 for
more.
MBSI has replanted 40 trees so far as part
of the Print ReLeaf program.

January/February 2019 MECHANICAL MUSIC 3

The World of Mechanical Music The World of Mechanical Music
Copy this page, and give it to a potential new member. Spread the word about MBSI.

MEMBERSHIP APPLICATION

Last name First Name Initial

Last Name First Name Initial

Address

City

State / Zip

Postal Code / Country

Phone

Fax

E-mail

Sponsor (optional)

Check or Money Order Payable to: MBSI Treasurer (US Funds Only)
Mail to: New Member Registration – MBSI
PO Box 10196
Springfield, MO 65808-0196

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Exp. Date CCV

Signature

Membership Dues

US members (per household)……………………………………….$60

Student Membership…………………………………………………….$20

(online journal access only)

Canada…………………………………………………………………………$70

Other International………………………………………………………$75

(Add $20 for International air mail.)

Join online: www.mbsi.org/join-mbsi

Member Benefits

Regional chapters and an Annual Meeting held each year
in different cities within the United States enable members
to visit collections, exchange ideas, and attend educational
workshops.

More Information:

Phone/Fax: (417) 886-8839

Email: jbeeman.mbsi@att.net

4 MECHANICAL MUSIC January/February 2019

By Clay Witt

MBSI President

As I write this, I know IÕll soon be
getting out my Christmas music box
discs and hanging a Christmas wreath
around the neck of my favorite statute
of VictorÕs famous dog Nipper. On the
other hand, when you receive this
edition of Mechanical Music you will
most likely be putting all your Christmas
decorations away. I hope you
all had a wonderful holiday season
and that Santa brought you exactly
the right mechanical music treasure
youÕve been wanting.

As some of you may recall, I wrote
an article titled ÒName That TuneÓ
that appeared in the July/August 2018
edition of Mechanical Music. The
focus of that article was how to fully
identify songs on a music box when its
tune sheet has faded to a shadow and
has incomplete titles with mysterious
abbreviations all written in lovely,
but difficult to read, 19th century
handwriting. The vehicle for telling
that story was a tune sheet on an
1869 Nicole Frres box, which at the
time had suffered from some serious
neglect. I am happy to tell you that it
has since had a thorough restoration
and is once more playing the songs
identified in the article beautifully.
With luck it will do so for another
century.

An even more difficult job is identifying
music from days long gone by
where the tune sheet is missing. What
was a popular tune a century ago may
now be long forgotten. A byproduct
of the ÒName That TuneÓ article was
a note from MBSI member Dr. Elliot

Schuman letting me know about an
interesting book (or as it turns out a
pair of books) that can come to the
rescue in that situation. I thought you
might find these books quite useful if
you are not already familiar with them.

Both were written by a gentleman
named Denys Parsons, who must have
been a man of incredible patience and
industry, in the mid-1970s. One is titled
ÒThe Directory of Classical ThemesÓ
and the other is titled ÒThe Directory
of Tunes and Musical Themes.Ó The
former, exactly as the title implies,
lists only classical tunes. The latter
has two main sections, one with classical
tunes and the other with 19th and
20th century popular tunes. (I have
not undertaken the daunting task of
doing a side by side comparison, but
it appears that the former has more
classical tunes than the latter.)

The beauty of these volumes is that
they enable you to identify many old
tunes on your music box without
knowing anything at all about musicology.
All you need to be able to do
is recognize that a note is the same
pitch, higher in pitch, or lower in pitch
than the one before it. You just write
down the pattern of the first 16 notes
(or in some cases fewer notes). The
first note is represented by an asterisk,
which is a place holder. (What note is
actually being played is irrelevant as
we are only looking for a pattern.)
Each note after that is represented by
an R (repeat) if it is the same as the
note before it, a U (up) if it is higher
in pitch than the one before it, or a D
(down) if it is lower in pitch than the
one before it. Parsons sets these out in
a 6, 5, 5 pattern (the breaks are just to

make looking up the title a bit easier).
For example, God Save the Queen/
My Country Tis of Thee is *RUDUU
URUDD DUDDU.

Want to make sure the tune you think
youÕve identified using one of these
books is the right one? Fortunately,
it is now fairly easy to hear many of
them being played via the internet.
YouTube is an excellent resource in
this regard.

Parsons has given us the patterns
for what must be thousands of tunes!
Both titles can be had from Amazon,
ÒThe Directory of Classical ThemesÓ
as an updated current reprint and the
out of print ÒThe Directory of Tunes
and Musical ThemesÓ as a used hardback
in good condition. You may find
this resource very helpful if you want
to reconstruct a tune sheet for your
music box or just want to know what
you are listening to. And tracking it all
down is a bit of fun!

A very happy, prosperous, and
music-filled New Year to you all!

WE WANT YOUR STORY!

MBSI MEMBERSHIP DRIVE
EACH ONE/REACH ONE NEW MEMBER

MBSI is pleased to offer new members a $15 discount off their rst year of membership dues. You
are considered a new member if you have not been a member in the past three years. This discount
is also available on our website, www.mbsi.org.

Current MBSI members who sponsor a new member will receive a $5 discount off their next yearÕs
MBSI membership renewal for each sponsorship. Attach a copy of the discount voucher below to a
copy of the membership application form from Page 4 of this issue of Mechanical Music. Place your
name as ÒsponsorÓ on the application form.

Please make copies of these forms as needed and send the completed forms with checks to the MBSI
administrator at the address listed below.

EditorÕs Notes EditorÕs Notes
By Russell Kasselman

MBSI Editor/Publisher

Welcome to a new year full of
Mechanical Music! We are now in the
65th consecutive year of publishing
this journal and I couldnÕt be happier
with the way so many of you, the
wonderful members of this society,
have responded to the call to submit
articles. In fact, so many new articles
and amazing photos have come in
over the past four months that IÕve run
out of space to publish them all for
two issues in a row now. I just donÕt
have enough pages!

In my eyes, this is cause to celebrate.
It means that together we are actively
fulfilling the mission of this society
which is to educate and inform people
about mechanical music. We are also
growing our archive of materials that
will serve for many more years to
come teaching the next generation
about this great hobby.

Please know that if you have submitted
an article anytime in the last four
months and you have not yet seen it
appear in the magazine, it will be published
as soon as I have the space to do
so. I am working my way through each
and every article and doing my best to
give them the time and attention they
need so that when they get printed,
they are the best articles they can be.

Anyone working on (or thinking

about starting) a new article, please
keep going and send it in as soon as
you have it ready. IÕll make sure to give
your article the same professional
attention and care as I do with all the
others that get printed on these pages.
We will be sure to find the right space
at the right time to get your work
published too.

This issue is packed with chapter
updates, several that were held over
from the November/December 2018
issue to make space for the fantastic
photography of Lowell Boehland, Ed
Cooley, B Bronson, Bob Caletti and
Michael Clark. Their photos brought
the experience of the 2018 MBSI
Annual Meeting home to those of
us who could not attend in person. I
cannot thank them enough for their
generosity in sharing such wonderful
images with us all.

I hope you can now enjoy catching
up on the activities of the chapters as
much as I did. We have two reports
from the Southern California Chapter
and two from the National Capital
Chapter, plus reports from the East
Coast, Golden Gate, Southeast, and
Northwest International chapters.

There is one bit of society business
to pay attention to on Pages 10-12 in
this issue. You may, or may not have
noticed but we mistakenly printed
the 2017 financial statements for the
society in the November/December

2018 issue instead of the 2018 financial
statements. This issue corrects that
mistake and includes the 2018 financial
statements to bring everything up
to date following the annual meeting.

Then we have Matt Jaro continuing
his excellent series ÒNickel Notes,Ó
this time holding a conversation with
longtime restorer Joe Hilferty about
how the mechanical music business
has changed in the past 50 years.

Bob CalettiÕs detailed article on the
restoration of a 271/2-inch Symphonion
will be sure to capture your attention.
The article includes many photos
showing the steps taken to get from a
pile of parts to the gorgeous finished
product you see on the cover of this
issue.

Charles Moore and Robin Biggins
also contributed informative reviews
of Kevin McElhoneÕs new works ÒSupplement
to The Organette BookÓ and
ÒSupplement to The Disc Music Box.Ó
Both titles re now available through
the Musical Society of Great Britain.
See Page 63 for ways to obtain them.

Once again, I wish to thank all the
writers, photographers, and proofreaders
who lent their time and talents
to help me send this issue off to the
printer so it could be delivered to you.
I hope you enjoy this new year, and
please keep sending in your articles
so we can continue producing more
journals like this.

Welcome new members!
October 2018
Daniel Horan & Celeste Horan
Windham, NH
Erik Schweppe & Sandra Vernon
Wheaton, IL
Yongdong Luo
Norwich, CT
Janelle & Harold Weatherford
Monticello, IL
Frankenmuth & Irene Atkinson
Frankenmuth, MI
Robert Weaver
Frederrickberg, OH
Dominique & Agnes LeFebvre Steven & Chele Kelly
Redessan, France Fredericksburg, VA
John Coffman Don & Carol Wright
Cape Coral, FL Tulsa, Ok
Michael Chalifoux
November 2018 Dedham, MA
William Faurot & Janet Reynolds Each OneLa Quinta, CA
Chaim & Ulrich Gluck Reach One
Lucerne, Meggen New Member
Jon Ford
Chambersburg, PA

January/February 2019 MECHANICAL MUSIC 7

Book Reviews

Supplement to The Organette Book

By Charles Moore

Kevin McElhoneÕs original ÒThe
Organette BookÓ was published in 2002
by the Musical Box Society of Great
Britain. In it, Kevin endeavored to, with
the help of many contributors, compile
the essential information available
about the organette. He defines the
instrument as Òan automatically operated
reed organ, most frequently for
indoor use, which is small and portable,
rarely has a keyboard for playing
manually and with the music program
transported through the machine by
a direct mechanical method.Ó The
main section of the original book is
an alphabetical listing of all of the
known organettes by name. To a new
enthusiast, such as myself, this was a
revelation. The variety of methods and
mechanisms that were developed in
various countries for producing music
with a small hand cranked instrument
was surprising to say the least.

Kevin notes in the introduction to
ÒThe Organette BookÓ that Òother
newly discovered organettes came to
light, too late to be included.Ó It was
clear that the story of the organette
was not fully told and Kevin requested
any new information be forwarded to
him Òso that details may be included in
later works.Ó

Now, 16 years later, the first of these
Òlater worksÓ has appeared. It is the
newly published ÒSupplement to The
Organette Book,Ó compiled and edited
by Kevin. The book is produced in an
8.5-by-12-inch format. It is 100 pages
with full color photos and scans on
literally every page, many of the pages
being almost entirely covered in photos.
Opened randomly to any page, it
is a feast for the eyes.

At the beginning of the new book is
a section with vintage photos containing
organettes and scans of original
trade cards and other ephemera. The
later sections of the book include

ORGANETTE BOOK | See Page 9

An example of a page in the ÒSupplement to The Organette Book.Ó This photo
shows a monster Orchestrionette model playing a 56-note presspahn loop.

8 MECHANICAL MUSIC January/February 2019

Supplement to The Disc Musical Box

By Robin Biggins

When the original 496-page ÒThe Disc Musical BoxÓ book
was published in 2012 it was considered a ÒcompendiumÓ
because of the extensive amount of information and photos
it contained. It seemed unlikely that any more important
information would warrant further publication.

That premise was obviously not held by the talented
author, Kevin McElhone, who has now compiled a further
100 page supplement, appropriately titled ÒSupplement to
The Disc Musical Box.Ó This work contains many more
photos and technical details.

For instance, there are 30 pages of new photos and
descriptions of disc-playing machines, a list of information
for 343 new models, and 1,411 additional serial numbers to
help identify and date makers and models.

There are 89 new lid pictures, and a page of additional
patent information relating to disc musical boxes.

There is even an index of the 3,637 illustrations shown
in the original book, the DVD and the supplement, to more
easily locate the total of 1,635 individual makes and models.

In my opinion, this is an incredible achievement by Kevin.

The publication of the original book, and now the sup-
plement, is a tribute to The Musical Box Society of Great
Britain for the historical documentation of these wonderful
mechanical music machines.

ORGANETTE BOOK | From Page 8

novelty items, updates and additions
to the tuning scales found in the original
book, lists of museums, patents
and an index of named instruments.

The main section of the supplement
is once again the alphabetical listing
of the organettes by name, in this
case not duplicating every named
instrument found in the original but
only those for which new information
or photos are included.

It was here that I started preparing
for this review by synchronizing the
supplement and the original book at
the listings beginning with ÒA,Ó intending
to go through and make notes. The
first entry in the supplement, the Abelofone
Pneumatico, is an instrument
found in Portugal and not documented
in the original organette book.

The next matching instrument
name, Amabile, is briefly described in
the original book with only a couple
of paragraphs covering the maker
and two models, one having 16 notes
and one having 18 notes. In the supplement,
however, there are full color
photos of actual 18-note and 24-note

desktop instruments and a 28-note
clockwork driven upright model from
this manufacturer. The next entry,
Amorette, in the supplement, includes
many new photos along with a 16-note
Amorette in an accordion format!

I didnÕt even make it through the As
before realizing that if I continued in
this manner my review might take longer
than Kevin took to write the entire
supplement. So, I switched to noting
just a few other discoveries I think
readers will find quite interesting when
turning through the book. First is a red
Intona that plays a metal donut type
disk in a hexagonal case. Then comes a
Tanzbar automatic accordion in a hexagonal
case, and next is a previously
unknown monster Orchestrionette
model playing a 56-note presspahn
loop. Included, as well, are photos of
many actual instruments previously
only shown in period advertisements.

Not surprisingly, the supplement
provides corrections to some of the
information found in the original book,
but even the supplement is going to
need a supplement as new information
is discovered all the time. For example,
on page 25 it is speculated that the

Auto-Organ is a 14-note instrument
but in fact it plays 22-note Autophone
strips. And on page 71, the Pneumatic
Organ by J. R. Holcomb & Co. looks
very much like a 14-note instrument in
size and case style but it is actually a
very compact pneumatic instrument,
playing 20-note Celestina rolls. This
information has been passed along
with KevinÕs appreciation and he asks
that any further corrections or new
information on any instruments not
already documented in the two books
be passed along to him.

As the author of this review, I should
disclose that I am credited in the book
as a contributor. However, I certainly
had no part in the compilation or
production of the book. As a collector
and organette enthusiast I can highly
recommend the book as a must have
reference along with the original
ÒThe Organette Book.Ó And, if you
are someone interested in mechanical
music more generally, I think you will
find it fascinating that there were so
many different models and variations
of these ingenious little instruments
which were mass produced for a wide
audience.

January/February 2019 MECHANICAL MUSIC 9

10 MECHANICAL MUSIC January/February 2019

January/February 2019 MECHANICAL MUSIC 11

12 MECHANICAL MUSIC January/February 2019

Nickel Notes

By Matthew Jaro

In this edition of Nickel Notes we
travel to the outskirts of York, PA, to
visit longtime restorer Joe Hilferty.
This is a slight departure from previous
columns, which focused on collectors.
Joe has interesting pieces, but that
is coincidental to his occupation of
mechanical instrument restoration.
He lives on a 12-acre farm with his
wife, Nancy, two horses and numerous
cats. The property is breath-taking. As
always, I first ask people how they got
started in mechanical music, and this
is JoeÕs story.

Beginnings

Joe was born in Philadelphia, PA,
and moved to York in 1970 when he
married Nancy. After a few years
in York, Joe went into business for
himself doing antique refinishing and
rebuilding. JoeÕs father-in-law bought
a player piano at an antique shop and
that was the first time Joe had seen
one. JoeÕs father-in-law wanted Joe
to fix it, but it was a junker Ð with a
bad mechanism and a bad piano. Joe
didnÕt get very far with it and kind of
got bored trying to figure it out, but
he bought one or two more anyway
hoping for better. These just happened
to be junkers, too, and he almost said,
ÒPhooey with this, IÕm not interested
in these things.Ó Before giving up
completely, however, Joe called Mike
McMillan who was in the restoration
business and lived about a half an hour
away. Joe was going to sell his pianos
to Mike if he wanted them. Mike said,
ÒOh no, youÕve got to rebuild them,
and hereÕs the company to go get parts
from (Player Piano Company).Ó

Joe was good mechanically and
started figuring a lot out for himself to

Joe (at right) and Nancy HilfertyÕs
12-acre farm in York, PA, is a tranquil
haven for their horses and cats.

get the player portions of the pianos
working again. Then his work restoring
mechanical music instruments
really got kicked into high gear in
1976 when Will Markey, who was in
the trucking business, wandered into
Hathaway and Bowers in California
and found himself the proud owner
of a Bruder band organ. Will looked
in the phone book, found JoeÕs name
under Player Pianos and asked if Joe
could fix the thing he just bought. Joe
went over to look at it and that was
the first time Joe experienced a band
organ.

Joe said, ÒThis is out of my league,
you should call Mike Kitner.Ó Mike,
who lived in nearby Carlisle, PA, took
the job and ended up helping Joe
with a number of other rebuilding
problems, in the process becoming a

good friend. Markey continued to buy
more pieces which he gave to Joe to
fix. Markey would then sell the pieces
and buy more.

Joe says he is more mechanical
than musical. He loves fixing the
instruments, but really doesnÕt have a
musical background. Over the years,

January/February 2019 MECHANICAL MUSIC 13

Joe branched out into rebuilding
regular grand pianos and fixing
nickelodeons and band organs at the
same time. It became a mainstay of his
business for many years. Joe says that
the piano business has really fallen off
in the past five years or so. ÒThere is
still a demand for rebuilding, itÕs just
limited to high-end pianos and family
heirlooms,Ó he says, adding that he has
seen many Steinway pianos shipped
to Asia in un-rebuilt condition simply
to become living room decorations.

The Restoration Business

The original player piano Joe got
was never rebuilt. He finally trashed it
10 or 15 years later after finding much
better players to rebuild. He even has
a couple of players now that nobody
wants and says they will likely end
up in the trash too. The problem is
the lack of interest. Joe says thereÕs
nobody calling him saying ÒIÕm looking
to buy a player piano.Ó Everyone
calling is looking to sell a player piano.

They say, ÒHey, you rebuilt this 10
years ago, do you want to buy it back?Ó

Joe declines most offers because he
canÕt turn around and sell them again,
but sometimes he will take a piano on
consignment. He said a woman called
him the other day wanting to sell a
carved case Steinway OR Duo-Art that
Joe rebuilt five or six years ago. She
said she had lost her job and needed
money for the kidsÕ college education.
She believed the piano was worth
$35,000.

Joe told her, ÒYouÕre not going to get
that,Ó but she felt like she could advertise
it extensively to attract a buyer.
Joe told her, ÒIt doesnÕt matter where
you go to advertise it, you might only
get half of what it brought five years
ago.Ó The 30- to 40-year-old crowds
who might have the money to buy a
piano like that just arenÕt interested
in antiques or pianos. Most younger
people donÕt even know these types
of pianos exist and if they did know
they still wouldnÕt be interested, Joe
says. Antique prices are down about
50 percent from five years ago and Joe
says he always cautions buyers not
to treat the machines as investments.
He advises people to only buy them if
they really love them.

This Seeburg E was found in an old farmhouse with all its parts stored in a barn for
30 years. ItÕs missing its toes and half an inch of wood from the back because the
farmer who owned it needed it to fit through his skinny farmhouse doors.

Joe says it would be foolish for him
to take in a player piano and do a $5,000
restoration on it, since he couldnÕt sell
one for $7,000. People want them for
$2,000, so he just doesnÕt do them.
Only people who wish to restore family
heirlooms would spend $5,000 to
restore their souvenir, he says. There
is still plenty of stuff to do (as Joe puts
it), and rebuilders are kept busy since
there are fewer rebuilders to compete
with now. The bigger problem, Joe
says, is that the rebuilders still out
there are getting older too. Joe is 68
and some rebuilders are in their 70s
and not rebuilding any more. ThatÕs
why customers can find it tough
getting things rebuilt these days, he
says. Not too many young people are
interested in the business like Dave
Ramey, Jr. is, Joe says. ÒA lot more
of my work is coming from a longer
distance away due to the fact of there
being fewer rebuilders around.Ó

I asked Joe how he first started
finding customers for player pianos.
He said, ÒThey found me!Ó

Back in the 1970s people would
knock on the door and say ÒI heard
you got player pianos.Ó Also, people
would call the local piano stores who
would, in turn, say, ÒWell, call Hilferty,
heÕs got the player pianos.Ó Joe said

he never had to advertise. It all came
from word-of-mouth and people who
tracked him down if they were looking
for a player piano.

Today, few people are looking, so
if you want to sell a player piano, you
have to find potential customers by
advertising or the internet. Joe says
that someone in the business today
really needs a website to make a
living. Joe hasnÕt had time to set up
a website. He doesnÕt really make a
living from player pianos and grands
anymore, but from rebuilding nickelodeons
and band organs. He has a
client list for those types of machines
that he says will provide business the
rest of his life.

Nickelodeons (The Seeburg E)

One day, someone called Joe on the
phone and asked ÒDo you buy juke
boxes?Ó Joe said, ÒNo, I donÕt do juke
boxes, but what do you got?Ó

The caller said, ÒIt says ÔSeeburgÕ on
it.Ó

Joe asked what it looked like.

The caller said, ÒIt has a keyboard
on it,Ó and Joe said, ÒWell, thatÕs not a
juke box.Ó

Joe went to look at it. It was a
Seeburg E sitting in the living room
in an old farm house. It was a nice

14 MECHANICAL MUSIC January/February 2019

original-looking nickelodeon Ð not
beat up or anything. It had nice stained
glass. Joe lifted up the lid, and there
was nothing in it except the piano. He
opened the bottom and again nothing
in it!

Joe said, ÒItÕs a nice piano but it
doesnÕt have the works Ð itÕs no good.Ó
Then the owner said, ÒWell I got the

works.Ó

Joe asked, ÒWell where are they at?Ó

The owner said, ÒTheyÕve been sitting
out in my barn for 30 years.Ó

Joe thought, ÒIÕll bet theyÕre in great
shape being in the barn with dampness,
bugs, dirt, etc.Ó

Joe said, ÒLet me go see them.Ó

The owner peeled a big cover off of
a shelf, and there were all the parts in
immaculate condition. There was a
beesÕ nest in a couple of violin pipes,
but everything was in good shape Ð not
damp, dirty or rusty and all covered
up. So, Joe bought it. The only thing
the owner didnÕt tell Joe was that
since he lived in a skinny little farmhouse
with skinny little doors, he had
chopped the toes off the front of the
machine. Even then it still wouldnÕt fit
so he chopped another half inch off
the whole back of the piano. He had
done such a good job that you couldnÕt
tell the machine was missing half an
inch off all of the posts in the back of
the pin block. Joe discovered it when
he found a pipe supply air channel
that goes up through the posts and he
could see where it was chopped right
through. Joe asked the owner how he
did it, since it looked really good.

The owner said ÒI just had a sharp
axe.Ó

The purchase of this Seeburg E
started Joe on nickelodeons and he
still has this machine. ItÕs been going
fine now for 30-plus years!

The Business Expands

Customers started bringing in nickelodeons
even though the bulk of JoeÕs
business was still rebuilding player
pianos and grand pianos. In the 1980s,
Joe noticed player piano work really
slacking off in favor of nickelodeons.
JoeÕs wife, Nancy, helped a lot with the
business. She would do sanding work,
pneumatics, valves, etc. In the 1980s,
Joe had double shifts going with a

A Wurlitzer C that had been painted red and had metal pipes sticking out the back
was expertly restored by Joe to its current fabulous condition.

couple of helpers. There was one guy
who worked at Caterpillar who would
come in at three oÕclock after work
and do music boxes, nickelodeons,
etc. A piano guy would come in at nine
oÕclock in the morning and work until
three or four on piano stuff. Joe was
working 12 to 14 hours, since he was
covering both shifts. Joe still hires the
piano guy occasionally.

Don Nielson started collecting in the
early 1990s and he needed someone to
fix stuff. Joe remembers seeing Don at
an auction in 1993, but Joe didnÕt talk

to him. In 1994, however, Don found
Joe through someone that knew them
both. Joe remembers doing at least
three or four photoplayers for Don,
who was really into photoplayers at
the time. Through the 1990s, Joe said
player pianos continued dying off, but
regular pianos were still pretty good
and grand pianos were selling like hot
cakes. During the housing booms of
the 1980ss and 1990s, people would
spend $400,000 or $500,000 on a house,
and then what would they need? They
needed a grand piano sitting in their

January/February 2019 MECHANICAL MUSIC 15

The center panel of the Wurlitzer C and its wonderlight add color and motion while the machine belts out tunes.

big fancy house, he says. So Joe was
really kept busy. By then, the non-piano
work was mostly handling DonÕs
stuff and working on an occasional
band organ. Then, the tech boom hit
in 2000 and sales of all pianos died off.
When the housing market crashed,
so did most of the rest of the piano
industry. Piano dealers began to fail.

The Wurlitzer C

JoeÕs Wurlitzer C came from the
Gay Nineties Village (Paul Eakins),
and then went to Disney World. Marty
Roenick then bought the Disney
collection. The Wurlitzer was painted
red (probably by Disney). It didnÕt
have the right pipes for it, so whoever
worked to make it play put metal pipes
hanging out the back. When Joe got it,
he rebuilt the machine, and tore off
the metal pipes. He waited about five
years to get the right pipes. He found
a Wurlitzer D in California, and he tore
the pipes out to put them in his rebuilt
Wurlitzer C machine. He then sold the
rest of the Wurlitzer D.

The Link AX

JoeÕs Link AX was bought in the
late 1980s. It was in a garage in New
Jersey sitting on a damp dirt floor. The
AX is extremely rare with only about
half a dozen existing. It came from a
guy who was getting divorced. Will
Markey and Joe went to New Jersey
with a friend and between the three of
them they bought about $80,000 worth
of machines (in 1980s currency). The
only thing Joe really wanted was the

The Link AX was purchased in New Jersey from a man in the middle of a divorce.

Joe and Nancy Hilferty in front of one of their 41-key Bruder band organ.

16 MECHANICAL MUSIC January/February 2019

The color and detail of JoeÕs Wurlitzer 153 band organ speak to the patience and
care he shows in doing the work that he does.

A closeup shows the detail of the facade
and figures that are part of the Bruder
band organ.

Link, so he bought that and rebuilt the
entire thing.

As a side note, the Wurlitzer
ÒMonsterÓ came from that collection.
That organ really made its rounds.
Someone from York, PA, bought it, did
some work on it, then sold to a guy in
Minnesota, who did more work on it.
Then it went to Marty Roenick who
changed it back to play the monster
rolls and then Joe lost track of it.

Band Organs

A Bruder 41 key organ in JoeÕs
collection is the same one that Will
Markey bought many years before
and wanted Joe to fix, but Joe recommended
Mike Kitner to do the work.
(What goes around, comes around!)
ItÕs quite an unusual organ in that it
has more pipes than most.

JoeÕs Wurlitzer 153 came from Steve
Lanick who sold it as part of a downsizing
effort. It was dismantled when
Joe bought it since Steve used the 153
to copy parts for other machines. It
was LanickÕs ambition to build a 153,
so he needed a machine from which
to copy the parts and he actually built
quite a few pipes copied from it.

Joe also has a band organ with
trumpets that was a North Tonawanda

The Standard O roll machine that Joe sold and then bought back again.

organ repurposed by Wurlitzer. The
machine belonged to a customer who
died, so now Joe is reselling it.

Standard O roll machine

There is also a Standard Piano with
a Standard player. Joe doesnÕt know

if the Standard Piano Company is
related to the Standard Pneumatic
Action Company. Originally, Joe was
going to build it up into a nickelodeon
and sell it, but he never got around
to it. He had the pneumatics and
the piano redone. JoeÕs refinisher

January/February 2019 MECHANICAL MUSIC 17

The logo on a PaceÕs Races machine is full of bright colors. The horses seem ready to run inside this PaceÕs Races.

Above, the inner workings of the PaceÕs Races machine and
below, various parts and pieces in the workshop.

Joe found a niche working on PaceÕs Races because he
understood both the pnuematics and the mechanical aspects
of the complex machines.

wanted a nickelodeon, so he sold it.
The refinisher built a case. When he
was done, Joe installed all the O roll
instrumentation Ð snare drum, bass
drum, cymbal, triangle, tambourine,
mandolin and a xylophone or pipes

Ð into it. The refinisher had it for five
years and then sold it to a third party.
Joe bought it back from this third
person. (The music goes round and
round!) Joe says that if youÕre selling
stuff, you end up buying it back later,
if you live long enough!

I find it strange that you see many
A and G rolls on eBay, but not many
O rolls, except for modern rolls (like

Allan StaffordÕs rolls). Joe says he
canÕt explain this either. He says there
are tons of machines and rolls out
there, but the rolls donÕt seem to turn
up. I asked Joe to keep an eye out for
H rolls for me, and he said, ÒThose you
donÕt find.Ó

18 MECHANICAL MUSIC January/February 2019

The exterior and interior of Matt JaroÕs Seeburg K that was restored by Joe.

Paces Races

A Paces Races machine is a horse-
race type of slot machine. What
makes it different is the fact that it is
controlled by a perforated roll, tracker
bar and pneumatics. Joe nearly came
to own a Paces Races machine when
he and a customer of his, who Joe
rebuilt a couple of nickelodeons for,
went into a dilapidated building and
saw two Paces Races sitting there.
The customer, who was in the vending
business Ð juke boxes, slots, etc. Ð in
Scranton, PA, asked Joe if he thought
he could fix them.

Even though he had never seen one
before, Joe said, ÒIÕll fix both and keep
one for fixing yours.Ó

Later, Joe decided that he needed
money more than the machine, so
they agreed that Joe would fix both
for the customer and charge him for
the work (instead of keeping one).
Slot machine repair people donÕt
work on these machines because of
the pneumatics, so Joe really found a
niche. Word spread to another dealer,
and Joe started doing more of the

machines. A punched roll is used to
determine the progress of each horse.
The direction of the roll changes with
each payout so there is considerable
randomness in the outcomes.

Odds and Ends

The Nelson-Wiggen 5X still plays but
has not been restored. The machine
was once at the Deansboro museum
in Vermont and Joe bought it from the
person who bought it from the Deansboro
collection.

Joe says his toughest restoration
was a Wurlitzer 165 built up from parts
owned by Steve Lanick plus parts
that had to be found. The case had
to be built; the faade had to be built,
but all the guts are original. Looking
around, you might see a Seeburg K
with xylophone in a corner. He says
itÕs unrestored. I asked if he was going
to restore it. He said, ÒEventually.Ó He
was going to do that for himself but
said he never had the time. He also
has a Seeburg L that is three-quarters
rebuilt.

I asked Joe if he was ever going to

retire. He said, ÒNah, IÕm slowing down
but I donÕt want to sit on the couch for
the rest of my life. I like rebuilding, so
IÕll just keep on until I fall over, probably.
I just wonÕt do as much, like the 60
hours a week I normally do.Ó

Joe buys many machines to rebuild
and resell. An excellent example of
this is my personal Seeburg K machine
with xylophone. I bought this from Joe
when he was early in the rebuilding
process for the machine. IÕve had the
machine for a number of years and it
always works perfectly.

Joe Hilferty can be reached at
jhilf148@comcast.net

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 Automatic Musical
Instrument CollectorsÕ Association
(AMICA). Originally printed in the
November/December 2012 issue of The
AMICA Bulletin.

January/February 2019 MECHANICAL MUSIC 19

Symphonion
Widowmaker

Otherwise known as the resurrection
of a 27.-inch Symphonion upright
music box with 12 bells

By Bob Caletti

The restoration journey detailed
in this article started when I saw an
ad on the bulletin board at the MBSI
convention a couple of years ago in
Minnesota. Marty Persky was advertising
a machine for sale listing it as
a 271/2-inch Symphonion ÒProject.Ó
He had a picture of what a restored
version should look like since he
had recently sold one just like it to
Jonathan White. I learned later that
this particular machine is quite a rare
model and the one Marty sold ended
up being shipped to New Zealand. The
fellow that Marty bought the ÒProjectÓ
Symphonion from had given up on
restoring it. Since I am not one to
shy away from a challenge, I decided
to buy it. My wife, Judy, saw Marty
shortly afterward and told him she
forgives him for making her a Symphonion
widow. She didnÕt know how
long it would be before she would see
me again as I would be so focused on
restoring this ÒProject.Ó

A few months after agreeing to purchase
the machine, Marty was able to
get it shipped to me in California from
Chicago. It arrived on my birthday
with all of the pieces packed inside
the cases (top and bottom) plus an
extra box or two. After unpacking the
pieces, I laid them all out on my backyard
patio to assess what I had and
find out what might be missing. I find

itÕs always hard to really know exactly
what parts are missing or wrong until
you get into the restoration.

A careful inventory of all of the
parts was undertaken to determine
which parts were damaged and which
ones were completely missing. It was
determined that the restoration work
should start at the bottom of the case
and proceeded upwards to the top
where the entire gallery and center

¥ Photos of original machines/parts in
New Zealand by Jonathan White and
Rod Cornelius
¥ Restoration photos by Bob Caletti
and Jonathan Hoyt
¥ Woodwork mostly by Jonathan Hoyt
¥ Missing parts design/drawings by
Bob Caletti
¥ Mechanism restoration by Bob
Caletti and Jonathan Hoyt
¥ Photos of finished music box by
Robert Thomas
The door and case parts as received were laid out on the patio.

20 MECHANICAL MUSIC January/February 2019

January/February 2019 MECHANICAL MUSIC 21

Symphonion upper and lower case as
received from Marty Persky, most of the
case needed re-veneering. The bottom of the lower-case section being glued back together.

The bottom of the case showing missing moldings being fitted in. Note the double miters.

The door corbels are shown in the process of patching new wood into places where it was missing or chipped.

22 MECHANICAL MUSIC January/February 2019

crest was missing.

We started by disassembling the
entire bottom of the case section as
it was coming apart in places and
appeared to be warped. Each piece
that came off was carefully examined
for damage and notes were made
about the type of repair that would be
employed to bring the case back to a
proper alignment and appearance.

Chips and bits missing from the
door corbels were filled in so they
could be carved to match the original
curves and corners. Replacement
pieces were also glued onto the door
columns so they could be carved to
match the original length and size.

This case was very fancy with a lot
of interesting details. In order to make
new versions of the missing molding
pieces, custom router bits had to be
manufactured.

Ordering custom router bits involved
first sending the router bit manufacturer
an accurate profile of the desired
molding. (See sidebar on Page 24 and
25 describing how to do this.)

Computer Aided Design (CAD) drawings
were sent back to me from the
router bit manufacturer. I compared
them to the original moldings and
found that they matched up exactly, so
I gave the router bit manufacturer the
go ahead to make the new router bits.

When the new router bits arrived,

SYMPHONION | See Page 27

Chunks of wood are fitted to the door columns in preparation for finish carving.

A round rosette shape had to be replaced on one of the columns so a new one was
carved and fitted onto the column.

Above: Fretted moldings for the upper door mid-repair. Right:
Upper door assembly nearing completion. The door has been
re-veneered. Note the left column piece that was incorrect
and had to be made new to match right side, new part shown.

January/February 2019 MECHANICAL MUSIC 23

A closeup showing the lower door mold-An example of the CAD drawing that is compared to the molding before a custom
ing cutter. router bit is created.

Making custom router bits

By Bob Caletti

There were a lot of missing and incorrect moldings on
the 271/2-inch Symphonion case that were the result of
previous attempts at restoration. Replacing these moldings
required first making several custom router bits that would
cut the exact patterns needed to bring the case back to its
original appearance. The following text and pictures show
how that process is done.

If the molding to be replaced can be cut and placed flat
on a piece of paper, simply tracing the profile of the molding
actual size and sending it to the router bit manufacturer
is all that is required. If the molding cannot be cut, the
process on Page 23 shoud be used.

The router bit manufacturer will then generate a CAD
drawing to scale and send it back so it can be compared to
the original molding profile. Each line in the drawing must
match up perfectly with the molding profile, so it is worth
paying extra attention at this point in the process, or as the
old saying goes, Òmeasure twice, cut once.Ó

If all the lines match up and the measurements are exact,
then authorization can be given to the router bit manufacturer
to make a carbide cutter like the one shown on the
top left of this page.

Some of the moldings for this case took two separate
cutters and multiple passes to produce the profile that was
desired..

CAD drawings and cutter for moldings shown with the resulting
product.

24 MECHANICAL MUSIC January/February 2019

How to make a router bit from a sample molding that canÕt be cut

Mark Slabaugh,

Orbit Tool Works

Here is how to make a cast of the
existing shape. This works well if you
cannot cut a cross section, and cannot
photograph the cut directly.

I find that Bondo body filler works
well when making a cast of the shape.
You can purchase Bondo at your local
auto parts store. You will also need a
mixing stick, plastic wrap and masking
tape. Cover the part to be molded
with plastic wrap and hold it in place
with masking tape. Leave slack in
the plastic so that the Bondo can be
pressed in (Fig. 1).

Figure 1

Mix the Bondo, and fill the area to
be molded. Place more plastic wrap
over the Bondo and press it into the
cut (Fig. 2 and Fig. 3).

Figure 2

Figure 3

The Bondo will harden enough to
handle in a few minutes. Remove it
from the form and cut a cross section
using a hacksaw. Sand or file the face
to form a sharp edge on the Bondo,
and check the fit (Fig. 4 and Fig. 5).

Figure 4

Figure 5

Scan the Bondo shape with a scale
and send the scan to us. Include pictures
of the part you are replicating so
that we can better match the shape.
Notice that the Bondo did not replicate
the undercut well and we will
need to make a correction during the
next step (Fig 6 and Fig 7).

Figure 6

Figure 7

When we receive the scan and pictures
from you, we use them to create
a scale drawing of the shape (Fig. 8).

Figure 8

This trace of the shape is used to
create the cutter drawings (Fig. 9).

Figure 9

Dimensions are then added and the
drawing is sent to the customer for
approval.

Approved drawings are used to
create a CNC lathe program to cut and
mill the body of the custom router bit.
A steel blank is rough turned, and the
shank is ground to size. The router bit
body is turned to size on the lathe and
the blade pockets are cut on a milling
machine.

The drawings are used again to create
a CNC grinder program. Carbide
blades are brazed onto the body of the
router bit and the blades are ground to
shape on the grinder.

The router bit is then inspected,
packed and shipped to the customer.

January/February 2019 MECHANICAL MUSIC 25

Making the round corner moldings for the upper top section. A close up of routing operation for round corner moldings.

Finished round molding with center section cut out and ready The top section molding as received with pieces missing and
for cutting segments needed to make other pieces like the veneer coming loose. The molding is shown upside down. A
one shown. completely new molding was created in solid oak.

An all new solid oak molding made for the upper part of the top
section (below the gallery). Note the elaborate corner details. Repaired parts sanded, carved and ready for the refinisher.

26 MECHANICAL MUSIC January/February 2019

Bob Caletti makes scale drawings and layouts for missing parts. Note the many images enlarged to actual size on the desk.

SYMPHONION | From Page 23

we got to work right away making
new moldings out of solid oak.

We soon discovered we would need
to order another custom router bit so
that we could make a replacement
molding for the bottom door. Part of
the molding was original and part was
a different molding that was pieced in
before we got it, so we decided to just
make all new molding for this door
panel.

A third custom router bit was
ordered to make new moldings for
the upper top section. These moldings
were made using the router bit and
a router table for the straight sections
then a rotary table on a milling
machine for the curved moldings. (See
images on Page 26.)

MBSI members Jonathan White and

Checking the height of finial and gallery spool pictures with a ruler.

Rod Cornelius from New Zealand both were missing.
have 271/2-inch Symphonions and were Most significantly, the entire gallery
very helpful in providing pictures and that sits on top of the machine was
measurements to help me identify and not present when I purchased the
make new parts to replace those that ÒProjectÓ Symphonion. Johnathan

January/February 2019 MECHANICAL MUSIC 27

Finished CNC turned finial and spool
ready to be stained and installed.

Custom made parts for the top gallery.
are glued together before installation.

The top Gallery was laid out on paper to scale and the needed pieces were made
to fit the layout.

White sent me one extra spool, several
images and a variety of different measurements
to help me make all new
finial and gallery spools. Scale layouts
were done, and drawings were made
for each of the parts and assemblies
that were missing.

A lot of time was spent analyzing
the pictures of parts, comparing the
relative size and locations of the parts
and their radiuses, so that we could
be sure all the parts would fit together
correctly and be consistent with
the original music box. Some of the
pictures of the case were blown up to
actual size to better see the details of
the case.

Actual size layouts were also done
to determine the size and location
of the missing top gallery and other
assemblies. Some parts required
special tooling or cutters to make,
others would be made by Computer
Numerical Control (CNC) machines.
CNC is the automated control of
machining tools (drills, boring tools,
and lathes) by means of a computer.

The top gallery features a complex molding configuration. Careful attention was
paid to grain directions

Another view of the top gallery bottom board nearing completion.

28 MECHANICAL MUSIC January/February 2019

The top gallery including spindles, corner blocks, and top molding is left to dry.

An outline of the top crest is roughed out and holes are drilled
for center cutout patterns.

A photo of the gallery center pediment block from Jonathan
White in New Zealand was used to copy carving details.

January/February 2019 MECHANICAL MUSIC 29

The top crest cut is cut out and made ready for carving.

Enlarged pictures were used to get the proper dimensions for
the top crest carving.

A photo showing finished turned spools and finials in what will
be their final positions. Boy this case is tall – nearly 9 feet.

30 MECHANICAL MUSIC January/February 2019

Frame for the new soundboard is laid out and center board glued in.

Missing carvings were made by first
cutting out the rough shape and then
hand carving the detail into the wood.

The soundboard for this particular
machine was a piece of plywood when
it arrived at my door. A new soundboard
was constructed using Sitka
Spruce, and attached to the original
frame.

To make a missing disc support
bracket (photos at the bottom of this
page) I used a picture sent by Jonathan
and scaled it using Photoshop
to the actual size it would be in the
machine. A mockup was then made in
alumnium, which is soft and pliable,
so that the part could be bent and
changed to fit. The aluminum mockup
was then used to make the final brass
piece. The dimensions on the disc
support bracket are very critical and
position sensitive.

Missing brass pieces, like the key
escutcheon and the winding crank,

Remaining Sitka Spruce boards are laid into the diagonal pat-
tern and trimmed to the correct size.

The finished soundboard prior to installation.

This photo of a disc support bracket was used as a template
to make new brackets during the restoration.

A mockup of the disc support bracket was made out of alumi-
num so it could be bent into the needed shape.

January/February 2019 MECHANICAL MUSIC 31

The top photo shows the fancy cast pat-
tern on an original crank handle while the
lower photo shows a side view. These
images were used to make drawings so
new crank handles could be cast.

The coin tube mocked up in cardboard.

Door key escutcheon photo sent to help
make replacement parts.

were made by scaling pictures, making
drawings by hand, then having CAD
drawings made so that CNC machines
could carve patterns in wood that
were then used to make sand castings
and finally brass castings.

A new coin tube was mocked up in
cardboard and then made in brass and
installed where the original had been.
The machine takes English pennies as

payment to play a tune.

This completed the parts for the case
and accessories. Now attention was
turned to the music box mechanism.

The comb and bedplate as received
showed very little wear and only light
surface rust. The combs were cleaned,
screws polished, and the bedplate
painted gold. The pressure bar was
polished, and the pressure bar rollers

The new coin tube installed just under the bell assembly.

32 MECHANICAL MUSIC January/February 2019

The fit of the spring motor, bedplate and bell mechanism was
checked in the restored case.

The bedplate was completely disassembled for restoration.

were checked to make sure they were all the same size,
round, and rotated freely.

In the star wheel gantry there were some bent and corroded
star wheels that had to be removed for straightening
and lapping. This meant that the damper rails and center
post had to be removed so that the star wheels could be
taken out and restored.

It is imperative that the star wheels rotate smoothly. If
any of the star wheel spokes are bent and donÕt turn freely,
that star wheel can destroy a disc projection which would
cause the music not to play correctly.

When I got this machine, I noticed that all of the bell
tracks were wiped out on the discs I got with the machine.
This was because of stuck star wheels shearing off the disc
projections. That will not happen any more.

Great care was taken to identify where all the parts
of the bell assembly were located so that it could be put
back together the same way. The bells were marked with
numbers 1-12 and each bell was kept with its striker and
connection hardware so they can be put back on the bell
assembly in the same location they came from. Each bell
sounds a different note, and bell strikers had to be individually
adjusted after assembly for proper striking.

Turning my attention to the center post and the damper
rail, I fixed metal plates into position before removing

The comb and bedplate as received. Fortunately, the combs
had very little wear and only light surface rust.

The star wheel gantry is shown with some of the star wheels
removed.

A starwheel is straightened and lapped to ensure that it will
rotate freely on the gantry.

January/February 2019 MECHANICAL MUSIC 33

The back side of the bedplate showing the bottom of the bell
assembly before separation.

either the center post or the damper
rail. This was so that they could
both be put back in exactly the same
position they were taken from. The
damper rails and center post have
very critical alignments and need to
be put back exactly where they were.

Fair warning, the job of removing
the center post and damper rail is not
a job for an amateur. Done incorrectly,
it can negatively impact the operation
of the entire machine and reduce its
value.

The center post was checked to
make sure there wasnÕt any wear that
would affect the centering of the disc.

The mechanism that rotates the
disc is a dimple drive style from the
German version of this music box.
Anyone who purchased this same
music box in the United States would
have gotten a conventional sprocket
drive that interfaces with the holes in
the perimeter of the disc.

The parts were all removed from
the motor drive casting, the casting
was cleaned, painted and pen striped.
All bearing holes were cleaned and
readied for reassembly.

The spring barrel needed a new
Geneva stop that had to be fabricated
as the original was missing. The
spring had been stored in a wound-up
position for a long time which resulted
in a spring that had taken a set and
lost its power. A new spring had to
be installed. The governor had to be
rebuilt, including a new jewel and

The bell assembly was completely disassembled, and great
care was taken to identify where all the parts were located so
that they could be put back the same way.

DAMPER RAIL
A bottom view of the bedplate showing fixturing to preserve the original location of
the damper rail before removal.

The spring motor assembly with governor and winding shaft removed.

34 MECHANICAL MUSIC January/February 2019

a rebuilt endless screw. New fan blades had to be made
because the original ones were damaged. All of the parts
were assembled into the top and bottom castings minus
the spring barrel and governor to make sure all the parts
rotated freely. The governor was then added and free
movement of the parts were checked again.

Lastly, since all the discs I received when I purchased
the machine had the bell projections missing, I ordered a

The spring motor sparkles after restoration.

A view of the bedplate, motor and bells with no disc.

new set of 271/2-inch discs from Lester Jones who lives in
the United Kingdom.

Standing nearly 9 feet tall, this Symphonion is once
again a wonderful machine to look at and listen to. I know
my family will enjoy it for many years to come.

Credits:

Thanks to my wife, Judy, for her support and encouragement through
this whole project including giving up a dresser in our bedroom to make
space for this very large music box.

The motor installed and ready to play a disc.

Discs are stored in a fold out drawer at the bottom of the case.

January/February 2019 MECHANICAL MUSIC 35

East Coast Chapter

Chair: Bill Wineburgh
Reporter: Carolee Wineburgh
Photographers: Bill and Carolee

Wineburgh

Oct. 19 – 21, 2018 Ð Westwood, MA

We began our weekend meeting
on Friday evening at the Westwood
Regency hotel in Westwood, MA. We
gathered in a meeting room to socialize
and renew acquaintances as well
as meet new people. Among the new
faces were Paul and Hadley Veeder,
Barry Kasindorf and Dan Horan, and
first time chapter meeting attendees
Joe and Ann Malyndziak along with
Dave and Christine Cosmo, and guest
Doug York.

On Saturday, after a light breakfast
at the hotel, we took a comfortable
charter bus to the Mason & Hamlin
Piano Factory in Haverhill, MA. The
six-floor building is in what used
to be a shoe factory that has been
repurposed for making pianos. The
factory was not in operation on
Saturday so it was quiet and we were
treated to practically all of the areas of
manufacture and showroom. Mason &
Hamlin currently produce five models
of grand pianos as well as one upright
model. Our tour guide, Victor, was
very knowledgeable about all of the
aspects of manufacturing the current
models of the grand pianos. He talked
about the wood the company uses, the
gluing methods, various presses, saws,
actions, and so on. Their use of composites
for the action was explained
in detail as was their exclusive crown
retention system with a spider-like
tension resonator. Finally, we had an
opportunity to see and play several of
their finished grand pianos. That was
fun! Victor was both informative as
well as entertaining. We only wished
we had a few more hours to spend
there!

We went to nearby RomaÕs Restaurant
in Haverhill for a delicious
lunch and then re-boarded the bus to
Ken and Sandy GoldmanÕs home in

Chapter members listening to Victor, our tour guide, at the Mason & Hamlin factory.

Westwood, MA.

The Goldmans have a fabulous
collection of mechanical music and
automata. Ken provided great stories
about many of the pieces in his collection.
Included in the GoldmanÕs huge
music room are a Style II/25 Hupfeld
Helios Concert Orchestrion, a Model
I Philipps Paganini Violin Piano, and
a Grand Orchestral Interchangeable
Cylinder Box by Gueissaz Fils et Cie
that was once owned by Prince Mirza
Khan, Shah of Iran. In addition, we
saw a Model A Hupfeld Phonoliszt-Violina,
and excellent early cylinder and
disc musical boxes. The GoldmanÕs
automata collection included examples
by Vichy and others, including
smokers, acrobats and clowns. Our
visit with the Goldmans was a treat
for the eye and ear. On behalf of the
chapter, Chapter Chair Bill Wineburgh
presented Ken and Sandy with a certificate
of appreciation for opening their
home and collection to us.

Saturday evening, we had a sit-
down dinner where we tasted several
items from the hotelÕs menu and had

The Mason & Hamlin logo on a door in
the factory.

good conversation. Geoff Wilson, our
chapter treasurer and registrar, had a
surprise for Bill and his support team
(wife Carolee).

As this would be BillÕs last meeting
as chapter chair, Geoff presented a
souvenir booklet containing emails
and letters from chapter members
congratulating him on his many years
of tireless work on behalf of the East
Coast Chapter as well as thank you
cards for Bill and Carolee signed by all
of the attendees. Further, there were

Our group packed into an elevator at the Mason & Hamlin factory.

Jack Breen plays ragtime on a Concert Grand at the Mason & Hamilin factory.

congratulations for receiving the MBSI
PresidentÕs Award at the Annual MBSI
Meeting in Detroit, MI, earlier this
year which Bill was unable to attend.
The award was accepted on his behalf
by former MBSI Trustee Judy Miller,
who once was an East Coast Chapter
member and is still a long-time friend
of the Wineburghs.

Sunday morning, after a full buffet

breakfast at the hotel, we held our
chapter business meeting. Previous
meeting minutes, the treasurerÕs
report and the registrarÕs report were
read and approved. Thanks were again
made to the Goldmans and especially
to Mary and Dick Hunt who were our
meeting hosts. They did a great job lining
up the hotel, the restaurant and the
coach we used for transportation and

Victor Explains About Sound Board
Construction

Geoff Wilson presents the chapterÕs
thanks to Bill Wineburgh for his longtime
service as chapter chair.

Bill Wineburgh presents a music box
to Geoff Wilson as a thank you for his
years serving as chapter treasurer and
registrar.

January/February 2019 MECHANICAL MUSIC 37

Chapter members gather for a group photo in front of the Style II/25 Hupfeld Helios Concert Orchestrion.

Ken Goldman explains the flute-player automaton (far left) to
interested onlookers.

A Philipps Paganini Violin Piano in Ken and Sandy GoldmanÕs A grand orchestral interchangeable cylinder box by Gueissaz
collection. Fils et Cie in the GoldmanÕs home.

38 MECHANICAL MUSIC January/February 2019

Bill Wineburgh presents a certificate of appreciation to Ken and Sandy Goldman.

Marilyn and Ray DauphineeÕs mart table filled with intriguing items.

Elise and Brooks Low look over the wide variety of mart selections on display while
Nancy Fratti chats with Bill Wineburgh in the background.

their efforts were much appreciated.

Bill read his annual chapter report
that was presented at the Detroit
MBSI Annual Meeting meeting.

The chapter discussed and approved
several donations that will be made by
the chapter. One is to the Warren G.
Harding Presidential Center in Marion,
OH, to help restore the ArtEcho
Reproducing Piano that President
Harding played in the White House.
The piano is being restored by Terry
Haughawout in nearby Bloomdale,
OH. A second donation is to the Morris
MuseumÕs Guinness Conservation
Project to restore a B.A. Bremond
Orchestral Interchangeable Cylinder
Musical Box. A third donation is being
made to the Museum Committee of
MBSI for conservation of pieces in
the MBSI collection. We view these
donations as one way to further the
spread of mechanical music to a
greater audience.

Elise Low from Guilford, CT, was
elected chapter chair for a one-year
term to begin on Jan. 1, 2019. No one
was nominated for vice-chair, so that
position will remain vacant. Geoff
Wilson was re-elected treasurer and
registrar, and Claudia Molinari was
re-elected as secretary.

Finally, as turnaround is fair play,
Bill surprised Geoff with a small
music box engraved with recognition
of his devotion as chapter treasurer
and registrar.

Our members-only mart was held
immediately after the business meeting
where a number of books, musical
boxes and ephemera changed hands.

Thanks to all who came Ð see you
next meeting!

Each One
Reach One
New Member
January/February 2019 MECHANICAL MUSIC 39

Golden Gate Chapter

Photos and Article By David Corkrum

On July 21, I organized a display at
the California Radio Historical Society
(CHRS) in Alameda, CA. This was
their annual ÒRadio DayÓ in which they
held tours of their museum, auctioned
approximately 200 antique radios, had
a flea market of radio related items
and performed a radio program from
the 1940s titled ÒPat Novak for Hire,Ó
a detective story starring Sam Van
Zandt who is a local radio personality.
The original star of the program was
Jack Webb who later starred in the TV
series ÒDragnet.Ó

CHRS started in 2000 when a few
people got together to save an old
radio station in Berkeley, CA. They
occupied that building until 2010
when it was sold. However, their
membership grew and in 2015 they
purchased an old telephone building
in Alameda and began to restore it for
their purposes. One of their goals is
to restore the facade of the building
to its original. You can see this in the
pictures.

Luckily for me, CHRS had very few
places for displays, so they put me
at the entrance in front of their new,
ADA-approved elevator, which had
not been approved for use yet. I was
only able to display a few instruments,
so I chose a 14. inch Polyphon, a
keywind and a lever wind cylinder

Scenes from inside and outside the
California Radio Historical Society
building.

box, and three manivelles. I also had
handouts describing what mechanical
music was along with some past issues
of Mechanical Music.

About 300 people came through and
I was able to grab interest from some
of them by playing the instruments
and discussing how they worked and
how they were made. All handouts
were taken along with many of MBSIÕs
business cards and about seven of
the journals. The event lasted eight
hours and I had a great time talking
with those who attended along with
a number of local AMICA and MBSI
members who also attended the event.

If possible, I plan to repeat this display
next year and maybe have a few more
instruments to demonstrate.

It just shows that even at an unlikely
event such as this you can garner
attention and educate the public
about mechanical music. Give it a try
in your area!

National Capital Chapter

Chair: Matt Jaro
Reporters: Donna and Gene Borrelli
Photographers: Gene Borrelli and Paul
Senger

Oct. 21, 2018 Ð Gaithersburg, MD

The National Capital Chapter held
its fall meeting at the home of Beni
and Matt Jaro in Gaithersburg, MD,
on Sunday, Oct. 21, 2018. There were
28 members in attendance, including
three new members, David Burgess,
Laura Bates, and Rory Lehman. Following
lunch, the meeting was called
to order by Matt, in his role as the
chapter chair. The meeting focused
on preparations for the 2019 MBSI
Annual Meeting which will be hosted
by the National Capital Chapter.

We then enjoyed Matt and BeniÕs
extensive collection of mechanical

New member Rory Lehman and meeting host Matt Jaro in front of the Western
Electric Mascot C, with the Seeburg K on right.

Jack Hardman warms up before lunch on the JaroÕs grand
piano.

Don and Peg Lundry, Dick Hack, Jack Hardman and Robert

Barnett at the collection tour. A Seeburg G and H are shown
in background.

Donna Borrelli, Beni Jaro and Ginny Little get some quiet time Helen Stiskal, new members Rory Lehman and David Burgess,
before the business meeting. and Mildred Hardman.

Chapter members listen attentively during the business meeting.

Richard Simpson and Knowles at the business meeting. Matt demonstrates the Nelson-Wiggen 4X to Rory and Robert.

music including one Seeburg K with
xylophone and another with pipes, a
Seeburg G, and a Seeburg H (recently
upgraded with the addition of a
MIDI system). Their collection also
includes a Nelson-Wiggen 4x Orchestrion,
a Wurlitzer 153 Band Organ, a
1926 Chickering AMPICO piano and
a Western Electric Mascot C model

which they recently had fully restored.

The Jaro home also features a
modern film movie theater, specially
designed to enhance Technicolor
movies. There is an extensive film,
roll, and 78 rpm record collection.

Following the meeting we enjoyed
listening to Matt and BeniÕs assortment
of nickelodeons. One of our

new members Rory Lehman, brought
a Wurlitzer 150 style roll to try on
the JaroÕs Wurlitzer 153. It was a Halloween
roll arranged by the late Rich
Olsen.

The NCC Holiday meeting will be
held at the home of Cheryl and Dick
Hack on Sunday, Dec. 9, in Annapolis,
MD.

42 MECHANICAL MUSIC January/February 2019

National Capital Chapter

Chair: Matt Jaro
Reporters: Donna and Gene Borrelli
Photographers: Gene Borrelli and Paul
Senger

Jul. 29, 2018 Ð Reston, VA

The National Capital Chapter held
its spring meeting on Sunday, Jul.
29, at the home of Donna and Gene
Borrelli in Reston, VA. There were
25 in attendance including one guest
visiting from Ohio.

The business meeting focused on
arrangements for the 2019 MBSI
Annual Meeting which will be hosted
by the National Capital Chapter. Chapter
President Matt Jaro aired the video
showing the hotel that will be used as
well as descriptions of the collection
tours that will be available to those
attending the convention. This video
is now available on the MBSI site
and will be shown at the Detroit, MI,
convention later this year.

Following the business meeting
Gene and Donna demonstrated their
collection to members. The BorrelliÕs
collection includes a Wurlitzer CX, a
Regina 20.-inch disk box, and Pail-
lard and Nicole Freres cylinder boxes.
The Borrellis have a larger clock collection
which includes several English
Lantern Clocks from the 1600s and a
very large English Longcase Clock by
Dent, the maker of Big Ben.

Gene told an interesting story on
how they obtained their Wurlitzer

CX. At the Florida MBSI convention
in 2014 a Wurlitzer CX was advertised
for sale in Europe. Gene was interested,
but it was problematic since the
machine was in Europe and its condition
was questionable. He sought
the advice of fellow National Capital
Chapter member and well-known
restorer Dick Hack. DickÕs conclusion
was that the machine might need
extensive restoration. Dick put the
word out that Gene was interested
in making the purchase, and word
came back that Art Reblitz knew of a
Wurlitzer CX that might be available in
Meeting host Gene Borrelli shares the history of his Wurlitzer CX.

Colorado. Gene ended up purchasing
the Colorado machine over the winter
and planned to have it transported
in the spring to avoid snow. Then he
had the opportunity to piggy back on
another move being made in early
March. But of course, there was a blizzard
the night prior to the machineÕs
scheduled arrival. Gene had to shovel
a path from his driveway to the front
door, so the main part of the machine

could be rolled in on plywood. When
the movers were done, the living room
was cluttered with five large boxes of
parts in addition to the disassembled
large pieces. This was only two days
prior to his daughterÕs baby shower
that they were hosting. Dick Hack
came to the rescue again, driving
65 miles the next day as the blizzard
continued. While it took all day, he
succeeded in assembling the machine

Gene with the Dent English Longcase
clock

and tuning all the pipes. They had to
shovel out DickÕs car and push it out
of the driveway, so he could get home.

Gene has been able to research the
history of the machine. According to
the Wurlitzer ledgers, it left the factory
on Dec. 29, 1911, and was shipped
to Philadelphia, PA, to an unknown
location. From around 1939-1961 it
was in a dance hall above YoungÕs Tea
Garden, on 52nd and Market Street in
Philadelphia. It was then purchased
by Walter Nuss of Newfield, NJ. The
machine was in very poor condition
at that time. Apparently, sometime
after it was installed in the dance hall
there was construction happening in
the building and the machine could
not be taken out via the stairs. It had
to be disassembled and removed in
pieces via the fire escape. It weighed
1,300 pounds. When Walter purchased
it, there were 1912 newspapers in the
bottom of the machine stuck to the
bellows. It did not have bells or a Wonder
Light at that time. Then, in 1985,
it was purchased by Will Markey of
Dallastown, PA. He had the machine

Knowles Little, Terry Bender and Allen Cassity enjoy the Wurlitzer CX.

Gene with an English Bracket Clock ca 1760

44 MECHANICAL MUSIC January/February 2019

Allen Cassity and Dick Hack discuss the dayÕs events.

An English Lantern clock with verge
pendulum ca 1680

An English Lantern clock ca 1670.

completely restored by Mike Kitner
and Joe Hilferty, with completion in
1987. Bells were fabricated by Mike
Kitner and a Wonder Light was added
at that time. It was sold again in
March 2009 to Bill Maher of Colorado
Springs, CO. In 2013 Art Reblitz made
some minor repairs and then Gene
purchased it in January 2015.

Matt Jaro conducts the business and 2019 planning meeting,

Gene shows a book on lantern clocks.

Members enjoy a pot luck lunch on the back patio

January/February 2019 MECHANICAL MUSIC 45

Northwest International Chapter

Chair: Rick Swaney
Reporter: Rick Swaney
Photographer: Rick Swaney and Dale
Tyvand

Oct. 6-7, 2018 Ð Edmonds and Lynnwood,
WA

The Northwest International Chapter
split its Fall 2018 meeting between
the cities of Edmonds and Lynnwood,
WA. Both cities are located in Snohomish
County, which is about a 30-minute
drive north of Seattle.

Saturday began with a visit to the
Edmonds Summer Market, which
shuts down traffic in six blocks of
the cityÕs downtown core to make
space on the streets for booths selling
items that are either handmade or
home grown in Washington. Offerings
include fresh flowers and produce,
clothing, jewelry, art, soaps, and
wines. There are also plenty of food
booths where one can purchase a
meal or just a yummy dessert.

The market ran until 3 p.m. at which
time chapter members reported to
the Edmonds Historical Museum for
a private, guided tour. The museum
occupies a restored 1910 building
which was originally a library financed
by a gift from Andrew Carnegie. The
lower level is dedicated to the history
of Edmonds from its founding in 1890
to today. It features a reconstructed
hotel room, office, school room, jail
cell, and Victorian parlor. There is also
a sizable model train layout and model
lumber mill.

The upper floor has changing exhibits.
We saw memorabilia from 1950s
restaurants and the 1920s prohibition
era, including a still used to produce
illicit alcohol.

After the tour, we headed to Arnies,
a nearby waterfront restaurant. Those
of us who arrived early took a leisurely
walk on the adjacent pier. The fishermen
we encountered werenÕt catching
many fish but they were having some
luck with their crab traps.

By dinner time our group had grown

Annie Tyvand shows off the result of her 2.-year bow front art glass project.

to 14 strong. We were seated at a long
table in the rear of the restaurant,
featuring a panoramic view of Puget
Sound and the Olympic Mountains.
Dinner consisted of primarily local
seafood dishes, an appropriate
amount of wine, and a wide range of

conversation topics. Two hours later,
we said our goodbyes and departed
for our various homes or hotels.

At 10:30 a.m. Sunday morning, we
reconvened at the home of Dale and
Annie Tyvand. As people arrived Annie
was busy in the kitchen finishing the

Some scenes from the Edmonds Summer Market.

Dale Tyvand, Larry Cardy, Kathy Baer, and Terry Cardy take in the Puget Sound view
from the end of the pier.

Jerry Yorioka, Dale Tyvand, Kathy and
Rick Baer, and Rick Swaney reconsider
our economy accommodations in
Edmonds.

meal preparations. We soon sat down
to a delicious spread of baked ham
and scalloped potatoes supplemented
by several side dishes and desserts
brought by members.

Then came the business meeting
conducted by Chapter Chair Dale
Tyvand. We began by approving the
minutes of the last meeting. This was
followed by the committee reports.
During the new business segment, we
decided on the hosts and locations
for the next few meetings. Then we
elected the officers for 2019. Dale and
Chapter Vice-Chair Rick Swaney volunteered
to swap their roles. Chapter
secretaries Larry and Terry Cardy and
treasurer Kathy Baer volunteered to
continue in their current roles. The
proposed slate of officers was unanimously
approved.

On conclusion of the business
meeting, we held our usual show-andtell
session. Dale showed a recently
acquired Bontems singing bird in a
cage. Annie informed us that it is an
actual stuffed bird expertly preserved
by a professional taxidermist. Annie

January/February 2019 MECHANICAL MUSIC 47

The model train room of the Edmonds Historical Museum.

Jerry Yorioka, Rick Baer, Larry Cardy, Kathy Baer, and Nina Yorioka enjoy the show-
and-tell session.

showed the art glass front she created
for a 151/2-inch Regina Changer. This is
the culmination of a 21/2-year project
consisting of research, searching for
the proper glass and jewels, cutting,
and finally assembling the glass
pieces. Everyone agreed it was a very

impressive achievement.

Rick demonstrated a remarkable
antique printer that could not only
print blank sheet music and national
anthems, but also produced punched
music rolls. In the end, Rick revealed
that the contraption was actually a

Kathy Baer gets booked for going a little
to close the 1920s still exhibit.

Rick Swaney demonstrates the opera-
tion of his antique Òinkless printer.Ó

magic trick that he had purchased at a
recent magicians convention.

That concluded our Fall meeting.
The next get-together will be the
annual Christmas cookie exchange
and luncheon to be hosted by Rick in
early December.

48 MECHANICAL MUSIC January/February 2019

Southeast Chapter

Chair: Judy Miller
Reporter: Martin van Zanten

Oct. 26-28, 2018 Ð Titusville, FL

FloridaÕs Space Coast was the
location for our most recent meeting,
which was hosted by Alice and Wayne
Finger along with Clay Witt. As is our
tradition, the Fall meeting was held
jointly with the Piedmont Chapter.

The weekend started on a high note
Friday evening when more than 40
members and guests gathered at ClayÕs
third-floor condo for an open house.
Located on Merritt Island, Clay has a
wonderful collection of clocks, phonographs,
disc and cylinder boxes,
perhaps more than you could imagine
fitting into the space available.

Saturday morning, following a brief
Piedmont Chapter business meeting,
Wayne Finger held a book give away
featuring books donated by Elayne
and the late Moe Goldy. Members
expressed appreciation for the GoldysÕ
generosity.

Southeast Chapter President Judy
Miller opened the Southeast Chapter
business meeting and upcoming chapter
events were announced. During
the weekend of Dec. 15-16, 2018 many
members will again demonstrate various
items from their collections at the
6th Annual Christmas show in The Villages,
FL. During the weekend of Jan.
18-20, 2019, Mark Yaffe is planning a
Chapter meeting in Tampa, FL.

Looking ahead, our chapter will
host the MBSI Annual Meeting in 2021.
Planning is now getting underway.
The location is still to be determined
and all Southeast Chapter members
will be called upon to work on this
event.

The final order of business was the
election of Southeast Chapter officers.
The following people were elected to
serve a two-year term: president, Jack
Hostetler; vice president, John Leuenberger;
secretary, Julie Morlock; and
treasurer, Clay Witt. Congratulations

Co-Host Wayne Finger, Òthe mad doc-
tor,Ó discusses some of the instruments
in his collection.

A Grebe ÒSynchophaseÓ battery radio
with speaker horn that sits on a 1920s
era Atwater Kent radio in Clay WittÕs
home.

Meeting co-host, Clay Witt gives his
workshop presentation.

Co-host Alice Finger Òthe Good Witch,Ó
greets members at her Open House.

to all.

Later in the morning, there were
three workshop presentations: ÒMusic
Box MaintenanceÓ by Dan Wilson;
ÒName That TuneÓ by Clay Witt; and
ÒWhat to look for when buying or
selling a music boxÓ by Wayne Finger.
All were interesting and informative.

A mart was held after lunch which
was then followed by an open to the
public workshop called ÒChildrenÕs
Music Box Maker.Ó This was an
inter-generational program where
children and their parents could learn
about music boxes by assembling a
small box. It was led by Mary Ellen
and Wayne Myers.

Following a group dinner at Dixie
Crossroads everyone gathered at the
home of Wayne and Alice Finger. In
addition to viewing and listening to
the FingerÕs outstanding collection, we
enjoyed an evening of Halloween Fun,
with many members having donned
costumes. The FingerÕs seasonal decorations
were outstanding, as were the
various refreshments.

Chapter Chair Judy Miller and Marilou
van Zanten at the Dixie Crossroads
restaurant.

A Paillard snuff box circa 1855 in Clay
WittÕs collection. The box plays two
tunes on a 2.-inch cylinder.

A group of Southeast Chapter members and guests at the
Saturday evening dinner.

Each One
Reach One
New Member

Another group gets ready to order dinner and enjoy some
good conversation on Saturday.

Chapter members and guests gathered at the FingerÕs home.

50 MECHANICAL MUSIC January/February 2019

Southern California Chapter

Chair: Robin Biggins
Reporter: Linda Birkitt
Photographers: Lowell Boehland and
Ed Cooley

Oct. 7, 2018 Ð Rancho Palos Verdes, CA

This Southern California Chapter
meeting was graciously hosted by
Gloria Schack in Rancho Palos Verdes.
Fifty-six members and guests were in
attendance, and holding true to her
gold standard, Gloria, Òthe Hostess
with the Mostess,Ó presented us
with a cornucopia of treats to enjoy.
There was no need for dinner after
sampling her fare. Not only was the
food delightful, but the weather on
the Palos Verdes Peninsula provided
us with a gorgeous ocean view from
the patio.

MBSI members were given the
opportunity to play GloriaÕs monkey
organs and listen to her other musical
instruments, including a Welte Style 3
orchestrion, a Steinway reproducing
grand piano, a Weber Otero orchestrion,
a double Violano and many
other musical boxes.

The chapter business meeting was
called to order by Chapter Chair
Robin Biggins at 1:45 p.m. New
members, Steve and Cheryl Kosakura,
were introduced, as were nine guests.
Diane Lloyd, acting treasurer, reported
that the chapter is solvent. No further
details were available.

In review: the chapter has held
meetings in San Diego, CA, with
Lelland Fletcher, the Musical Instrument
Museum in Phoenix, AZ, Arnold
ApplebaumÕs collection in La Mirada,
CA, Brent HoagÕs home in San Diego,
CA, as well as Gloria ShackÕs home
in Rancho Palos Verdes. The MBSI/
AMICA December meeting will be at
the home of Frank Nix in Woodland
Hills, CA, for the annual chapter
Christmas Party.

The Nethercutt Museum has
announced that it is selling piano rolls
in lots. Apparently there are thousands
of rolls for a Welte, a Duo-art

Meeting host Gloria Schack welcomes guests, including (left to right) Albert Metzger,
Jeff and Sandy Oliphant, Cecil Dover, Cathy Feldman and Linda Birkitt just inside
the doors to her music room.

Cecil Dover photographs a Mermod & Freres cylinder music box that sits on a high-
ly-polished stand holding 19 additional cylinders for the same machine.

The assembled members applaud Chapter Chair Robin Biggins during the business meeting.

Jon Lang turns a tune on one of the street organs while Gloria Gloria and daughter, Linda, in front of instruments in the front
Schack and Mark De Sio look on. hall.

Robin Biggins demonstrates an automa-Gloria with the note she wrote her hus-Inside one of the gleaming cylinder
ton during show and tell. band Ralph asking him to marry her. boxes in GloriaÕs music room.

52 MECHANICAL MUSIC January/February 2019

Jon Lang records his name on the sign-in sheet while (left to right) Linda Birkitt,
Ardis Prescott and Lucille Ciuffini supervise.

Robin Biggins and Ed Cooley chat over a Polyphon ÒEmeraldÓ folding top disc box
with 16 bells while Peggy Cooley and Gloria enjoy a moment together nearby.

and Ampico.

A motion was made by Betty Green,
and seconded by Linda Birkitt, to
donate $200 to help restore the Warren

G. Harding electric reproducing piano
in Ohio. The piano actually belonged
to President HardingÕs wife, Florence.
She brought it with her to the White
House in the early 1920s. This piano
was made by the Alvin B. Chase Company
that was established in 1875.
This piano is currently housed at the
Historic WomenÕs Club in Marion, OH.
A previous evaluation of the piano
set the cost of restoration at $10,000.
A current evaluation will be required
before work is begun on the instrument.
After restoration, the piano will
become part of the Exhibit Hall in the
Warren G. Harding Presidential Center
scheduled to open in 2020.
Six members from Southern California
Chapter attended the MBSI Annual
Meeting in Detroit, MI. Those attending
were the Cooleys, the Palladinos,
Ardis Prescott and Robin Biggins.
Rockville, MD, will be the meeting
place for the next MBSI Annual Meeting
hosted by the National Capital
Chapter.

Mark and Gail Weber volunteered to
host a chapter meeting in the spring,
and Sandy and Sumi Lechtick offered
to host a meeting next year.

It was announced that the Train
Museum at Griffith Park in Los Angeles,
CA, will have Halloween festivities
next weekend and tickets could be
obtained from Thane Morris.

Ron and Julie Palladino held a show
and tell with a gilded silver snuff box

GloriaÕs music room has something for everyone to marvel over.

January/February 2019 MECHANICAL MUSIC 53

Everyone gathered for a group shot to commemorate the day.

Robin Biggins and Cecil Dover view the roll mechanism and
inner workings of the Weber Otero orchestrion.

made in the 1810s and a music box with bells that played

10 tunes. An automated smoking monkey, a brass piano

in miniature, and a smokerÕs musical ashtray with Lalique

crystal made in the 1920s was also presented. A Cremona Orchestrion keeps the crowd entertained with
The meeting was adjourned at 2:03 p.m.

bright stained glass and upbeat music.

54 MECHANICAL MUSIC January/February 2019

Southern California Chapter

Chair: Robin Biggins
Reporter: Ardis Prescott
Photographer: Lowell Boehland

Aug. 4, 2018 Ð San Diego, CA

Our August chapter meeting was
held at the lovely hillside home of
Brent Hoag. It was a clear sunny day
in San Diego so we could enjoy the
spectacular view of the San Diego Bay.

Shortly after our MBSI members
and guests arrived, Brent provided
the group with a delicious catered
luncheon.

After lunch, with ample time to
visit, Chapter Chair Robin Biggins
conducted the business meeting.
New member Gary Christoff, of Yorba
Linda, CA, was introduced. It was
announced that long time member Ed
Hattrup had died.

Robin reminded everyone about the
Aug. 19 Phonograph Show in Buena
Park, CA. Fliers for the show were
available next to the sign-in book if
anyone was interested in attending.

The upcoming September MBSI
annual meeting in Detroit, MI, and
Canada was discussed with a show of
hands of those who planned to attend.

The next Chapter meeting will be
Oct. 7, at the lovely home of Gloria
Schack in Rancho Palos Verdes, CA.

There will be a combined AMICA
and MBSI Christmas party at the home
of Frank Nix in Woodland Hills, CA.
Details will be announced later.

After the conclusion of the business
meeting, the balance of the afternoon
was spent enjoying BrentÕs wonderful
collection. He is the ultimate host who
knows how to entertain his guests
and knows how to demonstrate and
explain everything about his musical
instruments. He is able to give an
educational tour that keeps his guests
spellbound. He demonstrates the
machines so we can really appreciate
the different arrangements and
formats.

Our photographer, Lowell Boehland,
was kept busy photographing BrentÕs

Meeting host Brent Hoag and Chapter Chair Robin Biggins with an upright 195/8-
inch Polyphon disc player with matching cabinet below to hold additional discs.

Robin Biggins with a knitting and rocking
automaton for show and tell.

Brent demonstrates a Reuge automaton that resembles Mozart.

Brent enjoys providing details about his
varied collection which includes carved
ivory (above), 1980s reproduction
Faberge eggs (left) and gorgeously-restored
cylinder music boxes (below).

56 MECHANICAL MUSIC January/February 2019

collection and Òrounding everyone upÓ
for our usual group photograph.

It was then time to thank our host
for an enjoyable afternoon and head
home in heavy freeway traffic. Brent
was very generous in sending leftovers
with us should we get stuck in heavy
traffic!

What a guy!!!

Brent shares details about one of his fat
cylinder music boxes.

Some of the music boxes in BrentÕs col-
lection have ornately-carved cases that
make the machines fascinating even
when the lids are closed.

Another shiny brass cylinder reflecting
the San Diego sunshine streaming in
through the windows.

From left to right: David Frank, Anita Lichtman, Don Caine, Phyllis DeSio, Ardis
Prescott, Gary Christoff, Mark De Sio, Gloria Schack, Brent Hoag and Robin Biggins.

Chapter members and guests watch as Brent describes the details of one of his
Faberge eggs.

A closeup of one of the carved ivory
pieces in BrentÕs collection.

Left to right: Ardis Prescott, Robin Biggins, David Frank and Anita Lichtman and
Gloria Schack enjoy a wonderful luncheon.

January/February 2019 MECHANICAL MUSIC 57

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devices of all description.
Player pianos
Reproduing pianos
Dance organs
Fairground organs
Nickelodeon pianos
The highest level of customer service plus private,
professional and confidential transactions.
Original historically
Correct techniques
And materials used
Throughout in the
Rebuilding process.
Benjamin R Gottfried
464 Dugan Road, Richfield Springs NY 13439
Bensplayerservice.com 315-858-2164

January/February 2019 MECHANICAL MUSIC 59

Stanton’s Upcoming Music Machine Auction Stanton’s Upcoming Music Machine Auction
To be held on the Barry County Fairgrounds, at 1350 M-37 Highway, Hastings, Michigan on:

Thursday, Friday & Saturday, April 25, 26 & 27, 2019

Accepting quality collections
and specialized itemsfor our Spring Event. Music
Boxes, Band organs, Phonographs,
roller organs, recordsand other fine examples of
automatic music machines.
Already included are 3 excellent
Band organs includinga North Tonawanda Model
182, Wurlitzer Model 146A,
and a smaller Wurlitzer unit,
phonographs including Edison
Operas, a rare Berlinertoy phonograph, Excellent
music boxes, fine Herzogand Salter record cabinets
and lots more.

Contact us to be included in our travel and pickup schedule and get your collections and machines in ourexcellent spring event. Between now and the time of the auction, we will be traveling from coast to coastacross the United States and throughout Canada.

Get your items included in this upcoming auction. StantonÕs will handle the cataloging, photography, packing,
insuring and moving of all collections, as well as the promotional and complete advertising process that will
bring serious and sincere collectors to the auction and collections that we will be offering.

Steven E. Stanton Ð 517-331-8150 cellular/days, or 517-852-0627 eveningsDirect E-mail -stevenEstanton@gmail.com

THANK YOU FOR ANOTHER FANTASTIC YEARÉ 2018 has produced over 170 individual auctions across
Michigan and brought in collections, items and buyers from around the UnitedStates, Canada and the World to our auctions. From interesting and small
events to $1,000,000 offerings of individual owner collections, we appreciateall of the interest and participation that everyone has placed in our auctions.
We hope to see all of you, and are able to make new friends and business
relationships, at our upcoming sales in 2019.
Many of you know us for our on-site and estate auctions, some for our largespecialized sales of phonographs and music boxes, others have seen us
selling antique automobiles, coin operated machines, gas enginesÉ maybeyou have attended our monthly firearm and military auctions, participated in

our petroliana, advertising and country store auctions, or possibly you have been one of the bidders or even sellers in one of the
specialized sales of Art Glass, Lamps, Pottery or auctions of antique furniture. Whatever, your involvement has been we want to thank

you for working with us during this past year, and permitting our firm to continue to grow and carry on what was started 64 years ago,
when William J. Stanton founded the business. Our firm has conducted over 7,500 individual auctions during this time and continue

to market all types of quality items throughout the state and around the countryÉtraveling from Coast to Coast working with sellers.
If you have collections that you are interested in selling, contact us to discuss our complete service. Referrals available.

THE MART THE MART
CLASSIFIED ADS

The first two words (or more
at your choice) and the memberÕs
name will be printed in all caps/bold
and charged at 60¢ per word.

Mechanical Music

Mechanical Music is mailed to all
members at the beginning of every
odd month Ñ January, March, May,
July, September and November.

MBSI Advertising Statement

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

http://www.mechanicalmusicpress.com

1928 WEBER 6Õ4Ó Duo Art Walnut Art Case
Louis XVI 80118 with original matching
bench. Finish in good condition, original ivory
keys, player restored 20 years ago but still
plays well. $8,500 Donald Huene, 7429 North
Valentine, Fresno CA 93711 (559) 431-1639,
yosemf@aol.com Contact: DONALD HUENE,
(559) 431-1639, yosemf@aol.com 7429 N
Valentine Ave Fresno, 93711-0643 United
States
AEOLIAN ORCHESTRELLE. Beautiful
restored walnut case with bench. 6 rolls.
Nelson Wiggins coin-op nickelodeon. Mills
Single Violano. Baciagalupo Barrel Operated
Monkey Organ. Several smaller music boxes.
Contact: BECKY SODERSTROM, (209) 6698709,
bannsode@gmail.com

ALL ADS MUST
BE PREPAID

We accept
VISA/MC and
Paypal.

ADVERTISING
DEADLINES:

The 1st day of
each even month:
Feb., Apr., Jun,
Aug., Oct. and
Dec.

VIOLANO VIRTUOSO Serial #260 44 key
piano, REGINA CORONA Style 34 27Ó
Automatic Changer, ENCORE AUTOMATIC
BANJO (reproduction), HOWARD BALDWIN

EDWARDIAN MAHOGANY Musical Longcase
Clock of exceptional quality. Attributed to
London makers J.J. Elliott Ltd, who were
synonymous with the highest quality work
ever produced in English clock making. This
supreme example built to regulator standards
sets the bar, with 7 different chimes
on a set of 9 Tubular Bells. Switches to a
different tune each day, if required. The clock
is currently in the UK. International Shipping
can be arranged. More photos on www.mbsi.
org. Contact: STEVE GREATREX 0044 7774
418 706 spg1@hotmail.co.uk

O-ROLL ORCHESTION collection of 75 rolls.
Excellent condition. $2500. Contact: ROBERT
WERTH, 208-920-3453, werth2b@yahoo.
com Sandpoint, ID 83864

62 MECHANICAL MUSIC January/February 2019

MERMOD IDEAL Sublime Harmony Cylinder
Music Box with Matching Table. Beautiful,
Large Oak. Excellent condition. Additional
cylinders. Previously owned by an original
founding member of the Musical Box Society.
Pictures, details available upon request. Contact:
SUE SALAS, 314 973-3034, jvtsalas@
yahoo.com United States

WANTED
REGINA 20-3/4 inch Changer in mahogany.
Prefer dragon front case in good operating
condition. Also looking for a Wurlitzer CX or

LOOKING TO BUY Grand Roller Organ
32-note cobs. Contact: DAVID COSMO, 845224-
6355, dave@cprdave.com

SERVICES
REPRODUCTION POLYPHON discs; Catalogs
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 Pennsylvania
Ave., Lomita, CA 90717-1516. Phone:

(310) 534-1557 Email: MBRCU@AOL.COM.
On the Web: www.musicboxrepaircenter.com
Display Advertisers

2 Renaissance Antiques
58 National Capital Chapter
59 BenÕs Player Piano Service
59 Chet Ramsay Antiques
59 Cottone Auctions
59 Gold Leaf Galleries
60 StantonÕs Auctions
61 Nancy Fratti Music Boxes
62 Bob Caletti Music Box
Restorations
63 Musical Box Society of Great
Britain (MBSGB)
66 Marty Persky
67 Morphy Auctions
68 Auction Team Breker

The Musical Box Society of Great Britain announces the publication of two new books
Published in September 2018
100pp Hard Back ISO A4 format [8.27Ó . 11.70Ó; Profusely illustrated in Supplement to colour throughout with Additional Illustrations of Models, 89 Additional Lid
The Disc Musical Box Pictures Additions to Lists of Models, Patents, Tune Lists & Serial Numbers;
Combined Index of Images in the original book and its Supplement. Compiled and Edited by
Kevin McElhone Originally published in 2012 and still available The Disc Musical Box
ISBN 978-0-9557869-6-9 is a compendium of information about Disc Musical Boxes, their Makers and
their Music; profusely illustrated in colour throughout with Illustrations of
each Disk Musical Box Model, and with Catalogue Scans, Lists of Models,
Patents & Tune Lists.
Supplement to 100pp Hard Back ISO A4 format [8.27Ó . 11.70Ó; Profusely illustrated in
colour throughout;Additional Illustrations of Models; Additions to Lists of The Organette Book Patents, Tune Lists & Tuning Scales; A New Section on Trade Cards;
Compiled and Edited by Combined Index of Images in the original book and its Supplement.
Kevin McElhone
ISBN 978-0-9557869-5-2 The Organette Book is a compendium of information about Organettes,
their Makers and their Music. Originally published in 2000 but now out of
print although second-hand copies are occasionally available in online
auctions.
************************************************************************************************************************
For all MBSGB Publications, please refer to the Musical Box Society of Great Britain website for further details including latest
availability, discounted prices and information on how to order. -www.mbsgb.org.uk

January/February 2019 MECHANICAL MUSIC 63

OFFICERS, TRUSTEES & COMMITTEES of the
MUSICAL BOX SOCIETY INTERNATIONAL¨

OFFICERS
President

Clay Witt
820 Del Rio Way Unit 303
Merritt Island, FL 32953
floridaclay@floridaclay.net

Vice President

Tom Kuehn
4 Williams Woods
Mahtomedi, MN 55115
kuehn001@umn.edu

Recording Secretary

David Corkrum
5826 Roberts Avenue
Oakland, CA 94605
musikwerke@att.net

Treasurer

Edward Kozak
3615 North Campbell Avenue
Chicago, IL 60618
kozak@seldenfox.com

TRUSTEES

John Bryant
Judy Caletti
Ed Cooley
Sally Craig
Wayne Finger
Tom Kuehn
Mary Ellen Myers
Mary Pollock
Clay Witt

BOARD ADVISER

Junichi Natori,
International Adviser

MBSI FUNDS

COMMITTEES
Audit

Edward Cooley, Chair, Trustee
Mary Pollock, Trustee

G.Wayne Finger, Trustee
Endowment Committee

Edward Kozak, Treasurer, Chair
Mary Pollock, Trustee
B Bronson

Executive Committee

Clay Witt, Chair, President
Tom Kuehn, Vice President
Mary Pollock, Trustee
Judy Caletti, Immediate Past Pres.
John Bryant, Trustee

Finance Committee

Edward Kozak, Chair, Treasurer
Wayne Wolf, Vice Chair
Tom Kuehn, Vice President
Judy Caletti, Trustee
Peter Both
B Bronson

Marketing Committee

Rob Pollock, Chair
John Bryant, Trustee

G.Wayne Finger, Trustee
Bob Smith
Meetings Committee

Tom Kuehn, Chair, Vice President
Mary Pollock, Trustee
Don Henry
Matt Jaro
Cotton Morlock
Rich Poppe

Membership Committee

Rob Pollock, Chair
Judy Caletti, Trustee, Immediate
Past President
Linda Birkitt, Southern California

Membership Committee
(cont.)

Museum Committee

Sally Craig, Chair, Trustee
John Bryant, Trustee
Ken Envall, Southern California
Julian Grace, Sunbelt
Wayne Myers, Southeast

Museum Sub-Committees

Ohio Operations
Emery Prior

Nominating Committee

Dan Wilson, Chairman
John Bryant, Trustee
Judy Caletti, Trustee
Mary Pollock, Trustee
Johnathan Hoyt
Judy Miller
Dale Tyvand
Bill Wineburgh

Publications Committee

Bob Caletti, Chair
Tom Kuehn, Vice President
Steve Boehck
Dave Corkrum
Christian Eric
Kathleen Eric
Terry Smythe

Publications
Sub-Committee

Website Committee
Rick Swaney, Chair
Julian Grace
B Bronson
Don Henry
Knowles Little, Web Secretary

Special Exhibits Committee

Wayne Myers, Chair

John Bryant, Trustee

David Corkrum, Golden Gate

Robert Ebert, Mid-America

Jack Hostetler, Southeast

Judy Miller, Piedmont

Mary Ellen Myers, Southeast

Rick Swaney, Northwest IntÕl

SPECIAL ACTIVITIES
Publications Back Issues:

Jacque Beeman

Regina Certificates:

Bob Yates

MBSI Pins and Seals:

Jacque Beeman

Librarian:

Jerry Maler

Historian:

Bob Yates

MBSI Editorial Office:

Iron Dog Media
130 Coral Court
Pismo Beach, CA 93449
editor@mbsi.org

64 MECHANICAL MUSIC January/February 2019

CALENDAR OF EVENTS

Date Event Location Sponsor
Jan. 18 -20, 2019 Southeast Chapter meeting Tampa, FL Mark Yaffee
Apr.5 -7, 2019 Southeast Chapter meeting Joint with COAA,
(Plus MBSI Trustees Mtg.)
Naples, FL Bob Yates
Aug 27-31, 2019 2019 MBSI Annual Meeting Rockville, MD National Capital Chapter

Please send dates for the Calendar of Events to Russell Kasselman (editor@mbsi.org)

CONTACTS

CHAPTERS

East Coast

Chair: Elise Low
(203) 457-9888
Dues $10 to Geoffrey Wilson
804 Appleton Way
Whippany, NJ 07981

Golden Gate

Chair: Jonathan Hoyt
(408) 214-9313
Dues $5 to Dave Corkrum
5826 Roberts Ave.
Oakland, CA 94605

Japanese International

Chair: Tomiju Endo x
+81-42-339-9099
Dues Japanese yen 4,000 to
Sadahiko Sakauchi
5-2-41 Nigawa-cho
Nishinomiya-shi
662-0811 Japan

Lake Michigan

Chair: Aaron Muller
(847) 962-2330
Dues $5 to James Huffer
7930 N. Kildare
Skokie, Illinois 60076

Mid-America

Chair: Rob Pollock
(937) 508-4984
Dues $10 to Harold Wade
4616 Boneta Road
Medina, OH 44256

National Capital

Chair: Matthew Jaro
(301) 482-2008
Dues $5 to Florie Hirsch
8917 Wooden Bridge Road
Potomac, MD 20854

Northwest International

Chair: Rick Swaney
(425) 836-3586
Dues $7.50/person to Kathy Baer
8210 Comox Road
Blaine, WA 98230

Piedmont

Chair: Vernon Gantt
(919) 264-2222
vgjr123@yahoo.com
Dues $10 to Vernon Gantt
PO Box 20238
Raleigh, NC 27619

Traveling MBSI Display
Bill Endlein
21547 NW 154th Pl.
High Springs, FL 32643-4519
Phone (386) 454-8359
sembsi@yahoo.com

Regina Certificates: Cost $5.
B Bronson
Box 154
Dundee, MI 48131
Phone (734) 529-2087
art@d-pcomm.net

Advertising for Mechanical Music
Russell Kasselman
Iron Dog Media
130 Coral Court
Pismo Beach, CA 93449
Phone (253) 228-1634
editor@mbsi.org

CHAPTERS

Snowbelt

Chair: Tracy Tolzmann
(651) 674-5149
Dues $10 to Gary Goldsmith
17160 – 245th Avenue
Big Lake, MN 55309

Southeast

Chair: Jack Hostetler
(352) 633-1942
Dues $5 to Clay Witt
820 Del Rio Way Unit 203
Merritt Island, FL 32953

Museum Donations
Sally Craig,
2720 Old Orchard Road
Lancaster, PA 17601
Phone (717) 295-9188
rosebud441@juno.com

MBSI website
Rick Swaney,
4302 209th Avenue NE
Sammamish, WA 98074
Phone (425) 836-3586
r_swaney@msn.com

Web Secretary
Knowles Little
9109 Scott Dr.
Rockville, MD 20850
Phone (301) 762-6253
kglittle@verizon.net

Southern California

Chair: Robin Biggins
(310) 377-1472
Dues $10 to Bob Lloyd
1201 Edgeview Drive
Cowan Hgts, CA 92705

Sunbelt

Chair: Ray Dickey
(713) 467-0349
Dues $10 to Mary Grace
13431 Grand Masterpiece
Houston, TX 77041

January/February 2019 MECHANICAL MUSIC 65

MARTY PERSKY

Instrument Brokering & Locating / Appraisals / Inspections / Free Consultation

Spectacular Ruth 38

Popper Felix Mortier 84 key CafŽ Hupfeld Helios II/25 Welte 4 Concert

Wurlitzer 850A Wurlitzer BX with Wonderlight Bow Front Violano Niemuth 45-Key Bacigalupo
Visit www.Mechmusic.com for information on these and other fine instruments.

T:847-675-6144 Email: Marty@Mechmusic.com

Closing date for entries: 1 March 2019
ÒAubade ˆ la LuneÓ
Automaton by
Gustave Vichy, c. 1890
Sold: 20,150 / $ 23,00
Nicole Frres Musical Box with Bells
and Chinoiserie Automata, c. 1885
Sold: 11,300 / $ 12,880
ÒStationÓ Musical Box Chalet
by Mermod Frres, c. 1900
Sold: 27,700 / $ 31,580
Grand Format
Variations Musical Box
by Nicole Frres, c. 1865
Sold: 26,370 / $ 30,850
Very Rare Symphonion
ÒNon Plus UltraÓ
Disc-Changing
Musical Box, c. 1900
Sold: 44,070 / $ 51,560
Silver-Gilt and Enamel
Singing Bird Box by
Charles Bruguier, c. 1845
Sold: 32,740 / $ 37,300
Monkey Fisherman
Automaton by
Jean Phalbois, c. 1884
Sold: 11,300 / $ 12,850
Exceptional Gold Musical Presentation
Snuffbox, c. 1810
Sold: 17,600 / $ 20,050
Rare Curved Musical Gold Snuffbox, c. 1812
Sold: 25,180 / $ 28,700
Superb Gold and
Enamel Musical Harp
Pendant, c. 1805
Sold: 36,500 / $ 41,600
Model 252 Twin-Disc
Symphonion, c. 1905
Sold: 18,900 / $ 21,500
Symphonion Eroica
Model 38A
Triple-Disc Musical
Hall Clock, c. 1895
Sold: 62,900 / $ 71,700
ÝÝMechanical Music
& AutomataÜÜ
WorldÕs Leading Specialty Auction of
Ð Illustrated are just a few of our highlights from 2018 Ð
Free consignment shipping to Germany Ð if delivered or sent to our location
in Garden City Park, NY 11040 (10 miles east of JFK Airport)
Free shipping for any major consignment from the U.K.! You just pack Ð we do the rest!
For more highlights and videos, visit www.Breker.com/New Highlights
or youtube.com/auctionteambreker
Fully-illustrated bilingual (Engl.-German) COLOUR Catalogue available against prepayment only:
Euro 28.Ð (Europe) or elsewhere Euro 37.Ð (approx. US$ 44.Ð / Overseas)
(Bank draft, cash or by Credit Card with CVV and expiry date: MasterCard/Visa/AmEx)
. Consignments for Future Auctions Always Welcome! .
Ð The Specialists in ÈTechnical AntiquesÇ Ð
P. O. Box 50 11 19, 50971 Koeln/Germany á Tel.: +49 / 2236 / 38 43 40 á Fax: +49 / 2236 / 38 43 430
Otto-Hahn-Str. 10, 50997 Koeln (Godorf)/Germany
e-mail: Auction@Breker.com á www.breker.com á Business Hours: Tue Ð Fri 9 am Ð 5 pm
PLEASE FEEL FREE TO CONTACT OUR INTERNATIONAL REPRESENTATIVES:
U.S.A.: Andrew Truman, Tel. (207) 485 8343 * AndrewAuctionTeamBreker@gmail.com
Australia & New Zealand: P. Bardenheier, (NZ), Tel./Fax (+64) (0)9 817 72 68 * dbarden@orcon.net.nz
Japan: Murakami Taizou, Tel./Fax (06) 68 45 86 28 * murakami@ops.dti.ne.jp á China: Jiang Feng, Tel. 138 620 620 75 * jiangfengde@gmail.com
Hong Kong, Taiwan, Singapore: Alex Shih-Chieh Lin, (HK), Tel. (+852) 94 90 41 13 * alexsclin@gmail.com
England: Tel. (0)777 963 7317 * AuctionTeamBrekerUK@outlook.de á France: Pierre J. Bickart, Tel. (01) 43 33 86 71 * AuctionTeamKoln@aol.com
Russia: Maksim Suravegin, Tel. +7 903 558 02 50 * Maksim-ATB.ru@gmx.net
Consignments are invited for our
Spring Auction on 18 May 2019

Volume 64, No. 6 November/December 2018

· November 1, 2018 ·

Mechanical Music
Mechanical Music
Journal of the Musical Box Society International
Devoted to All Automatic Musical Instruments
Volume 64, No. 6 November/December 2018

November/December 2018 MECHANICAL MUSIC 3
Volume 64, No. 6 November/December 2018
5 PresidentÕs Message
7 EditorÕs Notes
8 Special Exhibits
Committee Report
11 Recording Secretary
Report
18 Board of Trustees
Meeting Minutes
25 Annual Business Meeting
Minutes
58 In Memoriam
MBSI NEWS FEATURES
On the Cover
A 121-key Dance Hall Organ ÒPigalle,Ó that was originally built as a
101-key Mortier and can be seen at Bronson Musikalle., See Page 32.
MECHANICAL MUSIC
Journal of the Musical Box Society International
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 Directory
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 2018. The Musical Box Society International,
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
Devoted to All Automatic Musical Instruments
MBSI has replanted 32 trees so far as part
of the Print ReLeaf program.
12 Nickel Notes
32 A trip from the U.K. to
the annual meeting

The World of Mechanical Music The World of Mechanical Music
Copy this page, and give it to a potential new member. Spread the word about MBSI.

MEMBERSHIP APPLICATION

Last name First Name Initial

Last Name First Name Initial

Address

City

State / Zip

Postal Code / Country

Phone

Fax

E-mail

Sponsor (optional)

Check or Money Order Payable to: MBSI Treasurer (US Funds Only)
Mail to: New Member Registration – MBSI
PO Box 10196
Springfield, MO 65808-0196

Visa/MasterCard

Exp. Date CCV

Signature

Membership Dues

US members (per household)……………………………………….$60

Student Membership…………………………………………………….$20

(online journal access only)

Canada…………………………………………………………………………$70

Other International………………………………………………………$75

(Add $20 for International air mail.)

Join online: www.mbsi.org/join-mbsi

Member Benefits

Regional chapters and an Annual Meeting held each year
in different cities within the United States enable members
to visit collections, exchange ideas, and attend educational
workshops.

More Information:

Phone/Fax: (417) 886-8839

Email: jbeeman.mbsi@att.net

4 MECHANICAL MUSIC November/December 2018

By Clay Witt

MBSI President

The year is roaring by and will soon
end. Where did it all go? First of all,
I hope it went well for you and that
2019 will be a good year for you as
well. And of course, I wish you a joy-
filled holiday season with family and
friends.

As I am writing this, I have just
returned from our 2018 MBSI Annual
Meeting in Detroit, MI. Our Mid-America
Chapter did a really outstanding
job. The hotel, the food, and the tours
were all excellent. The closing banquet
had an outstanding 1940s style
big band for entertainment. We had
168 people attending. Thanks to
Mid-America Chapter Chair Rob
Pollock and to Dave Calendine and B
Bronson and the rest of the chapterÕs
annual meeting team.

On the tours were many fine
mechanical music instruments to
see and hear. This included the
largest surviving Wurlitzer theater
organ, I am told, at the beautiful,
fully-restored 1920Õs era Fox Theater.
The theater seats more than 5,000
people and is second only to Radio
City Music Hall in that regard. Dave
Calendine is, among other things, the
organist there. Fine collections of a
variety of instruments were seen in
tours at the homes of Henk and Irene
Noordermeer and at the Bronson
familyÕs ÒBronson Musikalle.Ó There
were more instruments as well as an
outstanding classic car collection to
enjoy at StahlÕs Automotive Foundation
museum. The accompanying
picture shows yours truly standing
by a magnificent Duesenberg Model J
there. You can read and see more from
the meeting in later pages of this issue.

If you have never been to an MBSI
annual meeting, I hope you will put it
on your calendar for 2019. The 2019
meeting will be held in the Washington,
DC, area Aug. 27-31, 2019. You can see
a great 10-minute preview video by
going to the ÒCalendar of EventsÓ page

on the MBSI website at www.mbsi.org.

One of our most important tasks
at MBSI is to get the word out to the
public about how great mechanical
music instruments are. The future of
our hobby depends on it! We cannot
get people to join our organization or
become mechanical music enthusiasts
if they have never seen the wonderful
machines we love.

One of the best things to come along
in recent years to accomplish this goal
is our Special Exhibits Committee
that gets mechanical music in view
of the public at various events. You
have seen stories about many of the
events here in the pages of Mechanical
Music. Efforts have ranged from
a month-long exhibit at the Orlando
Science Center viewed by thousands
to small presentations and workshops
to teach children about mechanical
music and all kinds of other things in

between. The chair of the committee is
Wayne Myers. He, along with his wife
Mary Ellen, have worked tirelessly
for some years getting the committee
up and running successfully. Literally
thousands of people have come to
learn about mechanical music as a
result.

Wayne has decided that after long
service it is time to turn his attention
to other things at the beginning of the
year (see WayneÕs report on Page 8 of
this issue), so we are looking for a new
Special Exhibits Committee chair. If
spreading the word about mechanical
music is important to you, I would ask
that you talk to Wayne about what the
job involves and seriously consider
taking on this very important roll. If
you think you might be interested, let
Wayne or me know.

Again I wish you all the best for the
holidays and the coming New Year!

MBSI MEMBERSHIP DRIVE
EACH ONE/REACH ONE NEW MEMBER

Please make copies of these forms as needed and send the completed forms with checks to the MBSI
administrator at the address listed below.

EditorÕs Notes EditorÕs Notes
By Russell Kasselman

MBSI Editor/Publisher

What a great year itÕs been. A total of
39 writers contributed to Mechanical
Music this year, several writing articles
in multiple issues. This is slightly
higher than the author count of 2017,
where we had 34 writers contributing.
ItÕs always great to see a mix of new
voices and veteran writers adding to
this great publication.

This issue features a wonderful
submission from Michael Clark, who,
along with his wife, Felicity, journeyed
to Detroit, MI, from the United Kingdom
to enjoy the 2018 MBSI Annual
Meeting. Michael shares his photos
and trip experience with us starting
on Page 32 of this issue. His report is
enhanced by wonderful photographs
sent in by Lowell Boehland, B Bronson,
Edward Cooley and Bob Caletti.

Recording Secretary David Corkrum
(read more from him on Page 11)
deserves the societyÕs continued gratitude
for his preparation of the MBSI
Board of Trustees meeting minutes
and the general business meeting minutes.
David is efficient and thorough
in capturing what was said and then

presenting it in a way that everyone
can understand and follow along with.

Closing out the year, I would also
like to thank the members who have
volunteered to help me proofread
the pages of this magazine prior to
it hitting the printing press. They are
an invaluable resource and a group I
would not want to do without. Their
efforts are essential to keeping these
pages wonderfully readable.

Looking ahead next year, I encourage
all members to contribute new
material for the journal, especially
restoration and maintenance articles.
We need details about how to provide
ongoing care for mechanical music
machines so they can be preserved for
years to come.

Also, donÕt forget that our journal
publishes articles about all types of
mechanical music, not just cylinder
boxes, disc boxes and orchestrions.
I think it would be excellent if we
received articles about player pianos,
musical clocks, bird boxes, automata,
phonographs, calliopes, band organs,
or any other type of instrument you
might have in your collection.

Happy New Year! I look forward to
hearing from you.

MAILING ADDRESS
MBSI Editorial/Advertising
130 Coral Court
Pismo Beach, CA 93449
EMAIL ADDRESS
editor@mbsi.org
PHONE
(253) 228-1634

Welcome new members!
August 2018
Amy Autenreith & Kerrie Lyoob
Chattanooga, TN
Claude & Mary Clerc
Marlborough, MA
J & Janet Gulledge
Fort Myers, FL
Joseph Prindle
Baraboo, WI
Susana van der Klei
Utrecht, Utrecht
James Pollowitz
Clinton, CT
Gerald & Susan Corby Septebmer 2018Nottingham, PA
Jack RobsonRory Lehman
Bodfish,CALaurel, MD
Mark StavskyLoretta Detweiler
Cincinnati, OHSellersville, PA
Cynthia PettiJames Beatty
South Chatham, MAGreenwood Village, CO
Mark & Tracey Singleton Steve & Cheryl Kosakura
Poulton-le-fylde, Lancashire Tustin, CA
Donald Tendrup Michael Dreyer
Setauket, NYSan Bruno, CA

Have a suggestion?

Send it in via email to editor@mbsi.org or drop us a note to the MBSI Editorial Offices at 130 Coral Court, Pismo Beach, CA 93449.

November/December 2018 MECHANICAL MUSIC 7

Special Exhibits Committee Special Exhibits Committee
By Wayne Myers

Committee Chair

This past year has been one of
the busiest for the Special Exhibits
Committee. Before I share all our
activities, I would like to thank the
MBSI Board of Trustees and its members
for supporting this endeavor.
The committee was launched with
an elaborate exhibit at the Orlando
Science Center in 2010. Since then,
we have shown up and exhibited at
many venues but we found our true
home base at The Villages in Central
Florida. We hold several events in the
community every year ending with a
three-day holiday show in December
that includes more than 20 MBSI
members, all of whom bring many
instruments and displays with them.
The event regularly draws 1,000 or
so attendees from The Villages, other
local communities, and families who
might be visiting from far away. Read
about our past exhibits at these events
in the Mechanical Music archives, and
on our Southeast Chapter website.

Now, before I share more about our
committeeÕs efforts, I feel that I need to
let you know I will be stepping down
as the committee chair at the end of
the year. I am certainly not quitting
MBSI or the Southeast Chapter, but it
is time for me to let someone else take
the lead for Special Exhibits. I spent
a good number of hours launching
and running this committee as well as
serving as a society trustee. I am still
committed to the societyÕs mission of
reaching out to the next generations
through our events, but now I will get
to do it as a happy participant instead 1, the January/February 2018 issue of Myers, featuring the classical music
of an organizer. Mechanical Music. of a school youth orchestra. Proceeds

Looking back at my time as part We also held several events with from the event went to a Sarasota
of this great group, IÕve been privi-The Showfolks of Sarasota, FL, a club middle school to enhance their music
leged to see mechanical music being of circus artists and executives who program with newer instruments. One
presented in many different ways. A maintain a clubhouse and dance hall year, we attended a national ÒMakers
recent example was a demonstration in the city. These outings are also FareÓ which was a three-day event in
and teaching session at a home detailed in past issues of this publica-Orlando, FL, where we helped people
school in North Carolina. Judy Miller tion. Further, we held a show and tell assemble and decorate their own small
arranged and conducted this event, benefit exhibit with the Sarasota arts music box while telling them about
You can read about it in Vol. 64 No. community, organized by Mary Ellen the hobby. Most recently, two events

Wayne Myers with a gorgeous Ducommun Girod cylinder box circa 1852.

The holiday show at The Villages, FL, draws many visitors, both young and old.

8 MECHANICAL MUSIC November/December 2018

Mary Ellen Myers working the booth at the Italian Days festival in The Villages, FL.

were held at historical period homes.

Read about the display at the Lorain

County Historical Society holiday dis

play in Vol. 64 No. 2, the March/April

2018 edition of Mechanical Music.
Jack Hostetler, a Southeast Chapter

member, writes this about his Mar. 24,

2018 display in Wildwood, FL, at the

Baker House Heritage Festival.

ÒThe Baker House, dating back
to 1892, and occupied well into the
20th century, was home to a Florida
state senator. It is still undergoing
restoration but is open through the
year for tours.

The house consists of a two-story
main house, and a separate two-story
building containing a kitchen and
two bedrooms on the second floor.

The Heritage festival featured tours
of both buildings, food and music
outside, and people dressed in period
costume, including Civil War Confederate
military. Docents throughout
the buildings were also in period
costumes.

I set up my display of a Roller
Concert Organ and an Edison Home
Phonograph, both dating to 1905,
in the first-floor main sitting room.
Many people attended the festival and
toured the house, all stopping by my
display as they went through. All
were very pleased with my demonstration
of the two machines and the
history that went with them.

I have been invited to set up future

Wayne (top) and Mary Ellen prepare
music box kits for a summer camp
workshop at The Villages, FL.

Participants decorate music box kits at
the summer camp.

easy one to duplicate if you happen to
be holding a music box making event.
We even got media coverage from a

A docent in period costume listens to
an Edison phonograph at the Baker
House. The exhibit was put on by Jack
Hostetler.

exhibits including Christmas open
house events in December. I will
bring other members of the Villages
Mechanical Music Society club and/
or MBSI members with me to future
open house events, and will have
something on display in several
rooms of the house.Ó

For the last five years, one of our
signature events has been the summer
camp at The Villages. Our most recent
camp occurred on Jul. 17. Each year
we have honed this event and this year
was no exception. On Page 10, there
is a photo of a display board with the
same cylinder mechanism we provide
for the kit. This hands-on work board
helps children and their grandparents
relate to the internal workings of the
simple yet complex mechanism of a
cylinder music box. The project is an

November/December 2018 MECHANICAL MUSIC 9

local newspaper about the camp and
through that article we were able to let
even more people know about MBSI.

Speaking of events, we have exhibited
for five years running at Italian
Day in The Villages, which includes a
parade and outdoor booths. Our display
includes a band organ and several
cylinder and disc boxes for people to
hear and see.

In closing out my time with the
Special Exhibits Committee, IÕm glad
to know that we have explored many
outlets to share our hobby with the
public at large across generations.
Each of these events have resulted
in new people being introduced to
mechanical music and weÕve even
gained some new members along the
way. I look forward to seeing what the
next chair of this committee does with
the opportunity.

Participants at one of the summer camps in The Villages work on their strip-reader
project together.

A display board detailing the parts of
a mechanical music movement was
prepared by Mary Ellen Myers and dis-
played at Special Exhibits Committee
events.

The strip reader project parts are simple and easy to assemble and help teach peo-
ple how mechanical music works.

WE WANT YOUR STORY!

10 MECHANICAL MUSIC November/December 2018

Recording Secretary Recording Secretary
David W. Corkrum

Recording Secretary

Greetings to the members of the
Musical box Society International. My
name is David Corkrum and I have
been your recording secretary for the
past 13 years. In September 2004, then
MBSI Vice President Carla Wiemer,
who was also the recording secretary,
asked me if I would consider becoming
the acting recording secretary just
until the Nominating Committee could
find a replacement for her. Carla was
taking over as president in the fall of
2005 and didnÕt feel she could do both
jobs effectively. I was membership
co-chair at the time but agreed to take
the position. In April 2005, at the midyear
meeting in New Orleans, LA, Joan
Seitz was nominated to the position of
recording secretary.

Apparently, this did not work out for
Joan, for I was again asked to be the
acting recording secretary. I was later
nominated to take over that position in
August 2006. Of course, I asked to be
relieved of my membership co-chair
responsibilities and Ardis Prescott
was selected for that position.

Since then, I have written the minutes
for every MBSI meeting, which
includes both the mid-year meeting,
the annual meeting and one or two
teleconference meetings. It has been a
privilege to work in this position and
being involved with the Board of Trustees
has been wonderful. Even though
I have no voting privileges, I have
been able to express my ideas to the
trustees and officers. Plus, I am there
to help to keep meetings on track.
The best part is at the end of the day
the only thing I have to worry about
is delivering the minutes. IÕm not on
the hook for any of the decisions that

get made. IÕm just there to accurately
put down what happened. During
my time as recording secretary, IÕve
been part of committees that rewrote
society bylaws and the Policies and
Procedures that direct activities for
all society officers. I was also on the
committee to select our current editor/
publisher for the journal.

Now, some of you might think taking
minutes can be very difficult. I admit,
at first, it was. It would take me five
to seven days to complete a first draft.
But, during this time, I learned that
statements and reports prepared by
the trustees or committee chairs were
often repeated with minor updates
from prior sessions. I soon found that
I could pull up a copy of the minutes
from the previous meeting, change the
heading and dates and then type in
the pertinent facts about the current
meeting. This saved me some serious
time. Presently it takes me about three
days to complete a draft and get it out
for approval.

This year marks my 13th as recording
secretary. At the 2018 mid-year
meeting I informed the board that after
the 2020 annual meeting, which will be
my 15th year, I will not accept another
nomination to this position. I believe
giving the Nominating Committee two
years notice will be sufficient time to
allow the society to find and educate
a replacement. I would be honored to
have a new soon-to-be recording secretary
at my side during the remaining
meetings that I would report on. This
way, the transition is smooth and most
of the creases in the paper have been
ironed out.

If you, as a member of this great
society, feel that you could work in
this position, please contact the MBSI
president and advise him of your
interest. You can also contact me
if you have any questions. This is a
great position to hold. I have had the
respect of all the trustees, committee
chairs and chapter chairs and you, the
membership. As our new recording
secretary, you could have that too.

As you can see from the pictures, I
have aged quite a bit since taking this
on!

Thank you!

Advertise in The Mart: Have some spare parts or extra rolls taking up the space where you should be installing
your next acquisition? Get the word out to other collectors by advertising in The Mart, an effective advertising tool at an
inexpensive price. Place your advertisement at www.mbsi.org, or email editor@mbsi.org to get started.

November/December 2018 MECHANICAL MUSIC 11

Nickel Notes

By Matthew Jaro

One of the most wonderful things to
see in a mechanical music collection
is the instruments and other antiques
displayed in a beautiful setting. The
home of Durward Center in Baltimore,
MD, is staggering in its authenticity
and beauty. When you enter the house,
your eyes cannot take in all the meticulous
detail that Durward imparted
to the dŽcor. I have been there many
times and each time is like the first.
The sense of wonder is so great.
Each time I notice more things that I
have never fully taken in before. You
think IÕm exaggerating? Wait until you
see the pictures in this article. They
donÕt even begin to do justice to this
collection.

Biography

DurwardÕs nickname is ÒDoobie.Ó
I have often been curious about the
origin of this, and he told me it was a
hand-me-down from his father whose
initials were ÒDBÓ and became known
as ÒDoobie.Ó Durward, of course, was
little ÒDoobie.Ó Durward was born in
Richmond, KY, in 1949. Readers of this
column will know that I ask everybody
how they got interested in mechanical
music. Durward was no exception.
Even before grade school he was
interested in mechanical devices. He
collected old electric fans, burned
out light bulbs and clocks (whatever
he could find in the trash can) and
he would take them all apart and put
them back together.

Durward was 12 years old when
he discovered the pipe organ in his
church. It was a new Reuter pipe
organ, installed in 1962, and Durward
was smitten. He decided he had to
have one until he realized what it cost.

Durward Center

Not to be defeated, he gathered up
some used pipes and parts and built a
little electric action pipe organ in his
parentsÕ garage. He tried to learn how
to play it but quickly realized that this
was not where his talents were. He had
no piano background. He happened to
come across a pipe organ roll player
built by the Mšller Company in the
1930s. It was an electric device that
could be wired into any pipe organ,
and so he wired it into his little pipe
organ and voilˆ he had roll-played
music.

Durward continued his hobby all
through high school and into college.
He majored in communications and
industrial electronics. At that point he
was doing church organ work on the
side. He got summer jobs with a couple
of different pipe organ companies
doing tuning and restoration. Through
one of the pipe organ people, Durward
was introduced to the Smithsonian

Institution in Washington, DC. He was
fortunate to get a job right out of college
for the music machines exhibit,
called ÒMusic Machines, American
StyleÓ which ran from 1971 to 1973. He
did the maintenance and restoration
there. They had quite an assortment of
music boxes, radios, coin pianos and
reproducing pianos at the museum. It
was a great place to work. He learned
a lot of different techniques there.

When the music exhibit closed,
Durward struck out on his own doing
restoration work on mechanical
music machines. He started this as
a moonlighting occupation, living
in Alexandria, VA, and renting shop
space there. By 1976 he decided he
wanted to buy a house, but he couldnÕt
afford the Washington area. ThatÕs
when he was introduced to Baltimore.
The house was a big space in an urban
neighborhood, but Durward had
already collected some large pieces
and furniture and needed somewhere
to put them. HeÕs been in the house
ever since.

Machines

Durward is well known as an expert
in Welte orchestrions. It would be fair
to say he is THE expert. So, I asked
him how he got interested in these
machines, since they are among the
rarest of the orchestrions, with only
a few surviving examples. It turns
out that when Durward was in high
school and interested in pipe organs,
he somehow got on the mailing list of
the Vestal Press (have we heard this
before?). That helped solidify his
focus toward mechanical music. He
was also on the mailing list for Hathaway
and Bowers, and there he saw

12 MECHANICAL MUSIC November/December 2018

machines that were for sale! But, alas,
for a little kid in Kentucky, one thousand
dollars might as well have been
ten thousand. Durward lusted after
the instruments and each catalog was
just a treat. He wanted everything he
saw. He bought all the catalog reprints
that Vestal Press issued, including a
Welte catalog. The Weltes were very
appealing. They combined everything
he liked in one package: not only a pipe
organ, but brass trumpets, ornately
carved cases and a fancy roll frame.
Durward fell in love even though it
was years before he actually heard the
sound of a Welte and that experience
was simply the icing on the cake.

His first Welte acquisition was
an orchestrion he bought in Ithaca,
NY, about 1972, from a man named
Galpin, who was an older collector.
It was an Imhof & Mukle barrel organ
converted to play Welte rolls. It was
a basket case, but it was affordable.
Durward drove to GalpinÕs home in
a snow storm with a U-Haul truck,
brought the organ back and put it all
together to ascertain what it needed.
He did some work on it, but never
got around to fully restoring it. Then
Durward got a Style 1 from Jim
Wells (a collector in Virginia). It was
completely intact and in real nice
unrestored condition.

In London, in 1985, Durward located
the Style 5 he presently owns. At that
point in time, there were no larger
Weltes known, so his would be the
biggest. He decided to sell everything
he owned (except the house) in order
to buy it. The Style 1 went to Emory
Prior; the early Welte went to Ken Gordon,
who has since resold it. He had a
Regina changer that went to Kentucky.
Durward then bought the Style 5 from
Norman Evans in London. It was in
very nice playing condition. Evans
had done a restoration on it. What he
had done, he had done very well, but
he didnÕt take it to that last step. He
didnÕt do anything that Durward had
to undo, but he never worked on the
pouches and valves in the stack. They
were playing pretty good at the time
but 10 years later, Durward had to
redo them. The instrument is 13 feet
tall (the ceiling is 16 feet). He designed
a new room specifically for the organ

The Welte Style 5 Orchestrion nearly reaches the ceiling in Orchestrion Hall.

and he called it ÒOrchestrion Hall.Ó chance to get new rolls. Play-Rite did

DurwardÕs Style 5 came with 200 the bulk of the cutting. Art Reblitz,
original rolls. He and Dick Hack have Wayne Holton, and Tom Meijer (in the
recut all of them, so that everybody Netherlands) have all arranged new
who has a 75-key machine can have a rolls for the machine.

November/December 2018 MECHANICAL MUSIC 13

A closeup of the spool frame shows the high level of detail and excellent restoration

done on the Welte Style 5 Orchestrion.

Durward also has a 1906 Welte cabinet
piano that he bought from Evans
in London. It took about 12 years to
get it. At first, Evans didnÕt want to
sell it and Durward had his hands full
with the Style 5. He liked the Italian
Renaissance style case which was a
good match for his other instruments.
Durward finally bought the machine a
few years after Evans died. Right now,
it needs a full restoration and is on his
list.

Restored recently is the 100-key
Welte Philharmonic (see Mechanical
Music May/June 2017). Other recent
restorations included a Style 2 Welte
Cottage Orchestrion. Current projects
include the Hershey Park Style 153
band organ and the Wurlitzer Caliola
for the National Cathedral. The Asa
Packer Mansion in Jim Thorpe, PA,
accepted his proposal for the restoration
of a Welte Style 3 Cottage
orchestrion. This is one of three original
Welte installations in the U.S. All
this when Durward considers himself
retired!

DurwardÕs most recent acquisition
is a French barrel organ with brass
trumpets, two bells and a tambourine
including one 31-key barrel, manufactured
by Remy and Grobert about
1860. It needs wind chest and bellows
restorations.

Durward also has a 65 key Hooghuys

street organ which he obtained from
the estate of Mike Kitner.

Welte Orchestrions

Durward has restored many types
of machines, but he has restored 16
Weltes over the years and this has
become his specialty. He doesnÕt do
piano work. Styles 1 through 3 are
called Cottage Orchestrions. Styles 4
through 10 are Concert Orchestrions.
Even though Welte made Style 10s,
nothing larger than a 7 is known to
exist. The only known Style 7 is in
the KingÕs summer palace (Castle
Pelesch), Sinaia, Romania. There are
five Style 6s extant and Durward has
restored three of them. Three are in
private collections, the Frick Mansion
ÒClaytonÓ in Pittsburgh, PA, and one
last seen in a closed, private museum
in Ravenna, Italy. This one is not
accessible.

Durward has brought five Weltes
from Europe for various clients in the

U.S. and restored them.
Other Interests

In addition to his work on Welte
orchestrions, Durward has restored
a wide variety of mechanical organs
including a Style 38 Ruth, several large
Mortier and Bursens dance organs
and numerous Wurlitzer band organs.
A few of these organs are still on

A French barrel organ with brass trumpets
currently being restored.

carousels and one is a large traveling
Ruth organ for a carnival.

Among non-musical devices,
DurwardÕs interest in early electric
fans came first as a little kid. He then
revived his interest in the 1970s when
he saw his first brass bladed fan.
Durward also has vintage ceiling fans
that are really wonderful. About 1985,
Durward thought ÒTower clocks are
pretty neat. I should have one.Ó Now
he has three, and he has bought and
sold maybe a dozen over the years
restoring them for other clients,
including Jasper Sanfilippo and Bob
Gilson.

Orchestrion Hall was built in 2001
because Durward wanted to expand
his music machine collection and
have a great space to show them. He
was always interested in architecture
and he knew what style he liked. His
house was built in 1883. There was a
yard and a two-story carriage house.
This was just a plain squat building.
In 1948, the carriage house was
converted to offices and connected
to the main house. He removed the
second floor of the carriage house and
the faade down to the street level.
Then he designed the new building in
a sort of train station/brewery 1870s
architecture.

Durward has a Ruston and Hornsby
oil engine from 1912. It has 12.

14 MECHANICAL MUSIC November/December 2018

horsepower and was designed to run
a generator.

Restoration Philosophy and
Experience

Durward takes pride in restoring the
instruments with the greatest respect,
using traditional techniques and materials
that the original builders would
have approved of, with the goal of
not only making them sound like they
did when they were new, but making
them look like they did when they
were new. He considers them works
of art in their own right. He feels that
a good restorer should be a technician
with knowledge of both the historical
nature and the operating functions
of the instrument he is restoring, and
the ability to reproduce any missing
or damaged components required in
a historically-accurate manner. An
artistic bent is helpful in the cosmetic
portions of the restoration. Durward
has observed that some rebuilders
try to improve on the design of components;
however, the guys who built
those machines knew what they were
doing. Usually, these changes are
unnecessary and certainly historically
incorrect. On the rare occasion that
Durward has tried something different,
it usually doesnÕt work, and he
winds up saying Òso thatÕs why they
did it like that.Ó A problem today is
that some of the leathers just donÕt
last as long as they used to. DurwardÕs
Style 5 and Ken GoldmanÕs Style 6 still
have some of the original leather on
their pumps.

Some orchestrions Durward
restored were in rough basket-case
condition. Jim KrughoffÕs late Style
2 Welte had been ÒremuddledÓ into
something that bore little resemblance
to anything. It required major
research and reconstruction to bring
it back to life. Another challenge was
a Style 6 that came out of Budapest.
In the 1950s and 60s the mechanism
had been modified to play several different
roll frames. It had a xylophone
on top, three roll frames, and maybe
a keyboard on it. The case was found
in situ with a door cut into it and used
as a wardrobe. The bellows were
taken by another hobbyist in Budapest.
Durward tried to buy it in the

The restored Welte Philharmonic Organ that took Durward 20 years to complete.

1980s. There was the Iron Curtain to
contend with, the owner was old and
didnÕt speak English and was afraid of
dealing outside the country. Finally,
Siegfried Wendel went to Budapest.
The old guy who owned the Welte
had died. All the stuff he had, the pipe
work, wind chest and roll frame were
on the back porch out in the weather
and about ready to go to the dump.
Siegfried found the instrument, and
the original case, (still being used as

a wardrobe). He got the bellows back
from the other guy who had also died.
Mark Yaffe bought it all from Siegfried
and eventually Durward restored it.

The strangest thing Durward has
restored was a masticating machine
for a dental museum. This was a
device with false teeth and machinery
around it to simulate the exact motion
of chewing. It had duct work in it to
pump simulated saliva in.

He has had hosted visits from the

November/December 2018 MECHANICAL MUSIC 15

This view inside Orchestrion Hall shows the Knabe Ampico A piano, the Hooghuys Band Organ from the estate of Mike Kitner
(rear) , a Style 2 Welte Cottage orchestrion in the process of being restored (foreground right), a Balzer Family tower clock (foreground
left) and a Howard tower clock (middle right).

The outside of DurwardÕs house showing
the dragon and the Seth Thomas
A peek inside DurwardÕs workshop where the magic happens. tower clock.

16 MECHANICAL MUSIC November/December 2018

This view of the interior of Orchestrion Hall shows the Style 5
Welte at the far end of the room.

Durward winds the Seth Thomas tower clock

This Burdett Reed Organ, restored by Durward, was on display
at the Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia, PA.

MBSI, the National Watch and Clock
CollectorsÕ Association, the Maryland
Timekeepers Association, the Young
Victorian Society, the American Guild
of Organists, the American Theatre
Organ Society and many other groups.
He is more than happy to share his
collections with people that like to
look at them.

Durward Center can be reached at
welteboy.st5@verizon.net.

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 Automatic Musical
Instrument CollectorsÕ Association
(AMICA). Originally printed in the
March/April 2012 issue of The AMICA
Bulletin.

November/December 2018 MECHANICAL MUSIC 17

TrusteesÕ Meeting Minutes

MBSI Annual Meeting – Detroit, MI, Aug. 28, 2018

Left to right: Mary Ellen Myers, Ed Cooley, Recording Secretary David Corkrum, Sally Craig, MBSI President Clay Witt, Wayne
Finger, Mary Pollock, John Bryant, Immediate Past President Judy Caletti, MBSI Vice President Tom Kuehn.

These minutes will be official when
approved and voted on during the
mid-year trusteeÕs meeting in 2019.

The meeting was convened at 9:01

a.m. Present: Clay Witt, President
presiding; Judy Caletti, Tom Kuehn,
Sally Craig, John Bryant, Wayne Finger,
Ed Cooley, and Mary Ellen Myers.
(eight present of nine, a quorum). Also
present: Recording Secretary, David
Corkrum.
1. The minutes of the Mar. 16, 2018
Trustees meeting, held in Phoenix,
AZ, were published in Vol. 64, No. 3
of Mechanical Music. There were no
corrections, additions or deletions.
Trustee Craig moved, seconded by
Trustee Caletti, to approve the minutes.
The motion passed.
2. President Witt presented additional
information on the English
translation of the book ÒMusic Boxes
of Prague and Vienna.Ó The translation
is moving forward, but he does not
expect this to be finished until sometime
next year.

3. Secretary Corkrum presented the
current Board Actions for review.
4. Trustee Kuehn presented the
vice presidentÕs report. All the award
recipients have been notified. As of
today, four of the five award winners
are planning to attend the meeting and
receive their award personally. One of
the Unsung Hero award recipients is
unable to attend. A PowerPoint slide
presentation is being prepared to provide
more background information
on each recipient as the awards are
being presented during the Awards
Luncheon. The plaques and engraved
brass plates for the permanent displays
have been received.
All chapter chairs have been notified

that they need to submit their chapter
reports that will be available for viewing
in the hospitality room. The vice
presidentÕs report was received.

5. President Witt presented the
administratorÕs report. The current
membership as of Jun. 30, 2018 is
1,273. Memberships as of Jun. 30, 2017
were 1,333. For the 2017 calendar
year, there were 41 new memberships,
28 of which came from the website (68
percent).
Because of the voucher program,
MBSI gained seven new memberships
as of June 2018. New member lists are
sent each month to the chapter chairs,
trustees, and Membership Committee
coordinators and to the Membership
Committee chair. The gift/sponsor
program was initiated in July 2008,
resulting in 123 new members through
Jun. 30, 2018. Each sponsor receives

18 MECHANICAL MUSIC November/December 2018

a thank you post card and is added
to the $5 discount program. Also,
questionnaires were sent to those
members who are on the 90 days past
due non-renewal list.

For the period of Jul. 1, 2017 to Jun.
30, 2018, Lawrence Crawford is the
member recipient of a free renewal
for sponsoring two new members and
Don Caine is the dealer member recipient
of a free renewal for sponsoring
two new members. The report was
received.

Trustee Mary Pollock joined the
meeting.

6. Trustee Cooley presented the
Audit Committee report.
An annual review was conducted
by CPA Cinda L. Rodgers on Jul. 16,
2018. Rodgers found that the societyÕs
financial status is in order and in
accordance with generally accepted
accounting principles in the U.S.

Two issues were brought up at the
mid-year meeting: (1) Comparison of
book inventories and other sale items
to reported income, and (2) Comparisons
of membership data with
amounts received for membership
dues.

Issue 1 has been minimized since all
book inventories, other than the MBSI
Golden Anniversary book, will be disbursed
by Sept. 1, 2018. There are 28
copes of the Golden Anniversary book
remaining. Pins, Seals, and certificates
revenue for the first six months total
$90. In the future, an annual audit will
be performed on all items the society
has for sale.

Issue 2 refers to the efforts to put
in place appropriate Audit Committee
policies and procedures (P&P). The
committee believes the scope of this
assignment transcends the background
and professional training of its
members. Input will be required from
outside the committee to complete
this task accurately. The report was
received.

7. The Meetings Committee report
was presented by Chair Tom Kuehn.
The Annual Meeting schedule is as
follows:
¥ 2018-Mid America Chapter
¥ 2019-National Capital Chapter
¥ 2020-Golden Gate Chapter
¥ 2021-Southeast Chapter

¥ 2022-Southern California Chapter
¥ 2023-Lake Michigan Chapter
Trustee Kuehn reported that a draft
of the updated meetings manual is
nearly complete and is undergoing
review. The intent is to maintain
the manual on the website for ready
access. A hard copy will be maintained
by the committee. Requests for a hard
copy will be honored. All necessary
forms available on line will have a Òfill
in on lineÓ capability.

Joint meetings with other societies
are under discussion with possible
partnerships with the Carousel Organ
Association of America (COAA) in
2021 and the Automatic Musical
Instrument CollectorsÕ Association
(AMICA) again in 2022.

The audiovisual section of the meetings
manual has been updated. The
responsibilities of the host chapter
are to organize the equipment needed
by guest speakers, room and time
assignments for each speaker, signed
A/V release forms, and which presentations
are suitable for recording. The
report was received.

8. Membership Committee Chair
Rob Pollock presented his report. At
this point Trustee Caletti brought up
the Òlimited timeÓ website offer of $15
off a new membership. Chair PollockÕs
committee recommended that this
be made permanent. Trustee Finger
moved, seconded by Trustee Caletti,
to make the offer permanent. The
motion passed. Secretary Corkrum
will rewrite the motion to be included
in the P&P. This will then be presented
at the 2019 mid-year meeting.
MBSI membership levels have been
decreasing at a net rate of 3 percent
per year since 1990. At the current rate,
the society will have zero members in
just over 20 years. The Membership
Committee has partnered with the
Marketing Committee to encourage
persons that have never belonged to
MBSI to join. Three efforts have been
engaged since the 2017 meeting: social
media, student membership, and
training for chapter leadership. The
committee has posted three articles,
each linked to mechanical music
videos and advertised national and

chapter meetings on social media. At
this time only one student membership
has been requested. On Jul. 18,
2018, the committee met telephonically
to discuss trends and ways to
encourage member retention. No new
suggestions were proffered.

The committee members are contacting
new members and reviewing
the list of non-renewals to assure that
there is no mistake or oversight.

The committee recommends a complete
overhaul of the welcome package
and chapter welcome procedures.
This part has not been accomplished
for the international organization.

Trustee Caletti suggested that our
outreach include local schools, colleges
and universities. A flyer could be
made with some sort of catchy phrase,
include pictures and more importantly,
a QR code so that students
could see and hear several different
instruments. She recommends that
this could be accomplished through
the societyÕs chapters and the flyers
could be posted in the respective
student unions as well as music and
engineering departments. Other
recommendations were to talk about
our instruments on other social media
outlets, which young people use more
often and a final suggestion of creating
a ring tone that could be put on our
cell phones.

The report was received.

9. Marketing Committee Chair Rob
Pollock presented his report. During
the past year, two programs were
initiated to increase public awareness
of the society with the intention of
increasing long-term membership.
These were the auction house certificates
and the dealer/restorer
certificates. Although neither program
has met expectations, the committee
recommends continuation of both
programs. The report was received.
10. Treasurer Ed Kozak gave the
Finance Committee report via teleconference.
For the year ending Dec. 31,
2017, total fund balances increased by
$6,128. Fund balances totaled $714,443
of which $405,128 was unrestricted.
Dues revenue was $79,391 compared
to $83,070 in 2017. Income from the
2017 annual meeting was $198. The
change in net fund balances was an
November/December 2018 MECHANICAL MUSIC 19

increase of $5,119 and membership
decreased by about 5 percent.

The Endowment Committee
reported the fund balance to be
$152,100 which was an increase of
$934. There are two certificates of
deposit totaling $152,000 that mature
in August 2020 and May 2021 at a rate
of 1.9 percent and 2.9 percent. The
accumulated interest income for the
fund is $45,714 of which two-thirds
or $30,478 is available for approved
projects or programs. No project
or program requests have been
submitted.

Because of the required implementation
of financial accounting standards,
the format for financial statements
has changed. Net asset classes were
reduced from three (unrestricted;
temporarily restricted; permanently
restricted) to two (without donor
restrictions; with donor restrictions).
All not-for-profits must report
expenses by nature and function.

The Finance Committee discussed
the 2019 budget. The largest expense
involves publishing the bi-monthly
journal. Although they agreed that
it is an outstanding publication, the
current deficit runs at $47,000. There
was discussion about cutting back to
a quarterly publication.

Treasurer Kozak asked if there were
any adjustments to be made. There
were none. Trustee Craig moved, seconded
by Trustee Myers to approve
the 2019 annual budget. The motion
passed.

There was also a discussion among
the trustees about the need to raise
awareness of the existence and purpose
of the Endowment Fund among
our MBSI members, perhaps with an
article in the journal. The reports were
received.

11. Museum Committee Chair Sally
Craig presented her report. Since the
March meeting all incoming inventory
in the last year is safely stored at
the American Treasure Tour (ATT)
museum. The baby grand player
piano that moved from Lockwood
Mathews Mansion (LMM) to Glenn
CraterÕs home has been repaired.
The loan agreement with the Musical
Instrument Museum (MIM) has been
extended for two years. The MBSI
library is housed in a room within
the ATT museum. However, there
have been problems with excessive
moisture and heat during this summer.
Chair Craig will be discussing this
with the owner to see if another room
can be secured for the library. There is
also the possibility of scanning these
books to preserve the information.
Funds for this could come from the
accumulated endowment interest.

The current inventory of society-
owned instruments has been
cataloged on the website as a database.
Authorized society individuals
will have full access, but only limited
information will be available to the
general public for security and donor
privacy reasons. The report was
received.

12. Trustee Caletti presented the
Nominating Committee report. The
nominations for officers and trustees
to be presented for approval at the
2018 annual meeting, as recommended
by the Nominating Committee are as
follows:
¥ Tom Kuehn to serve a second
one-year term as vice president.
¥ John Bryant to serve a second
four-year term as trustee
¥ Ed Kozak to serve a one-year
term as treasurer.
¥ David Corkrum to serve a one-
year term as recording secretary.
Trustee Caletti moved, seconded by
Trustee Myers to approve the slate as
presented. The motion passed.

Clay Witt will automatically serve a
second four-year term as trustee and
Judy Caletti will continue as trustee
and immediate past president until
the conclusion of the 2019 annual
meeting.

As per the approved rotation schedule,
the committee will be reorganized
as of the 2018 annual meeting. The
committee will be comprised of the
following: Dan Wilson, chair; Judy
Caletti, immediate past president;
Trustees Mary Pollock and John Bryant;
and chapter chairs Bill Wineburgh,
Jonathan Hoyt, Dale Tyvand, and Judy
Miller. These last four members will
serve for two years at which time four
new members will be added.

The report was received.

13. Publications Committee chair
Bob Caletti presented his report. The
committee conducted a review of the
associated organizations throughout
the world which receive the societyÕs
publications. At present, Mechanical
Music is sent to 11 persons or
organizations with a resulting cost of
$557 per year. The society receives
journals from three organizations. The
committee suggests that the editor
receive and send these journals. The
list of recipients would be revised,
as needed, every two years. Some
organizations require a hard copy, but
others could receive it in an electronic
form which would facilitate the use of
a translator program.
Trustee Caletti moved, seconded by
Trustee Finger, that the editor, under
the supervision of the publications
chair, be responsible for overseeing
the project of coordination and
exchange of copies of the journal
with sister societies preferably in
electronic format unless a paper copy
is required. The motion passed.

The Music Box Makers book inventory
reduction program has been
completed. A total of 290 books have
been requested and these will be distributed
throughout the meeting. The
report was received.

14. Publications Chair Bob Caletti
presented the editors report. Articles
continue to be received from our
members. A total of 39 writers contributed
to the journal this year, which
is an increase over last year. The editor
continues to encourage members
to contribute material on all types of
mechanical music.
Advertising percentages remain
steady between 19 percent and 23
percent. Editor Russell Kasselman
would like to see this at 25 percent
so he continues to contact potential
advertisers.

The email distribution list advertising
project had only one potential
advertiser, but they did not follow
through. He recommends that the
cost be reduced from $250 to $150 to
see if it is more attractive to potential
advertisers. President Witt asked
for a motion. Trustee Craig moved,
seconded by Trustee Caletti, to reduce

20 MECHANICAL MUSIC November/December 2018

the price of the email distribution list
from $250 to $150. The motion passed.

The editor also recommends offering
website advertising at the cost
of $100 per month with the website
holding three rotating advertisements
for three companies. There was considerable
discussion on this idea. He
also suggests that we create additional
advertising spaces on the chapters
page and the photo gallery page and
charge $30 per month, again rotating
the ads among three advertisers.
Other societies provide this service
which brings in additional revenue. It
was suggested that a mock-up be presented
to the board about these ideas

Nearly all issues of the journal are
now available on the website in a
searchable format. Also available is
the MBSI asset database which provides
details on all the societyÕs music
machines. The editor recommended
the board appoint an asset data manager
who can update the status of all
the instruments on a regular basis.

The editor is continuing to pursue
exchanges of both articles and advertising
with other collector societies.
Limited exchanges have taken place,
but the goal is to develop steady,
regular communication with these
different societies so that we can all
share content that is relevant.

Printing and mailing costs have
remained steady and our printer
continues to do an exceptional job of
producing a quality publication.

Please encourage your chapter
members to send in articles; long,
short, technical or historical or just
plain fun ones.

Russell expressed his gratitude for
allowing him to serve as your editor/
publisher and to continue to produce
articles for the members to enjoy. The
report was received.

15. Website Subcommittee Chair
Rick Swaney presented his report.
The MBSI website was moved about
two months ago to a new web server,
DreamHost. The new server runs
much faster than our previous server,
GoDaddy. There was also an increase
of $230 annually for DreamHost
but this was lower than GoDaddyÕs
estimate and by choosing to make
annual payments instead of monthly,
the costs decreased by 8 percent.
Downloads from and searches of the
societyÕs website are about 10 times
faster than before.

The editor has been busy creating a
database for tracking MBSI assets. It
will be part of the website in the future.
There was considerable discussion
about the availability of viewing these
instruments.

Chair Swaney delivered to the editor
a hard drive of all of the MTR and
Presto archives in PDF form. The plan
is to update the archive user interface
so that entire issues rather than individual
pages can be downloaded. This
is the same change that was made
to the journal archive. The statistics
show that there have been 27,000 website
visits this year. The most popular
page is the instrument gallery with the
chapter page a close second.

The MBSI Facebook forum was
created prior to the mid-year meeting.
It is a group page associated with the
main MBSI page. The group page highlights
the posts of members. 21 people
have joined the forum. The report was
received.

16. Special Exhibits Committee
Chair Wayne Myers presented his
report. The committee has organized
four events at The Villages, FL, and
an additional event at the Orlando
Science Center in Orlando, FL. The
Mid-America Chapter supported a
holiday event at the Lorain County
Historical Society and the Southeast
Chapter held a demonstration at the
Baker House in Wildwood, FL. Details
about these events are covered in this
issue of Mechanical Music. In addition,
David Corkrum held a demonstration
of several of his music boxes at the
California Historical Radio SocietyÕs
annual Radio Day event. More information
regarding this event will also
appear in Mechanical Music. The
report was received.
17. President Witt presented the
bylaw amendment to formalize Nominating
Committee structure changes
that were approved at the mid-year
trustees meeting.
Trustee Kuehn moved, seconded
by Trustee Craig to approve this
amendment to the bylaws. The motion
passed.

President Witt presented amendments
to the P&P.

Trustee Kuehn moved, seconded by
Trustee Myers to approve the changes
to the P&P. The motion passed.

Please see attachments 1 & 2 on
pages 22-24 of this issue of Mechanical
Music.

18. President Witt invited a
discussion about the future of the
PresidentÕs Reception. There was
discussion about having a meet and
greet or ice-breaker for everyone at
each annual meeting. Trustee Finger
moved, seconded by Trustee Cooley
to eliminate the PresidentÕs Reception
and to hold a welcoming event open
to everyone on the first night of the
annual meeting. The motion passed.
19. President Witt stated that two
trustee appointments need to be
made to the Endowment Committee.
Trustee Finger and Trustee Cooley
have accepted these appointments
to serve a three-year term. Trustee
Caletti moved, seconded by Trustee
Craig to approve these appointments.
The motion passed.
President Witt stated that two-member
appointments need to be made to
the Endowment Committee. Members
B Bronson and Wayne Wolf have
accepted these appointments to serve
as members at large. Trustee Caletti
moved, seconded by Trustee Bryant
to approve these appointments. The
motion passed.

20. President Witt asked for a
motion to approve the appointment of
Dan Wilson as chair of the Nominating
Committee to serve under the newly
adopted amendment to bylaws Article
XIV, Section 12. Trustee Caletti moved,
seconded by Trustee Craig to approve
this appointment. The motion passed.
President Witt asked for a motion to
approve the appointments of Trustee
Bryant and Trustee Pollock to serve
a two-year term on the Nominating
Committee. Trustee Caletti moved,
seconded by Trustee Craig to approve
these appointments. The motion
passed.

21. President Witt asked for motion
to approve the payment of $653.55 to
Nancy Fratti for expenses incurred on
TRUSTEE MINUTES | See Page 24

November/December 2018 MECHANICAL MUSIC 21

Attachment 1

Note to reviewers: The proposed bylaw amendment follows the usual drafting convention.
That is, existing material that is to be removed is marked with a strike-through. Proposed new
text is marked by underlining.

This convention has not been used for the proposed Policies and Procedures amendment
because it is entirely new. Section XVIII currently has no text. The underlining that appears will
be part of the new text, if adopted.

IÑBylaw Amendment

ARTICLE XIV
STANDING COMMITTEES

*****

Section 12. NOMINATING:

a. The Nominating Committee shall be responsible for monitoring election dates and
reelection eligibility (terms of office) for trustees and officers.
b. It shall actively solicit candidates and compile a slate of at least one candidate for
each officer and trustee position to be filled. All candidates will be interviewed by members
of the committee. The slate of nominees will be presented to the board for its approval at
its mid-year meeting. Approved nominees will then be presented to the membership of the
society for election at the following annual meeting of the society.
c. The members of the committee shall includecommittee shall be composed of eight
members including a committee chair, the immediate past-president of the society, two
currently serving trustees and the chapter chair, or a chapter-designated alternate, from
four separate chapters.
(1)The committee chair shall be appointed by the Board and shall serve at the
pleasure of the Board or until his or her successor is appointed.
(2) The immediate past-president shall serve for a period of two years commencing
upon the expiration of his or her term as president. If at any time he or she is unable or
unwilling to serve, the Board may appoint a person to complete the resulting term
vacancy.
Page 1 of 3

22 MECHANICAL MUSIC November/December 2018

(3) The two currently serving trustees shall be appointed by the Board and shall
serve for a period of two years commencing upon their appointment at the meeting of
the Board held at each annual meeting held during an evenly numbered year.
(4) The four chapter committee members will be replaced by members from four
different chapters every two calendar years in accordance with a rotation schedule that
the Board approves for incorporation into the societyÕs Policies and Procedures.
Note: This article subsection was last revised in March August 2018.

d. Committee members, other than those who are sitting trustees, are not eligible for
inclusion in a slate of nominees for election as a trustee prepared by the committee while
they are a member of the committee.
Attachment 2

IIÑPolicies and Procedures Amendment

XVIII. Nominating
The rotation schedule for the four chapter members of the Nominating Committee
described in Article XIV, Section XII, Paragraph c, of the bylaws of the society shall be as
follows:

2018-2020 2030-2032
East Coast Lake Michigan
Golden Gate Piedmont
Northwest International Snowbelt
Southeast Japanese International

2020-2022 2032-2034
Golden Gate East Coast
Lake Michigan Mid-America
Piedmont Snowbelt
Southern California Southeast

2022-2024 2034-2036
Lake Michigan Golden Gate
Mid-America National Capital
Snowbelt Southeast
Sunbelt Southern California

2024-2026 2036-2038

Page 2 of 3

November/December 2018 MECHANICAL MUSIC 23

Mid-America Lake Michigan
National Capital Northwest International
Southeast Southern California
Japanese International Sunbelt
-America Lake Michigan
National Capital Northwest International
Southeast Southern California
Japanese International Sunbelt

2026-2028 2038-2040
East Coast Mid-America
National Capital Piedmont
Northwest International Sunbelt
Southern California Japanese International

2028-2030 2042-2044
Golden Gate East Coast
Northwest International National Capital
Piedmont Snowbelt
Sunbelt Japanese International

TRUSTEE MINUTES | From Page 21

behalf of the society. Trustee Caletti
moved, seconded by Trustee Finger to
pay Nancy Fratti $653.55 for expenses
incurred. The motion passed.

22. President Witt presented information
he had received about a request
from the Harding Home Presidential
Site. The museum has a reproducing
piano that was used by the Hardings
in the White House that is destined for
display in a newly constructed Warren
G. Harding Presidential Center. It is
in need of repair and the museum is
asking MBSI for a donation of $5,000,
through a combination of grants from
MBSI chapters and MBSI national,
toward the $22,000 cost of restoration.
Mention was also made of a need for
piano rolls. During the discussion
it was suggested that this might be
something that could be funded with
the Endowment Fund interest. The
museum would have to make a grant
request to the Endowment Committee,
in writing. If the committee approved
the request, it would then have to be
approved by the board before any
moneys were provided to them. If this

were approved, the museum would
acknowledge MBSI as a contributing
donor with this information printed on
a plaque of their choosing. President
Witt indicated that he would update
the requesting organization about
necessary next steps

23. Trustee Caletti moved, seconded
by Trustee Myers, to adjourn the
meeting. The motion passed. Meeting
adjourned at 2:37 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
David W. Corkrum
Recording Secretary

24 MECHANICAL MUSIC November/December 2018

Page 3 of 3

Minutes of the 69th Annual Business Meeting

Motor City Hotel, Detroit, MI, Sept. 1, 2018

President Clay Witt called to order
the 2018 MBSI Annual Business Meeting
at 8:28 a.m.

He read the names of members
who have passed away since the
last Annual Meeting: Louise Cassity,
Mary Clegg, Wally Donoghue, Divona
Eltzroth, Sy Epstein, Norman Gan,
Luke Goldhoorn, Edward Hattrup, Jim
Heyworth, Richard Howe, Kathleen
Kananen, Bill Kapp, Fred Krochmal,
Jim Krughoff, John Lemmer, Bob Lemmon,
Sr., Barbara Lichtman, Yoshida
Masayuki, Robert Mathewson, Lucy
Meyer, Nick Monios, John Motto-Ros,
John Ohrenstein, Connie Ribe, Dolly
Seibert, Ricky Sherman, and Constance
Wolf.

A moment of silence was observed
in remembrance.

Sincere appreciation was extended
to the Mid-America Team and they
were asked to stand.

The Officers and Board of Trustees
were introduced.

Past presidents and past trustees
were recognized.

First time attendees and those
attending from outside of the United
States were asked to please stand and
be recognized.

President Witt then introduced
Alison Biden, co-vice president of the
Musical Box Society of Great Britain;
Paul Bellamy, Deputy Chairman
of the Association of Musical Box
Collectors; Marc Lebout and Michel
Tremouille representing the Association
of Friends of Mechanical Music
Instruments of France.

OfficersÕ Reports

Recording Secretary David Corkrum
reported that the minutes of the 68th
Annual Meeting held in Whippany,
NJ, were published in Vol 63, No. 6,
of Mechanical Music. There being
no corrections, additions or deletions,
President Witt entertained a motion to
approve the minutes. The motion was
made and seconded to approve the
minutes. The motion passed.

Treasurer Ed Kozak was not

available. President Witt presented the
treasurerÕs report. For the year ending
Dec. 31, 2017, total fund balances
increased by $6,128. Fund balances
totaled $714,443 of which $405,128
was unrestricted.

Vice President Tom Kuehn presented
the vice-presidentÕs report.
The awards luncheon is coming up
in a few hours when the society recognizes
those who have contributed
their expertise in mechanical music.

Committee Reports

Finance Committee: President
Witt presented the Finance Committee
report. A mid-year to mid-year
financial report was prepared in
accordance with New York Not-For-
Profit corporate law. Copies were
made available to members present at
the meeting.

The Endowment Fund has a
reported balance of $152,100. The
accumulated interest from this fund
now totals $45,714 of which $30,478 is
available for projects or programs.

The Finance Committee and the
Trustees have approved the budget for
2019 and there is a projected deficit of
$3,950. There will be no increase in
dues. The report was received.

Audit Committee Chair Ed Cooley
presented the Audit Committee
report. Cinda L. Rodgers, CPA, PC
who conducted the required annual
financial review, stated that based on
her review, she is not aware of any
material modifications that should be
made to the financial statements. They
are in accordance with accounting
principles generally accepted in the
United States of America.

There are two areas that the committee
is working on. The first is the
number of books, pin, seals, and certificates
sold compared to the dollar
amounts received. The second is to
draft the policies and procedures for
the committee. This has proven to be
complex and additional time is needed
to resolve. The report was received.

Meetings Committee Chair Tom

Kuehn presented the report on the
dates of upcoming meetings. National
Capital Chapter will host the 2019
meeting from Aug. 27-31. Golden Gate
Chapter and the Founding Chapter
of AMICA will host the 2020 meeting
from Sept. 2-6. Southeast Chapter and
COAA will host the 2021 meeting.

The meeting manual is being
updated and will be available on the
website as well as in hard copy form.
The report was received.

Marketing and Membership Committees
Chair Rob Pollock presented
the report. The membership numbers
are in a decline of about 3 percent per
year. The Society lost 62 members and
gained 60 members. Most of the members
we lost were first year members
who did not renew. The committee
believes this can be solved at the
chapter level by welcoming these new
members at the chapter meetings and
making them feel like they are part of
the MBSI family. At the national level,
we have supplied auction houses
with gift memberships for those who
purchase mechanical music machines
at the auction house. This is also being
extended to dealers/restorers. The
report was received.

Museum Committee Chair Sally
Craig presented her report. American
Treasure Tour (ATT) provides MBSI
with space to store and display the
machines in the societyÕs collection.
ATT is open on weekends for walking
tours of the collection. Docents are
on hand to talk about and play the
various instruments. ATT houses not
only the societyÕs collection but also
the massive collection of Don Neilson.

Bill Wineburgh, who was in charge
of our database of instruments owned
by the society has retired from the
Museum Committee. The database
is now being transferred to the website
where it will be available to the
committee to make easy updates. The
committee is still formulating who
will be able to see these instruments
and how much information to include.

At the mid-year meeting, the loan

November/December 2018 MECHANICAL MUSIC 25

contract with the Musical Instrument
Museum in Phoenix, AZ, was renegotiated
for an additional two years.

Instruments that were on display at
Lockwood Mathews Mansion Museum
have been returned to the society. Any
further loans to this museum will be
considered in the future. The report
was received.

Publication Committee Chair Bob
Caletti presented his report. In the past
year, a total of 39 writers contributed
to the journal Bob encourages members
to write about anything in their
collection whether it be technical,
informational or just plain fun. If they
know of someone with an interesting
story to encourage them to write also.

The editor can be of great help in
making an article stand out. The editor
is always looking for ways to increase
advertising. Dealers and members are
encouraged to advertise in the Journal.
The report was received.

Website Subcommittee Chair Rick
Swaney presented the report. The new
web server is now DreamHost. This
server is much faster, and downloads
appear in seconds rather than minutes.
All the journals can now be searched
for specific content and all workshop
videos have been uploaded and are
available for viewing and downloading.
The chapter pages, instrument
gallery and event pages have been
updated to show more information in
more interesting ways.

As was stated in the museum report,
the instrument collection database is
now on the website. When members
sign in, they will be able to view this
page listing all the instruments in the
collection as well as any additional

information about the instrument.

MBSI also has a Facebook account
as well as a Facebook forum. In the
forum, members can post questions or
information about the Society and its
chapters. The report was received as
presented.

Special Exhibits Committee Chair
Wayne Myers reported that the Special
Exhibits Committee has submitted
a report to the journal on what the
committee has been doing for the past
year. It will also give you some idea of
what other chapters have been doing.
Wayne stated that he is stepping down
as the chair of the committee and
the society will be looking for a new
person to step in and take over the job
of chair. The report was received as
presented.

Nominating Committee Chair Dan
Wilson presented his report. The
makeup of the committee needed a
revamp and Dan has come up with
a formula that will allow him to
accurately rotate members from the
chapters. This reorganization will be
included in the Policies and Procedures
(P&P) document which will be
available to the members on the MBSI
website.

The committee is also responsible
for the selection of the Darlene Marijanian
award. Any recommendations for
this award should be sent to the Nominating
Committee for consideration.

Chair Wilson presented the following
slate of officers for 2018:
Vice President Tom Kuehn to serve a
second one-year term; Trustee John
Bryant to serve a second four-year
term; Treasurer Ed Kozak to serve
another one-year term; Recording

Secretary David Corkrum to serve
another one-year term.

President Witt entertained a motion
to accept the slate as presented. A
motion was made and seconded. The
motion passed.

As a matter of information, it was
noted that in accordance with our
bylaws, president Clay Witt will serve
another four-year term as trustee and
Trustee Judy Caletti will continue to
serve as a trustee on the Executive
Committee as immediate past president
for one more year.

Chapters

Trustee Kuehn introduced each
chapter. Their representatives
informed the membership of their
activities throughout the year and any
special activities that they had coming
up. After the information was presented,
the members of each chapter
were asked to rise and be recognized.

President Witt introduced the
president of the Belgian Society of
Mechanical Music.

Convention Chair Dave Calendine
came up and stated that as the new
president of the ATOS he would like
to help the societyÕs local chapters
combine their meetings with the local
theater organ society chapters.

New Business

There being no other new business,
it was moved and seconded to adjourn
the meeting. The motion passed, and
the meeting was adjourned at 9:19 a.m.

Respectfully Submitted,
David Corkrum
Recording Secretary
September 23, 2018

26 MECHANICAL MUSIC November/December 2018

2018 MBSI Award Recipients

By Tom Kuehn
MBSI Vice President

Every year MBSI honors those who
have made significant contributions
to the society or the hobby in general.
The awards are presented during
a special Awards Luncheon at the
Annual Meeting. Previous recipients
are listed on pages 5 and 6 of the 20162017
Mechanical Music Directory.

The following awards were presented
at this yearÕs annual meeting in
Detroit.

MBSI Vice President Tom Kuehn pres-
ents Don HenryÕs Unsung Hero award.
Robin Biggins received the award in
DonÕs absence. Mike Perry received the
award for Emery Prior who also could
not attend.

Unsung Hero Award: This award, with
the recipient(s) chosen by the vice
president, is to honor those quiet people
who often do not get recognized
and perform significant work in the
background to make MBSI function.

Two awards were presented this
year. Don Henry was honored for his
extensive support of the Southern
California Chapter including serving
as president of the chapter several
times, co-chairing the 2015 annual
meeting held in Torrance, CA, and
serving as a reliable source of information
to chapter members for many
years. The second award was given to
Emery Prior for his significant efforts
to establish and maintain displays of
mechanical music in several museums
in Ohio. Emery has been involved in
these displays continuously since 1970.

Matt Jaro receives the Q. David Bowers
Literary Award.

The Q. David Bowers Literary Award:
This award is given to a person
who has contributed greatly to the
literature in the field covered by the
Society. This yearÕs recipient is Matt
Jaro. Matt has written extensively
for MBSIÕs Mechanical Music and
AMICAÕs Bulletin for a number of
years with not only the Nickel Notes
articles, but also other contributions.
His writing is very well researched and
often contains little known facts that
add special interest. He has expanded
from simply describing the instruments
to include the music they play
and most importantly, to the people
who have collected and restored them
so they can be shared with others.

Art Reblitz receives the Trustees Award
for his great contributions to the field of
mechanical music.

TrusteesÕ Award: This award is given
by the Trustees to a person who has
made a great contribution to MBSI
and/or to the field of mechanical
music. The recipient this year is Art
Reblitz. Art began working with Al
Svaboda back in the 1970Õs in Chicago.
This initiated a life-long passion for
mechanical musical instruments and
the music they play. Art is well known

for his restoration activities as well as
the music arrangements he has made
over the years. He has authored and
co-authored several books on pianos
and mechanical musical instruments
that have become standard reference
books in the field.

Judy Miller receives the PresidentÕs
Award for Bill Wineburgh in his absence.

MBSI PresidentÕs Award: The PresidentÕs
Award is given by the society
president with the concurrence of the
Executive Committee. Bill Wineburgh
received the award this year for his
extensive activity with the East Coast
Chapter, the numerous lectures and
displays he has provided to local
groups, and the effort to update and
consolidate the list of MBSI-owned
instruments. Bill was also the chair of
the annual meeting organizing committee
in 2009 and served as registrar
for the meeting held last year in New
Jersey.

Nominations for 2019 awards should
be sent by the end of January, 2019 to
the following:

¥ Unsung Hero Award: Vice-President
Tom Kuehn
¥ Darlene Mirijanian Memorial
Award for Creativity: Chair of
Nominating Committee Dan
Wilson
¥ Roehl Ambassador Award: Chair
of Marketing Committee Rob
Pollock
¥ The Q. David Bowers Literary
Award: Chair of Publications
Committee Bob Caletti
¥ TrusteesÕ Award: any current
Trustee
¥ MBSI PresidentÕs Award: President
Clay Witt
November/December 2018 MECHANICAL MUSIC 27

Musical Box Society InternationalStatement of Financial Position

June 30, 2017

ASSETS
Unrestricted Cash & Cash EquivalentsRestricted Cash & Cash EquivalentsAccounts Receivable-PublishinqAccounts Receivable-Interest & Other
Book Production Cost
Accumulated Depr-Book Production Cost
Advances to ChaptersPrepaid Expenses
$ 432,292
306,499
621
3,950
42,292
(42,292)
10,000
8,578
$
TOT AL ASSETS $ 761 941 $
LIABILITIES AND FUND BALANCES
Accounts Payable-TradeFICA & FWH PayableDeferred Income-Dues
Deferred lncome-Publishinq
$ 12,591
421
41,193
$

TOTAL LIABILITIES $ 55,659 $
FUND BALANCES
Unrestricted
Temporarily Restricted
Permanently Restricted
$ 397,389
157,432
151 461
$

TOTAL FUND BALANCES $ 706,282 $
TOTAL LIABILITIES AND FUND BALANCES $ 761 941 $

This financial report is provided in accordance with New York Not-For-Profit Corporation
Law Section 519 & is true & correct to the best of my knowledge & belief.
Certified by Werner, Shaw Faulkner & Werner Financial Group Inc.

June 30, 2016

428,315
304,913
147
3,233
42,292
(42,292)
10,000
7 925

154 533

–

2,030

421
43,819

2 612

48,881

398,641
156,266

150 745

705,652

154 533

28 MECHANICAL MUSIC November/December 2018

Musical Box Society International
Statement of Activities
For the Twelve Months Ending June 30, 2017

Unrestricted Temporarily Permanently

Restricted Restricted TOTAL
Revenues

Dues s 83,070 $ $ $ 83,070
Interest 1,976 2,251 4,227
Advertising 22,882 22,882
Convention Income 39,680 39,680

Sales of Merchandise

685 1,144

Gain/Loss on Sale of Investments (3,600) (3,600)
Donations 3,140 1,228 716 5,084

Total Revenues $ 147,607 s 4,164 $ 716 $ 152,487

Expenses
Administrative $ 30,365 $ $ 30,365
Publishing 75,206 75,206

Awards

Special Exhibits Committee
Convention Expense
Publication Committee Expense
Museum Fund Expense
Total Expenses
43,423
$ 148,994 s
300
99
2118
2,862 s $
300
43,423
99
2 118
151,856
Change in Fund Balances
Membership
Membership count 6/30/16 1382
Membership count 6/30/17 1333
Membership list is maintained on the website.
$ (1,387) s 1,302 s 716 $ 631
Thisfinancial reportis provi ded in with NewYork Not-For-ProfitCorporation
Law Section 519 & is true & to the best of my knowledge& belief.
Certifiedby Sherry Werner,ShawFaulkner& FinancialGroup Inc

November/December 2018 MECHANICAL MUSIC 29

Musical Box Societv International
Chanes in Net Fund Balances
For the Twelve Months Endin2 June 30, 2017

Beginning Change Ending
Cash Balance Amount Cash Balance
6/30/16 6/30/17

Unrestricted
General Fund $ 428,315 $ 3,977 $ 432,292

Temporarily Restricted
Museum Fund 33,752 (643) 33,109Heintz Publications Fund 5,999 529 6,528Literary Award 442 (55) 387
Trustee Award 509 (9) 500
Darlene Mirijanian Award 649 (8) 641
Roehl Award 274 (11) 263
Acquistions, Maintenance & Restoration 58,143 589 58,732
Simon & Mabel Zivin Digital Archival Fund 10,012 1 10,013
Special Exhibits Committee 170 (300) (130)
Endowment Interest Fund 44,220 676 44,896

Permanently Restricted

Endowment Fund 150,745 716 151,461

Cash Totals $ 733,229 $ 5,462 $ 738,691

ThisfinancialreportisprovidedinaccordancewithNewYorkNot-For-ProfitCorporationLawSection519& istrue& correcttothebestof
myknowledge& belief. CertifiedbySherry Shaw,Faulkner& WernerFinancialGroupInc.

30 MECHANICAL MUSIC November/December 2018

Passport to Great Music

An overseas memberÕs/delegateÕs view of the 2018 MBSI Annual Meeting

A brief introduction by B Bronson,
2018 Annual Meeting Co-chair

The 2018 Annual Meeting in Detroit, MI, is now
just a memory (as the committee breathes a collective
sigh of relief!). We did quite a bit in the four
days we had scheduled. Our base of operations,
the beautiful Motor City Casino Hotel, couldnÕt
have been a better pick. The staff was friendly
and ready to do whatever it took to satisfy us. The
casino was a separate area, but it was heard that
a few adventurous souls tried their luck over the
course of the meeting. As of yet, there have been
no rumors of huge mechanical music purchases,
so it is assumed that the casino came out on top.

A number of years ago, I met Michael Clark
who hails from England. He visited us in Dundee,
MI, as he was in the United States on business. I
hadnÕt seen him for a while, so it was a pleasure
to get reacquainted at this past meeting along
with his lovely wife, Felicity. Michael also happens
to be a talented writer and very observant.
He offered to put together the following synopsis
of our annual meeting.

By Michael Clark
from Yorkshire, England

On Aug. 23 we set off to Manchester to stay
over at my cousinÕs home only a short drive from
the airport. The next day, we flew to Boston,
MA, where we enjoyed three nights and two full
days in the city. We rode the full circuit of the
Hop on Hop off Trolley, heard the nave organ
of the Trinity Church in Back Bay, and found a
wonderful chocolate shop called L A Burdick.
The Trinity Church became famous as it was
rebuilt following the great fire of 1872 by its
preacher Phillips Brooks, considered by some to
be the 19th centuryÕs greatest preacher. Brooks is
also famed for writing the Christmas Carol ÒOh
Little Town of Bethlehem.Ó We walked the first

Henk and Irene NoordemeerÕs 80 key
Mortier Dance Hall Organ built in Belgium
in 1908. Photo by Lowell Boehland.

Additional photos for this article contributed
by Bob Caletti, B Bronson, Ed
Cooley and Michael Clark.

part of the Freedom Trail, starting at
Boston Common and arriving near the
harbour where we found the Faneuil
Hall Marketplace. Here was a superb
food hall where an array of buffet bar
and take away food is available until
late every evening. The first of many
ice creams we would enjoy during
our holiday was consumed here. The
Freedom Trail is a well-narrated and
illustrated tourist trail which shows a
lot of the Colonial and Revolutionary
history of Boston.

Monday afternoon we flew to Detroit
Metropolitan Airport in Michigan. An
hour-long bus ride on the ÔFastÕ service
got us to our hotel and we were
astonished at the size and complexity
of the buildings. We were about a mile
from the edge of the downtown area
of Detroit, and the hotel included
both a casino and conference centre.
On arrival, we were greeted by some
MBSI members in the lobby as we
were waiting to check in and the
friendly and helpful hotel staff made
us immediately feel quite welcome.

Tuesday is traditionally the first day
of the MBSI Annual Meeting, and it is
typically intended for the trustees and
committees to hold their bi-annual
meetings. As we had no transport
of our own at this stage, we headed
downtown by taxi. We were dropped
off at the Riverfront by the ultra
modern General Motors Renaissance
Centre. We rode the people mover that
stops on the second floor of this building
on its overhead rail loop above
the streets of the city, winding its way
among the skyscrapers and older,
squatter buildings. It was noticeable
that many of the skyscrapers are of an
older design and we found out later
than in the last 15 years or so some
investors have poured millions into
rebuilding the cityÕs downtown area,
both adding new facilities as well as
restoring the old buildings. It was very
impressive.

After completing our meeting
registration, we found we had been
assigned to the first bus on each of
the two tour mornings, and that their
departure times were earlier than
previously advertised. Wednesday,
therefore, found us at 8 a.m. on Bus
A heading for Canada and the Henk

The carousel at Boston Common the author visited on the way to Detroit.

The reception desk at the Motor City Hotel and Casino, site of the annual meeting.

Henk and Irene Noordermeer (at right) welcome guests to their home in Melbourne,
Canada where they have assembled a wide variety of collectibles.

34 MECHANICAL MUSIC November/December 2018

Terry Bender demonstrates one of the street organs at the NoordermeerÕs framed by many antique radios.

Phonographs, disc boxes, cylinder boxes and jukeboxes fill a room in the NoordermeerÕs home.

November/December 2018 MECHANICAL MUSIC 35

and Irene Noordermeer Collection in convention, then another hour after On arrival at our destination, we were
Melbourne, Canada. The trip was one that driving due East. Time was warmly greeted by our hosts and
hour to Port Huron crossing the Blue also allowed for us to pass through allowed fairly free access to their won-
Water Bridge into Canada, which was Canadian customs/immigration which derful home on two floors, ground and
the symbol of the passport themed entailed disembarking from the bus. basement. The house had a number

Bob Caletti (left) and Robbin Biggins listen to a Symphonion
dual-disc player with bells which is also seen at right.

Members of the MBSI international contingent share a chuckle
in front of the 80-key Mortier.

An elaborate phonograph console seen at the Noordermeer
home.

Another view of the cylinder, discs and phonograph room at
the Noordermeer Collection.

36 MECHANICAL MUSIC November/December 2018

A phonograph built into a mini piano
case at the NoordermeerÕs home.

of mechanical music instruments in
it but the main features in the house
were devoted to phonographs, record
disks and IreneÕs unusual collection of
glass salt dips. This is one of the extra
benefits of an MBSI visit, the discovery
of all sorts of associated interests
of those members who kindly allow us
to view their private homes and music
rooms.

Another busload of MBSI members
arrived soon after us and while we
perused the house they were busy
viewing the barn area. When they
were done, we exchanged places and
were treated to a wonderful hot buffet
lunch in one room of the barn building
while instruments were played in the
main hall adjoining. These were the
larger musical machines Ð orchestrionÕs,
street organs and the magnificent
80 key Mortier Dance Hall Organ built
in Belgium, this having been tuned by
my own organ tuner, Russell Wattam,
who had been to Canada only a week
earlier.

All too soon we had to return to
the bus as there was an uncertain
anticipation of the time it would
take to return back to the U.S. at the
bridge. As it turned out, we all had to
disembark, taking only our passports
and leaving everything else on the bus
while immigration and customs agents

A small part of Irene NoordermeerÕs glass salt dip collection on display.

Decorative plates and phonographs line
the walls at the NoordermeerÕs.

carried out some searching.

On our return to the hotel, everyone
went their own way for dinner, but at 9

p.m. (around dusk) we were invited to
go to the 14th floor of the hotel where
another tradition of the MBSI was
being held, an ice-cream social. There
was free ice-cream in three flavours,
lots of dips and sprinkles and nighttime
views of downtown Detroit and
the Ambassador Bridge that crosses
to Windsor, Canada, directly from
An ornate case holds an upright Regina
music box.

Detroit. It was a novel opportunity
for catching up with old friends and
making new ones.

On Thursday, Bus A passengers
were called to be boarding at 7:15 a.m.
so we took breakfast on board instead
of trying to eat it before departing like
we did the day before. The bus left
the hotel at 7:25 a.m. and travelled
for more than an hour, encountering
some traffic problems along the way
as we headed South for Dundee, MI.

November/December 2018 MECHANICAL MUSIC 37

More antique radios, phonograph horns and televisions in the Some of the colorful jukeboxes that were lit up for the enjoyNoordermeerÕs
collection. ment of visitors to the NoordermeerÕs.

A Bruder organ made in Waldkirch, Germany, with a plaque A band box with animated players and a light up stage from a
that reads ÒDetwee Zwarte Grieten.Ó company called Chicago CoinÕs.

Antique radios, televisions and stoves in the NoordermeerÕs The tour even included old arcade and slot machine games
collection. polished and gleaming.

38 MECHANICAL MUSIC November/December 2018

Above, the NoordermeerÕs DeCap dance organ. Below, an
unidentified roll-playing machine

A Stella disc player and a Capital Cuff box on display.

Henk Noordermeer and Ron Palladino listen to a phonograph. Some of the decorative plates in the Noordermeer Collection.

November/December 2018 MECHANICAL MUSIC 39

Our destination, the Bronson Musikalle,
is located down a minor road on
the edge of the town. It is contained
in some inconspicuous sheds in a field
opposite the original family home.

On entering the building the vision is
that of a busy music room, containing
numerous instruments of all shapes
and sizes with a large dance hall organ
across one side of the room. B Bronson
proceeded to explain how the
collection was started by his father,
Bud, and he followed this with a brief
history of how it had grown and how
he, his wife, Maria, and subsequently
his son, Spank, had continued to build
the collection and maintain it. B then
began a tour of some of the instruments
working up from the smallest to
the largest, giving a very detailed and
often entertaining narrative of some
of the features of the collection. The
tour of this room was concluded with
a recital on the magnificent DeCap
121-key Dance Hall Organ ÒPigalle,Ó
originally built as a 101-key Mortier.

Moving on to the second room, we
found ourselves on a stage in front
of the shutters for the three-manual
10-rank Wurlitzer organ (originally six
ranks from a Wisconsin theatre with
four ranks added later). This organ
has a Trousdale Relay that can record
a live recital and replay it to order. The
room itself held many other surprises,
including a substantial display of
American artist John RogersÕ durable
plaster statuary and a 1914 Philipps
Pianella Pfau Orchestrion. In addition,
the ceiling was adorned with a fantastic
decorative pattern which B later
explained was actually standard wallpaper
strips. ÒCan you see the join?Ó
he asked. I certainly couldnÕt. In the
centre of the room was a magnificent
glass chandelier, which we were told
had been in a box for many years after
it was purchased. When it was eventually
opened on the appointed day for
assembly, it was discovered that there
were no instructions and no amount
of research appeared to be able to
turn any up. As a consequence, it took
somewhat longer than expected to
assemble. In addition, due to the very
dirty state of the glass when unpacked,
Maria ÔvolunteeredÕ to clean all 1,960
pieces before assembly began.

A view inside one room of the Bronson Musikalle with the DeCap organ dominating.

40 MECHANICAL MUSIC November/December 2018

Hear two of the organs from
Bronson Musikalle play by scanning
the QR codes below with your
smart phone.

November/December 2018 MECHANICAL MUSIC 41

Instruments were played, the
Philipps sounding wonderful, and, as a
conclusion, the pre-recording system
on the Wurlitzer was used to play four
pieces ending with favourite railway
themes including the ÒChatanooga
Choo Choo.Ó It was a fantastic musical
rendition and B just loved having an
audience. We thoroughly enjoyed all
the stories.

A further surprise came when we
were invited into the workshop in
the adjoining building, where Maria
has set up a business, engraving and
cutting by laser machine. Examples
were on show of the products and the
machine was actually cutting out souvenir
plaques of the 121-key DeCap.

We again boarded the bus to travel
back across Detroit and equally far to
the Northeast to find the Stahl Automotive
Foundation. This collection
started as a motor museum containing

The musical machines and mechanical
wonders inside Bronson Musikalle can
keep visitors entertained for days on
end. B and Maria Bronson were, once
again, magnificent hosts.

42 MECHANICAL MUSIC November/December 2018

November/December 2018 MECHANICAL MUSIC 43

Top, Maria Bronson shows off her laser-cutting machine.
Above are the products it produces.

44 MECHANICAL MUSIC November/December 2018

A Verbeeck dance organ sits above an eating area inside the Stahl Collection auto-
motive garage.

The Gaudin 125-key dance organ built in Paris, France, in 1925.

125 very rare, fully operational and
beautifully restored cars and other
vehicles, including those used in
movies like the Jack Lemmon film
ÒThe Great Race.Ó Here we also saw
the 1964 Leslie Special and the Professor
Fate Hannibal 8 car from that
film. These are both one of a number
of identical models built for the film
production. Recent additions to the
collection include a separate room
containing assorted automata, while
a whole range of musical instruments
from small music boxes to orchestrions
have their own hall. Larger
European fairground and dance hall
organs stand around the car gallery
and a 1923 Wurlitzer three-manual
23-rank instrument is installed above
the replica period style car repair
shop. The majority of pipes are behind
shutters in two chambers, but with
the ÒtoyboxÓ sections, i.e. percussion
instruments, bells and whistles, on
show high up on the gallery wall. We
were treated to a special visit from
Dave Wickerham who played the
Wurlitzer from time to time. Felicity
and I even got a brief dance in while
listening to some Irvin Berlin tunes.
The Wurlitzer here is quite special Ð it
was made for Mr. Rudolph Wurlitzer
himself and installed in his mansion in
Cincinnati, OH. After moving through
several other homes it was redesigned
in 1999 with the help of Lyn Larsen
before coming to StahlÕs.

Friday morning provided a lie in at
last. We didnÕt have to board the bus
until 11:30 a.m. and then our journey
was only 10 minutes. The destination
was the Downtown Hockeytown Cafe
where we were provided with a pizza
lunch before walking across the road
to the Fox Theatre.

We gathered in the immense
foyer where our other convention
co-chairman Dave Calendine started
an amazing tour and explanation of
the history and workings of this 5,100
seat theatre, which having been fully
restored in 1987-88, has become one
of the best and most well attended
theatres in the U.S. We proceeded to
view the balcony area, stalls, stage
proscenium, auditorium ceiling and

ANNUAL MEETING | See Page 50

November/December 2018 MECHANICAL MUSIC 45

46 MECHANICAL MUSIC November/December 2018

November/December 2018 MECHANICAL MUSIC 47

A 97-key Mortier dance organ dominates one wall of the garage at the Stahl Collection.

Dick Hack demonstrates the recently-acquired 1926 Weber Maesto in the Stahl Collection. On the left is a Hupfeld Phonliszt-
Violina Model B circa 1915. To the right is another Hupfeld Phonliszt-Violina, this one built in 1926.

48 MECHANICAL MUSIC November/December 2018

A 1950s-style diner serves food inside the Stahl garage. Some of the antique restored vehicles available for view in the

Stahl garage.

Dave Wickerham plays the 1923 Wurlitzer three-manual
23-rank organ installed in the Stahl garage.

A Mortier Cafe Organ, built in 1930, features an art deco case
and is known as a Style 51. It originally played music via cardboard
books, but has been converted to also play using a
MIDI system.

Sally Craig shares a laugh with Jean-Marc Lebout in front of
the Coinola Model X Orchestrion that was built in 1925.

November/December 2018 MECHANICAL MUSIC 49

organ consoles, leading on to Dave
giving us a wonderful recital on the
organ before we were invited onto the
stage to obtain an actorÕs view of the
theatre. Again, there is too much to
narrate from this amazing tour, but I
feel I must mention my admiration of
the ability to convert the facility from
theatre to cinema, its air conditioning
system (warms and cools), a multi-
point vacuum facility throughout the
auditorium, and it just went on and on.
Dave is not only the resident organist
at the Fox Theatre but also its head
guide. He resides just down the road.
He lives and breathes the theatre and
we were grateful for his willingness to
share so much of his knowledge.

I took time out and went off to collect
my hire car, a one hour journey to
the airport again!

On returning, we ate in the rooftop
restaurant with some of our friends,
having discovered that sharing portions
make them more acceptable.

The evening was billed as having
a Game Show which took the form
of the two co-chairmen holding the
stage, Prof B in gown and mortar
board, asking the questions, while Dr
Dave played a keyboard as continuo
or to provide tunes for identification.
Half an hour of silly fun showing some
very clever close up shots of parts of
instruments for the audience to identify,
name that tune, pot pourri items,
with points given on the basis of some
number relating to the answer (i.e.
121-key organ got 121 points!). It was
a complete farce, which I think was
the intention.

Saturday was the busiest day of
the convention. Activities started at

7:30 a.m. with a self-serve breakfast
that flowed into the annual business
Top photo, the exterior or the Fox
Theatre in downtown Detroit.

Middle photo, Dave Calendine performs
for MBSI visitors on the 4-manual
36-rank Wurlitzer organ in the theatre
auditorium.

Bottom photo, a close-up of the area
just above the stage in the Fox Theatre
showing detailed designs.

50 MECHANICAL MUSIC November/December 2018

November/December 2018 MECHANICAL MUSIC 51

Michael and Felicity Clark in the auditorium of the Fox Theatre. MBSI visitors getting a tour backstage.

MBSI visitors also got to stand on the stage and see the the-Dave Calendine points out Joan CrawfordÕs signature among
atre from a performerÕs view. many other famous signatures on the wall backstage.

The impressive and ornate console of the 4-manual 36-rank Wurlitzer organ in the theatre auditorium.

52 MECHANICAL MUSIC November/December 2018

Paul Bellamy, Rick Swaney, Randy Hill, and Bob Caletti are among the shoppers at
the Mart on shopping day.

Dan Wilson and Nancy Fratti display a Capital Cuff box for sale at the mart.

Ron and Julie Palladino offered an attractive display on their Mart table.

meeting. This meeting dealt with all
the annual requirements of reports
by different officers, presentation
of accounts and appointment of
officers for the following year. MBSI
President Clay Witt moved things
along very quickly and Felicity and I
took off for a flying visit to the Detroit
Institute of Art which had been highly
recommended to us. As ever with art
galleries and museums there is only so
much that can be taken in on a visit so
we studied a number of galleries and
then observed the Detroit Industry
Murals in the Riviera Court that were
conceived and painted in 27 panels by
Mexican muralist Diego Riviera , in
1932-33.

Returning for the excellent luncheon,
there followed the awards
presentations. Each honoree was
preceded by a very impressive power-
point resume, including photographs,
of their involvement with MBSI and
mechanical music generally. This year
there were a number of individual
recipients that we could connect with.
Art Reblitz was known to us following
our first convention in Chicago, IL,
when he had been involved in the
presentation of the large Wurlitzer
Band Organ that had played in fun
against the Jonas Gavioli (from the
U.K.), under the guidance of Russell
Wattam. It was pleasing to see Russell
was included in the final photo of this
presentation alongside his colleagues
in the MBSI. Also, we discovered
new details about Bill Wineburgh
that were far more extensive than our
own contact with him in 2017, at the
Morristown, NJ, Convention when he
and his wife had been very generous
in their assistance to us on our visit
there last year.

Following the awards came the
Mart, in which a whole hall is devoted
to tables on which members can sell
their products or surplus instruments,
from the smallest booklet through a
whole range of music, books, disks,
music boxes to medium sized orchestrions
and piano-based instruments
that had been transported to the hotel.
During this time the hospitality room
is also open and after reviewing the
Mart, I had great fun feeding quarters
and dimes into the three instruments

November/December 2018 MECHANICAL MUSIC 53

which were on display for that purpose,
including an amazing D C Ramey
reproduction of a Banjo-Orchestra.

We retired to our room briefly to
prepare for the evening banquet
where the food was again excellent
and after eating and socialising with
the other eight people on our table,
we were entertained for an hour by
the 17-piece Swing City Big Band and
vocalist with plenty of opportunity to
dance on the carpeted floor.

Another convention treat is the
receipt of a table favor which are
made for all the guests and which this
year represented the theme ÒPassport
to Great Music,Ó with reference to our
tour into Canada.

The favor was a musical box in a
fancy case, fronted with a bright blue
reflective panel to represent the water,
on top of which stood a model of the
Blue Water Bridge we had crossed to
get to Canada. It was all designed and
made by Maria Bronson on the equipment
we had been proudly shown
earlier in the week. I felt it was a very
clever table favor.

All too soon the band left and we
said farewell to people we knew,
until some future time. Not without,
however, the traditional photograph
of all the international members and
guests who really feel privileged to be
able to take part in these wonderfully
arranged conventions.

Sunday we awoke to our own freedom,
but we opted to participate in
the afterglow of the convention which
happens when members with smaller
collections invite individuals to come
to their homes to hear and see what
has been assembled. Only one home
tour was offered this year and we
signed up to visit at a particular time.
We duly arrived at Janet and Dale
DohlerÕs home in Ann Arbor, MI, a
small city about 45 minutes drive from
the hotel. We were made very welcome
and listened to some interesting
and unusual instruments, feeling like
there were more surprises wherever
we went. We were grateful also for the
light refreshments offered to help us
on our way. After an hour we made
way for later visitors and set off back
to Dearborn, MI, where we then visited
the Henry Ford Greenfield Village.

Dwight Porter, Ron Connolly and Ben Robbins display two different styles of Porter
music boxes at the Mart.

David Ramey makes adjustments to a Banjo-Orchestra in the hospitality room.

Arlette Baud, Rich Poppe, and Clay Witt peruse a Mart table full of music boxes.

54 MECHANICAL MUSIC November/December 2018

Nancy Goldsmith, Jan and Terry Bender and Bob Goldsmith
at the banquet.

Ted Fivian, Steve Unland, Rod Starns and Chet Breitweiser
enjoy the banquet.

Peggy and Ed Cooley with Wayne and Alice Finger, and Mary
Ellen Myers at the banquet.

Dave Calendine shares a laugh with Mary and Rob Pollock.

The Noordermeers and other guests enjoying the ice cream
social.

Susan and Al Choffnes share a moment with Elise Roenigk.

Alison Biden, Judy Miller, Marti and Dan Wilson and Tom
Chase pause for a picture during the banquet.

Freddy Heyse and Henk Noordermeer finding something quite
funny.

November/December 2018 MECHANICAL MUSIC 55

For the benefit of European readers,
this is on similar lines to Beamish in
Northern England, where buildings of
significant historic or regional interest
have been rebuilt and are actually
used to demonstrate their past uses
with volunteers demonstrating crafts
in period surroundings. Examples
at Greenfield Village include FordÕs
own home, a sweet shop, millinery,
weaving mill, water mill, the home
of the Heinz family, the laboratory of
Edison, a narrow-gauge railroad used
to transport people on a hop on hop
off basis serving three stations on
the perimeter line, a carousel with
Wurlitzer band organ, frozen custard
parlour and others making up a total
of 80 different structures.

We left at closing time and returned
to the hotel for a final dinner with
some friends from Illinois.

Monday was the Labor Day holiday
and many places are closed but we
were surprised to have found out the
previous day that the Ford Factory
Tour at Rouge, which is close to
Greenfield Village, was going to be
operational so we bought tickets and
made our way back to Greenfield to
get the regular bus transportation
to the plant. This turned out to be a
high spot of the holiday as we were
allowed to walk on open gangways
over the final assembly lines of the
plant, where they produce 1,250 F-150
trucks every day, one leaving the end
of the line roughly every 54 seconds.

We concluded our day by searching
out the Custard Hut in Dearborn
Heights, MI, which we highly recommend
as it was another chance to get
a mouthful of my favourite type of ice
cream. We were not disappointed.

Tuesday we ambled back to the airport
for the first leg of the homeward
journey which took us back to Boston.
We stayed at the Hampton Inn near
the airport and had a very nice dinner.

Wednesday, we had a whole morning
to ourselves so went downtown
on the subway and took a quick walk
round Back Bay to see the interior of
Boston McKim Building of the Central
Library, some shops and also revisit
the L A Burdick chocolate shop.
Returning to downtown we also had
time to wander round the Old State

The Swing City Big Band played an eveningÕs entertainment during the meeting.

Alice and Wayne Finger hit the dance floor for a few spins during the concert.

Maria and B Bronson, with Art Reblitz and Marty Persky spotted in the corridor.

56 MECHANICAL MUSIC November/December 2018

All the attendees who traveled across national borders or over seas to reach Detroit gathered to take a photo during the annual
meeting.

House before heading to the airport
for the overnight journey home.

It had been a wonderful two weeks.
We found the people of Boston and
Detroit were very friendly, and the convention
was extremely well organised.
We thank the whole convention team,
but in particular we were grateful for
the help and friendship of the co-chairmen
in answering endless questions. It
was great to meet old friends and also
make new acquaintances.

Each One
Reach One
New Member
The table favor for the meeting was assembled from parts cut by Maria BronsonÕs
laser-cutting machine.

November/December 2018 MECHANICAL MUSIC 57

In Memoriam In Memoriam
Moe Goldy

By Margery and Howard Sanford

Southeast Chapter members were
much saddened to hear of the passing
of Moe Goldy of Port St. Lucie, Fl. He
was our stalwart librarian for untold
many years. He would cart heavy
boxes filled to the brim with big tomes
hoping to loan out materials to expand
our knowledge. He was unflappable
and would smile even when he had
to lug the same boxes back home all
untouched. As a long term enthusiast,
he was admired for his mastery and
ability to repair automata, bird boxes
and whistlers.

He and his wife, Elayne, our Òdoll
ladyÓ were noted for their kindness,
friendship and helpfulness. They
participated in many band rallies. We
all happily looked forward to seeing
MoeÕs big old station wagon loaded
with goodies for mart sales pull up
at each venue.We felt reassured. The
mart would be complete. Moe was
here. He willingly shared his mart
tables and even voluntarily transported
friendsÕ purchases to save
them shipping costs.

Elayne and Moe were married
for 68 years. Moe had retired from a
government job in his 50s. They then

traveled the world, even living on
various narrow canal boats in England
and sailing the Carribean. Back in the
states, they acquired a wonderful
collection of instruments which they
happily shared in their many open
houses. They would be the first to

Moe and Elayne Goldy enjoying a meal with fellow mechanical music hobbyists.

offer a showing to anyone going North
or South in Florida on their way to or
from a musical meeting.

We are grateful for our many years
of friendship. We will all miss him. Our
condolences to Elayne and the family.
May he rest in peace.

WE WANT YOUR STORY!

58 MECHANICAL MUSIC November/December 2018

Fine Art & Antique Consignments
Chet Ramsay
Antiques
The highest level of customer service plus private,
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Complete Restoration
Services Available.
Specializing in Music Boxes
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2 miles south of Coatesville
610-384-0514
Showroom open by appointment
GOLD LEAF GALLERIES
Band Organ Music rolls & midi files BenÕs Player Piano Service
Repair and restoration of air powered mechanical music
devices of all description.
Player pianos
Reproduing pianos
Dance organs
Fairground organs
Nickelodeon pianos
Now selling MIDI files COMING SOON! from the Broadway hit
musical MAMMA MIA MAMMA MIA rolls for style 150
as arranged by Andy Park. organs. Roll 1 will have 10 tunes.
Roll 2 will have the other 8 tunes. Tunes via email for only A 50% nonfundable deposit holds $10 each, or $15 each for your order. Call or send a check. files sent on SD card.
Specify which roll you want (or
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New Holiday tunes forthe style 165. MIDI files PLUS! Rolls / MIDI files for style
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few copies left, so order soon.
ÒNew Country Carousel No. 4Ó
rolls and MIDI files for the style 150 arranged by David Stumpf
All rolls sell for $85 ea + $5 S/H in the U.S.
See tune lists for all rolls online.
Email sales@wurlitzerrolls.com for a sample clip.
Order at www.wurlitzerrolls.com or call 860-261-5923
Gold Leaf Galleries 410 Emmett Street #86 Bristol, Ct 06010
Original historically
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464 Dugan Road, Richfield Springs NY 13439
Bensplayerservice.com 315-858-2164

November/December 2018 MECHANICAL MUSIC 59

StantonÕs Fall Music Machine Auction StantonÕs Fall Music Machine Auction
To be held on the BARRY COUNTY FAIRGROUNDS 5 miles northwest of
Hastings, Michigan at 1350 N. M-37 Highway, Hastings, Michigan on:

THURSDAY, FRIDAY AND SATURDAY,
NOVEMBER 15, 16, & 17, 2018

Thursday starting at 12:30 P.M.
Friday and Saturday begins at 9:00 A.M. each day

We are in the process of accepting collections and additional fine

machines for our Premier Fall Event of antique and automatic musicmachines. Already included in our upcoming sale are excellent

collections of upright, table & floor model music boxes of all kinds

including Automatic changers, bell boxes, a Rare weight driven example,
Capitol Cuff, and more, antique phonographs including many rare and
exceptional examples ranging from a very Rare Edison School to a
Columbia Toy, Edison Doll, Rare coin operated machines including an

Edison Bijou and Excelsior, as well as a Columbia ÒSÓ, fine music boxes,
Another wonderful offering of floor model machines including Circassian

walnut examples, VTLAs, Victor VV-XX, a fantastic group of Sonoras,
Victor 9-54, RCA V-225, Edison C-2, Capehart Chippendale 400 series
in a walnut cabinet, records, advertising, and even a group of antique

furniture and great wall clocks will be sold. This is only a brief sampling,
of what will undoubtedly be included. Mark this sale on your calendar,
make your reservations and plan on taking advantage of these great

offerings from all over the country.

Contact us to have your items and
collections included in this sale.
Call and get included on our travel and pickup
schedule across the United States and Canada.

Steven E. Stanton, (517) 331-8150Email Ð stevenEstanton@gmail.com
Michael C. Bleisch, (517) 231-0868Email Ð mcbleisch@gmail.com

StantonÕs Auctioneers,
AUCTIONEERS & REALTORSSTANTONÕSSteven E. Stanton

(517) 331-8150 cellular

Appraisers, & Realtors

(517) 852-0627 evening

144 S. Main, P.O. Box 146
Vermontville, MI 49096 E-mail Ð stevenEstanton@gmail.com

Phone: (517) 726-0181

Michael C. Bleisch

Fax: (517) 726-0060

(517) 231-0868 cellular

E-mail: stantonsauctions@sbcglobal.net

E-mail Ð mcbleisch@gmail.com

Website: www.stantons-auctions.com

Enjoy your Holidays more
with the gift of music!

Here is a partial list of suggestions, from stocking stuffers to floor models!

Capital Cuff ÒFÓ, coin operated on table
Criterion 15Ó carved on matching carved base
12Ó Reginaphone with all original phono parts

Mira 18Ó Console in decal case
19Ó Upright Symphonion
7 5/8Ó Symphonion
Just in:
A Fantastic FOUR Bird Cage!

Sectional Comb Snuff Boxes!
Key wind boxes in a wide range of sizes
Reuge 50 and 72 note mvts. in fancy cases
Hidden Drum & Bell boxes; 6 Bell box with butterflies
Fat 18.5Ó cylinder Lecoultre tremolo box Ð Gorgeous!

And much more!
In Stock:

Kevin McElhoneÕs Organette & Disc Box book supplements!
Over 8,500 discs in stock for many size/brands of machines!

Nancy Fratti Music Boxes
PO Box 400 Ð Canastota NY 13032
315-684-9977 Ð musicbox@frontiernet.net
www.nancyfrattimusicboxes.com

THE MART THE MART
CLASSIFIED ADS

The first two words (or more
at your choice) and the memberÕs
name will be printed in all caps/bold
and charged at 60¢ per word.

Mechanical Music

Mechanical Music is mailed to all
members at the beginning of every
odd month Ñ January, March, May,
July, September and November.

MBSI Advertising Statement

http://www.mechanicalmusicpress.com

CREMONA COIN OPERATED piano -needs
retubing. Has 3 rolls and art glass. Piano
Player. Collection of SBMI Bulletins and magazines
from 1970 to present. Call RICHARD
NELSON at (845) 359-2721.

ALL ADS MUST BE PREPAID

We accept VISA/MC and Paypal.

ADVERTISING DEADLINES:

The 1st day of each even month:
Feb., Apr., Jun, Aug., Oct. and Dec.

Display ads may be submitted
camera-ready, as PDF files, or with
text and instructions. File submission
guidelines available on request.

Errors attributable to Mechanical
Music, and of a significant nature, will
be corrected in the following issue
without charge, upon notification.

STYLE 40 Regina floor model in original surface
and excellent condition.Tiger mahogany,
double comb, short bedplate, great voice,
fast/slow lever; zither attachment and 54
discs. Many Christmas carols. $4,750. Local
pick up only. Contact: JOE MOFFITT, Call

(914) 723-2139, leave message on machine.
AEOLIAN ORCHESTRELLE. Beautiful
restored walnut case with bench. 6 rolls.
Nelson Wiggins coin-op nickelodeon. Mills
Single Violano. Baciagalupo Barrel Operated
Monkey Organ. Several smaller music boxes.
Contact: BECKY SODERSTROM, (209) 6698709,
bannsode@gmail.com

VIOLANO VIRTUOSO Serial #260 44 key
piano, REGINA CORONA Style 34 27Ó
Automatic Changer, ENCORE AUTOMATIC
BANJO (reproduction), HOWARD BALDWIN

Display Advertisers

2 Renaissance Antiques
59 BenÕs Player Piano Service
59 Chet Ramsay Antiques
59 Cottone Auctions
60 StantonÕs Auctions
61 Nancy Fratti Music Boxes
63 Bob Caletti Music Box
Restorations
63 LeRoy Phyler
66 Marty Persky
67 Morphy Auctions
68 Auction Team Breker

62 MECHANICAL MUSIC November/December 2018

Multiphone 24 cylinder
phonograph in rare mahogany
Regina Corona
Model 34 27-inch changer
Multiphone 24 cylinder
phonograph in rare mahogany
Regina Corona
Model 34 27-inch changer
LECOULTRE FRéRES KEYWIND 11Ó cylinder.
Great earlier box for beginning collectors.
Stamped ÔLF GveÕ on the comb, B.B.&C. REPRODUCTION POLYPHON discs; Catalogs
tune card listing 8 popular tunes of the day. available for 19 5/8Ó, 22 1/8Ó, and 24 1/2Ó.
Restored years ago, no comb repair, still plays DAVID CORKRUM 5826 Roberts Ave, Oak-
beautifully in very good condition. Imitation land, CA 94605-1156, 510-569-3110,
grain case. $3500 Info and photos contact: www.polyphonmusic.com
DAVID WELLS 303-985-4481 davidwells@
earthlink.net

SERVICES
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.

Add a photo to your ad!

You know the old saying, ÒA photo is worth 1,000 words!Ó
Well, itÕs only $30 per issue to add a photo to your classified
advertisement in the Mart. ThatÕs a lot less than 1,000 words
would cost. A photo makes your ad stand out on the page
and quickly draws a readerÕs interest in the item. Email your
advertisement with photo to editor@mbsi.org or call (253) 2281634
for more details. Place your ad online at www.mbsi.org

Offered for sale

18.5 inch Miraphone with carved Call or write for details:
angels. Music box and phonograph
LeRoy Plyler
PO BOX 743
Troutman, NC 28166
phone (704) 528 4701
mobile (704) 657 0780

SAVE $Õs on REUGE & THORENS MUSIC
BOX REPAIR & RESTORATION Ð MBSI
MEMBERS RECEIVE WHOLESALE PRICING.

(310) 534-1557 Email: MBRCU@AOL.COM.
On the Web: www.musicboxrepaircenter.com
November/December 2018 MECHANICAL MUSIC 63

OFFICERS, TRUSTEES & COMMITTEES of the
MUSICAL BOX SOCIETY INTERNATIONAL¨

OFFICERS
President

Clay Witt
820 Del Rio Way Unit 303
Merritt Island, FL 32953
floridaclay@floridaclay.net

Vice President

Tom Kuehn
4 Williams Woods
Mahtomedi, MN 55115
kuehn001@umn.edu

Recording Secretary

David Corkrum
5826 Roberts Avenue
Oakland, CA 94605
musikwerke@att.net

Treasurer

Edward Kozak
3615 North Campbell Avenue
Chicago, IL 60618
kozak@seldenfox.com

TRUSTEES

John Bryant
Judy Caletti
Ed Cooley
Sally Craig
Wayne Finger
Tom Kuehn
Mary Ellen Myers
Mary Pollock
Clay Witt

BOARD ADVISER

Junichi Natori,
International Adviser

MBSI FUNDS

COMMITTEES
Audit

Edward Cooley, Chair, Trustee
Mary Pollock, Trustee

G.Wayne Finger, Trustee
Endowment Committee

Edward Kozak, Treasurer, Chair
Mary Pollock, Trustee
B Bronson

Executive Committee

Clay Witt, Chair, President
Tom Kuehn, Vice President
Mary Pollock, Trustee
Judy Caletti, Immediate Past Pres.
John Bryant, Trustee

Finance Committee

Edward Kozak, Chair, Treasurer
Wayne Wolf, Vice Chair
Tom Kuehn, Vice President
Judy Caletti, Trustee
Peter Both
B Bronson

Marketing Committee

Rob Pollock, Chair
John Bryant, Trustee

G.Wayne Finger, Trustee
Bob Smith
Meetings Committee

Tom Kuehn, Chair, Vice President
Mary Pollock, Trustee
Don Henry
Matt Jaro
Cotton Morlock
Rich Poppe

Membership Committee

Rob Pollock, Chair
Judy Caletti, Trustee, Immediate
Past President
Linda Birkitt, Southern California

Membership Committee
(cont.)

Museum Committee

Sally Craig, Chair, Trustee
John Bryant, Trustee
Ken Envall, Southern California
Julian Grace, Sunbelt
Wayne Myers, Southeast

Museum Sub-Committees

Ohio Operations
Emery Prior

Nominating Committee

Dan Wilson, Chairman
John Bryant, Trustee
Judy Caletti, Trustee
Mary Pollock, Trustee
Johnathan Hoyt
Judy Miller
Dale Tyvand
Bill Wineburgh

Publications Committee

Bob Caletti, Chair
Tom Kuehn, Vice President
Steve Boehck
Dave Corkrum
Christian Eric
Kathleen Eric
Terry Smythe

Publications
Sub-Committee

Website Committee
Rick Swaney, Chair
Julian Grace
B Bronson
Don Henry
Knowles Little, Web Secretary

Special Exhibits Committee

Wayne Myers, Chair

John Bryant, Trustee

David Corkrum, Golden Gate

Robert Ebert, Mid-America

Jack Hostetler, Southeast

Judy Miller, Piedmont

Mary Ellen Myers, Southeast

Rick Swaney, Northwest IntÕl

SPECIAL ACTIVITIES
Publications Back Issues:

Jacque Beeman

Regina Certificates:

Bob Yates

MBSI Pins and Seals:

Jacque Beeman

Librarian:

Jerry Maler

Historian:

Bob Yates

MBSI Editorial Office:

Iron Dog Media
130 Coral Court
Pismo Beach, CA 93449
editor@mbsi.org

64 MECHANICAL MUSIC November/December 2018

CALENDAR OF EVENTS

Date Event Location Sponsor
Nov. 11, 2018 Golden Gate Chapter Meeting Woodside, CA Mark & Marguerite Kaufman
Dec 2, 2018 Snowbelt Chapter Meeting Mahtomedi, MN Tom & Hongyan Kuehn
Dec. 9, 2018 National Capital Chapter Holiday Party Annapolis, MD Dick & Cheryl Hack
Aug 27-31, 2019 2019 MBSI Annual Meeting Rockville, MD National Capital Chapter

Please send dates for the Calendar of Events to Russell Kasselman (editor@mbsi.org)

CONTACTS

CHAPTERS

East Coast

Chair: Bill Wineburgh
(973) 927-0484
Dues $10 to Geoffrey Wilson
804 Appleton Way
Whippany, NJ 07981

Golden Gate

Chair: Jonathan Hoyt
(408) 214-9313
Dues $5 to Dave Corkrum
5826 Roberts Ave.
Oakland, CA 94605

Japanese International

Chair: Tomiju Endo x
+81-42-339-9099
Dues Japanese yen 4,000 to
Sadahiko Sakauchi
5-2-41 Nigawa-cho
Nishinomiya-shi
662-0811 Japan

Lake Michigan

Chair: Aaron Muller
(847) 962-2330
Dues $5 to James Huffer
7930 N. Kildare
Skokie, Illinois 60076

Mid-America

Chair: Rob Pollock
(937) 508-4984
Dues $10 to Harold Wade
4616 Boneta Road
Medina, OH 44256

National Capital

Chair: Matthew Jaro
(301) 482-2008
Dues $5 to Florie Hirsch
8917 Wooden Bridge Road
Potomac, MD 20854

Northwest International

Chair: Dale Tyvand
(425) 774-7230
Dues $7.50/person to Kathy Baer
8210 Comox Road
Blaine, WA 98230

Piedmont

Chair: Vernon Gantt
(919) 264-2222
vgjr123@yahoo.com
Dues $10 to Vernon Gantt
PO Box 20238
Raleigh, NC 27619

Traveling MBSI Display
Bill Endlein
21547 NW 154th Pl.
High Springs, FL 32643-4519
Phone (386) 454-8359
sembsi@yahoo.com

Regina Certificates: Cost $5.
B Bronson
Box 154
Dundee, MI 48131
Phone (734) 529-2087
art@d-pcomm.net

Advertising for Mechanical Music
Russell Kasselman
Iron Dog Media
130 Coral Court
Pismo Beach, CA 93449
Phone (253) 228-1634
editor@mbsi.org

CHAPTERS

Snowbelt

Chair: Tracy Tolzmann
(651) 674-5149
Dues $10 to Gary Goldsmith
17160 – 245th Avenue
Big Lake, MN 55309

Southeast

Chair: Judy Miller
(828) 513-7007
Dues $5 to Julie Morlock
780 Cherry Grove Road
Orange Park, FL 32073

Museum Donations
Sally Craig,
2720 Old Orchard Road
Lancaster, PA 17601
Phone (717) 295-9188
rosebud441@juno.com

MBSI website
Rick Swaney,
4302 209th Avenue NE
Sammamish, WA 98074
Phone (425) 836-3586
r_swaney@msn.com

Web Secretary
Knowles Little
9109 Scott Dr.
Rockville, MD 20850
Phone (301) 762-6253
kglittle@verizon.net

Southern California

Chair: Robin Biggins
(310) 377-1472
Dues $10 to Bob Lloyd
1201 Edgeview Drive
Cowan Hgts, CA 92705

Sunbelt

Chair: Ray Dickey
(713) 467-0349
Dues $10 to Mary Grace
13431 Grand Masterpiece
Houston, TX 77041

November/December 2018 MECHANICAL MUSIC 65

MARTY PERSKY

Instrument Brokering & Locating / Appraisals / Inspections / Free Consultation

First Time offered Ð Spectacular Ruth 38

Popper Felix Mortier 84 key CafŽ Hupfeld Helios II/25 Welte 4 Concert

Wurlitzer 850A Wurlitzer BX with Wonderlight Bow Front Violano Niemuth 45-Key Bacigalupo
Visit www.Mechmusic.com for information on these and other fine instruments.

T:847-675-6144 Email: Marty@Mechmusic.com

Free consignment shipping to Germany Ð if delivered or sent to our location
in Garden City Park, NY 11040 (10 miles east of JFK Airport)
Free shipping for any major consignment from the U.K.! You just pack Ð we do the rest!
For more highlights and videos, visit www.Breker.com/New Highlights
or youtube.com/auctionteambreker
Fully-illustrated bilingual (Engl.-German) COLOUR Catalogue available against prepayment only:
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(Bank draft, cash or by Credit Card with CVV and expiry date: MasterCard/Visa/AmEx)
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148th Specialty Auction
ÈFine Mechanical Music InstrumentsÇ
Featuring the Luuk Goldhoorn Collection
Only November 9, 2018 !
Silver-Gilt and Enamel Singing Bird Box
by Charles Bruguier, c. 1845
Estimate: 20.000 Ð 30.000 /
$ 22,800 Ð 34,200
Exceptional Gold and Enamel
Musical Harp Pendant, c. 1805
Estimate: 10.000 Ð 15.000 /
$ 11,400 Ð 17,100
Model 252 Twin-Disc
Symphonion, c. 1905
Estimate: 15.000 Ð 20.000 /
$ 17,100 Ð 22,800
Symphonion Eroica Triple-Disc
Musical Hall Clock, c. 1895
Estimate: 28.000 Ð 35.000 /
$ 32,900 Ð 40,000
Unusual Nodding Lion
Automaton, c. 1900
Estimate: 3.000 Ð 4.000 /
$ 3,400 Ð 4,600
E Wurlitzer Style 850 ÔPeacockÕ
Jukebox, c. 1941
Estimate: 16.000 Ð 20.000 /
$ 18,200 Ð 22,800
EWC Horn Gramophone, c. 1915
Estimate: 800 1.200 / $ 900 Ð 1,400
Ultraphon Cabinet
Gramophone, c. 1925
Estimate: 2.000 3.000 /
$ 2,300 Ð 3,400
Polychrome-painted Carved
Carousel Horse, c. 1970
Estimate: 1.200 1.500 /
$ 1,400 Ð 1,710
Rare Musical Automaton Drinker
by Roullet et Decamps, c. 1895
Estimate: 3.000 Ð 5.000 /
$ 3,400 Ð 5,700
Musical Automaton Clown
by Vichy, c. 900
Estimate: 3.000 Ð 5.000 /
$ 3,400 Ð 5,700
Impressive Station-type
Musical Box, c. 1890
Estimate: 15.000 Ð 20.000 /
$ 17,100 Ð 22,800
Monkey Fisherman Automaton
by Jean Phalibois, c. 1884
Estimate: 6.000 Ð 8.000 /
$ 6,800 Ð 9,100

Volume 64, No. 5 September/October 2018

· September 1, 2018 ·

Mechanical Music Mechanical Music
Journal of the Musical Box Society International
Devoted to All Automatic Musical Instruments

Volume 64, No. 5 September/October 2018

496 First Street, Solvang California
Open Seven Days a Week 10-6
Ron & Julie Palladino ¥ 805-452-5700
www.renantiques.com ¥ ron@renantiques.com
Visit the charming European Village of Solvang, half an hour
above Santa Barbara in CaliforniaÕs Central Coast Wine Country
Featuring Hundreds of Quality Clocks, Fine Pocket & Wristwatches,
Cylinder & Disc Music Boxes, Musical Clocks, Nickelodeons & Automata
SALES ¥ PURCHASE ¥ CONSIGNMENT
RENAISSANCE ANTIQUE S of Solvang
496 First Street, Solvang California
Open Seven Days a Week 10-6
Ron & Julie Palladino ¥ 805-452-5700
www.renantiques.com ¥ ron@renantiques.com
Visit the charming European Village of Solvang, half an hour
above Santa Barbara in CaliforniaÕs Central Coast Wine Country
Featuring Hundreds of Quality Clocks, Fine Pocket & Wristwatches,
Cylinder & Disc Music Boxes, Musical Clocks, Nickelodeons & Automata
SALES ¥ PURCHASE ¥ CONSIGNMENT
RENAISSANCE ANTIQUE S of Solvang

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

Copyright 2018. The Musical Box Society International,
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,
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Or, make corrections on the website at www.mbsi.org.

POSTMASTER: SEND ADDRESS CHANGES TO

MBSI, PO Box 10196,
Springfield, MO 65808-0196

Mechanical Music

Journal of the Musical Box Society International

Devoted to All Automatic Musical Instruments

Volume 64, No. 5 September/October 2018

MBSI NEWS

5 PresidentÕs Message
7 EditorÕs Notes

53 In Memoriam

FEATURES

8 Nickel Notes
22 Art Cased Disc Boxes

On the Cover
A Celesta disc music box in the
Steve Boehck and Alan Bies
collection. For more on these art
case disc boxes, see Page 22.
CHAPTER
REPORTS

44 Sunbelt
46 Southern California

MBSI has replanted 24 trees so far as part
50 Snowbelt of the Print ReLeaf program.

WE WANT YOUR STORY!

September/October 2018 MECHANICAL MUSIC 3

The World of Mechanical Music The World of Mechanical Music
Copy this page, and give it to a potential new member. Spread the word about MBSI.

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Email: jbeeman.mbsi@att.net

4 MECHANICAL MUSIC September/October 2018

By Clay Witt

MBSI President

As you receive this edition of
Mechanical Music our 69th annual
meeting should be getting underway.
I am really looking forward to it. I
know our Mid-America Chapter has
put in a great deal of work to make it
a success. Some fine collection tours
have been lined up. From a brief
online look at photographs, our hotel
looks spectacular. One of the major
online travel sites reports that it has a

4.4 out of 5 guest rating based on 5,643
verified reviews. Mid-America Chair
Dave Calendine says the hotelÕs buffet
is outstanding. For those coming early
or staying late there are worthwhile
attractions to see, such as Henry
FordÕs Greenfield Village, within an
easy driving distance.
All arrangements for moving
forward with the English language
version of Dr. Helmut KowarÕs book,
Musical Boxes of Prague and Vienna,
have now been completed. (See
the PresidentÕs Message in the July/
August edition of Mechanical Music
for details.) I anticipate it will be some
time before we see the final result, as
translation, revision, and printing lie
ahead. We will let you know when the
book becomes available.

I would like to ask you to consider

writing articles for Mechanical Music.
Our members hold a wealth of knowledge
and memorable stories about
mechanical music instruments and
collecting adventures in their heads.
And you need not be a polished author
to get the job done. If you pass on the
facts, our excellent Editor, Russell
Kasselman, will help you put everything
together for publication if you
would like that help. If you have been
thinking about a story, please contact
Russell and get things moving. The
history of our hobby is too important
to lose.

As you may know from previous
communications in this column, we

aim to be transparent in conducting
MBSI business. Part of that is letting
you know about actions our Executive
Committee has taken. Under the societyÕs
bylaws the chairs and members
of most of our committees serve one-
year terms running from one annual
meeting to the next. Nominations are
subject to the approval of our Executive
Committee. When this issue is
delivered that process should have
been completed. Committee listings
have been updated in this issue. Our
committee chairs and members work
hard to keep our organization running
and I would like to extend my thanks
to each and every one of them.

A Lasting Legacy In order for anything
once alive to have
meaning, its effect
must remain alive in
eternity in some way

All donations to the Endowment

generations appreciate these achievements of manÕs creative

Fund are tax deductible.
genius. Visit www.mbsi.org to learn more.

A gift of any size is welcome.

MBSI MEMBERSHIP DRIVE
EACH ONE/REACH ONE NEW MEMBER

Please make copies of these forms as needed and send the completed forms with checks to the MBSI
administrator at the address listed below.

EditorÕs Notes EditorÕs Notes
By Russell Kasselman ÒThank you from the bottom of my
MBSI Editor/Publisher heart…….Ó
The following note of gratitude I wanted to print this letter to inspire
was forwarded to me by an MBSI all you engineers, mechanics, com-
member who restores music boxes. posers, woodworkers, and artisans
He received it from a customer after who employ your skills giving new life
delivering a finished product. to old music boxes. I hope you take
the time to go the extra mile and tell
ÒThis evening my son brought me your customers all you can learn by
our familyÕs music box which you researching the MBSI archives and
so beautifully restored for us. I want other historical sources. Music boxes
to thank you so much for your time with a history will have even more
and effort and for researching when meaning to their owners and that
the music box was purchased, as that might make the difference between a
is something we didnÕt know. I donÕt family keeping a music box as an heir-
know what my son told you about our loom versus selling it to make space
story, but we know the music box was for another TV.
purchased by my great grandmother If you havenÕt yet taken the time to
who lived near Chicago. She took in browse the MBSI archives, I would
laundry and ironing to earn money encourage you to do so. Mechanical
to buy it. My grandfather was just a Music journals from 1954 onward are
boy of 10 (we know now because you available on the website at https://
gave us a purchase date) and she sent mbsi.org/archive/. Several search
him out to pick up and deliver the options are available. There are also
laundry. The music box was a real links to the Presto and Music Trade
treasure to them and I knew from Review magazines.
hearing him talk of it that its story The Musical Box Society of Great
had a special place in his heart. ItÕs Britain offers a musical box registry
the oldest piece of family history that that holds tune sheet information
we still have today. about the make, type, date, serial and
ÒI appreciate your taking such good gamme numbers, musical repertoire,
care of it and restoring it for us. We dimensions and descriptions of the
have over 35 disks that we can enjoy boxes and additional notes of any
now that the music box is restored unusual features. More information
and it brings back memories of when is available here: www.mbsgb.org.uk/
my grandparents played it for us. look-learn/musical-box-register/

MAILING ADDRESS
MBSI Editorial/Advertising
130 Coral Court
Pismo Beach, CA 93449
EMAIL ADDRESS
editor@mbsi.org
PHONE
(253) 228-1634

Lastly, on the subject of history, I
want to thank Steve Boehck, author
of our cover piece in this issue, for
his well-researched article on art
case music boxes. I hope you enjoy
the wealth of information Steve has
contributed here as much as I did.

Welcome new members!
June 2018
Karen Rue
Lafayette, LA
Glen & Jacinta Walant
The Villages, FL
Robert & Barbara Henriksen
The Villages, FL
Eugenio Cuayo Robby Peeters & Felix Peeters
Cutler Bay, FL Westerlo, Antwerpen
Junichi & Ryoko MizutariJuly 2018 Tateyama, Chiba
Liang QuRichard Hatten & Brian Minnette
Fremont, CA Carrollton, TX
James GanemGary Christoff
Tucson, AZ Yorba Linda, CA

September/October 2018 MECHANICAL MUSIC 7

Nickel Notes

By Matthew Jaro

For this issue of Nickel Notes we
travel to middle New Jersey, a few
miles north of Princeton, to the town
of Belle Mead, for a visit with Glenn
Thomas. The beauty of his house
was quite striking as I pulled into
the driveway. One thing that really
distinguishes Glenn from many
mechanical music enthusiasts is his
love of the music. Some people just
collect machines and never change the
rolls or seek new rolls. Glenn tries to
obtain all the rolls he can, and changes
them regularly Ð even the Link rolls!

Beginnings

People who read this column should
know by now that I ask everyone how
they got started in mechanical music.
I feel that it is important to understand
how people became interested in the
hobby in order to attract new members
to AMICA and MBSI. Glenn got
started in two ways simultaneously.
He grew up in Southern California
and his parents would take him to
the Griffith Park Carousel as a kid
when he was about four or five years
old. He was fascinated by both the
merry-go-round and the Wurlitzer 165
Band Organ that played the music. He
had no idea what he was listening to
in those early years, but he knew he
liked it.

A few years later, in 1955, Disneyland
opened. They had a lot of
mechanical music and a player piano
store called the Wonderland Music
Store. This store was open from 1955
to 1972. There was a foot-pedal player
piano in there. There were a number
of coin-operated machines that Disney
had scattered around the park.
There was a Wurlitzer C at the Mark

Twain boat landing and a Welte Style 4
Orchestrion in the Main Street Arcade
(which has been recently restored).
A significant portion of the Disney
collection came from Albert Clifford
Raney. In 1953, the state of California
was building the San Gabriel River
Freeway (I-605) through the Raney
estate and RaneyÕs widow decided to
sell the collection. Disney acquired 30
machines. RaneyÕs saloon art collection
was sold to KnottÕs Berry Farm.
A few years later Glenn visited KnottÕs
Berry Farm and saw even more
mechanical instruments. He also had a
neighbor who had a foot-pedal player
piano. The combination of all of these
things got Glenn started on a lifelong
journey.

WhatÕs so amazing about this is
that Disneyland and KnottÕs Berry
Farm provided my own inspiration

Glenn Thomas in front of his Wurlitzer 165 band organ

for mechanical music. I also lived
in Southern California when I was
growing up. Glenn and I talked at
length about our mutual deep love for
the music. Further, we discovered that
we shared exposure to the ÒOur GangÓ
and ÒLaurel and HardyÓ films, ÒBetty
BoopÓ cartoons and other programs
on TV that featured music of the
1920s. Consequently, we both started
by really loving the music and were
probably more susceptible to being
overcome by the sight and sound of
nickelodeons. Today, kids donÕt even
know who Laurel and Hardy were
and there arenÕt many public venues
where a kid can see mechanical music
in action.

Our conversation moved on to
cover the 1940s and 50s, a time when
many nickelodeons were destroyed
because they were looked upon as

8 MECHANICAL MUSIC September/October 2018

Glenn is a lover of music as well as mechanical music machines. He changes the rolls in his machine often, and he has many

rolls to choose from. This is a shot of his collection.

being obsolete. I wonder if that led
to so many young people having such
little appreciation of antiques. In my
opinion, a continued lack of exposure
to the music and the machines makes
it unlikely that a mechanical music
renaissance will happen. Glenn said
he has noticed that when children
are shown the instruments, they are
momentarily interested, but then they
quickly want to go on to other things.
IÕve noticed that most kids wonÕt even
listen to an entire song.

And then we moved on to other
things.

College Years and Beyond

In GlennÕs high school and college
days he had more mobility and
through part-time jobs he was able
to save some money. That meant
he could go out looking for player
pianos, cheap coin pianos, and rolls.
He remembers getting a player piano
for $25 (which Glenn notes is more
than you might pay today). He fixed
it up and sold it for $350. In the mid1960s,
Glenn found a Seeburg Style E
machine in a garage for a few hundred
dollars. It was GlennÕs first coin piano.

Over the years, he followed a typical
collectorÕs path, acquiring one thing
while selling or trading something
else. He was always, however, looking
for rolls he didnÕt already have. Glenn
had the Seeburg E for five to seven
years. He did much of the restoration
work, aided by his friend in California,
Don Rand. Glenn was buying recut A
rolls from Ed Freyer and original A
rolls from Otto Carlsen (a collector in
Monrovia, CA). Otto could get pianos
and rolls at reasonable prices. He
would then broker them. New A rolls
were sold for $15.

Glenn once worked at Griffith Park
for a year (mainly so he could play the
band organ and change all the rolls he
wanted). He said it was a wonderful
experience and helped his love of band
organs grow. He first met Don Rand
there, as well. Don had just bought a
Wurlitzer Style 147 band organ and
loved to listen to the Griffith organ
too. Glenn then met Terry Hathaway
through Don Rand. This was before
the renowned firm of Hathaway and
Bowers was formed. Glenn would go
to Hathaway and Bowers primarily to
buy rolls. He bought a pile of Wurlitzer

APP rolls cheap, even though he didnÕt
have a machine to play them on. He
loved Wurlitzer music so much that
he said he couldnÕt let the opportunity
pass. It took many years for him to
finally get a piano to play them, but he
always held on to the rolls knowing
they would someday be played again.

The Wurlitzer AX

Glenn sold his Seeburg E and found
a Wurlitzer AX in the mid-1960s. He
still has that piano. The AX was being
stored in someoneÕs basement or
garage and they advertised it for sale
in the Los Angeles Times. The following
description is taken from GlennÕs
website www.nickelodeonhouse.net

ÒThe Wurlitzer style AXB piano was
built around 1910 and represents one
of the earliest examples of a coin-operated
piano. The Rudolph Wurlitzer
Company was one of the most famous
and prolific manufacturers of automatic
musical instruments.Ó

The AX needed to be rebuilt and
that work was a combination effort
between Glenn and Don Rand. They

September/October 2018 MECHANICAL MUSIC 9

The Wurlitzer AX that plays APP rolls.

added a set of bells, since the APP
rolls have that capability. He had a
good supply of five-tune APP rolls
which could be played on that piano.

ÒThis instrument has a piano,
mandolin, 38 violin pipes, and a
set of 16 orchestra bells. It has a
unique roll changing mechanism
which automatically plays five tunes
on one roll, and then changes to the
next roll until all 30 tunes on six
rolls have been played. The elaborate
transmission and number of moving
parts are excitingly primitive and a
pure pleasure to listen!Ó

While Glenn still lived in Los Angeles,
he went through quite a series of
player pianos. He was still a kid and
looking to make extra money. He
bought eight or nine at inexpensive
prices and fixed them before selling.
He was careful never to buy any
piano that was a basket case requiring
heavy-duty work or restringing. For a
time, he had a Welte upright reproducing
piano. Glenn had to move several
times because of jobs and this made
it sometimes difficult to work on the
pianos.

The Nelson-Wiggen Style 8

The next significant machine Glenn
acquired was a Nelson-Wiggen Style

8. This is an A roll piano and it was
very affordable at the time. He needed
something to play A rolls, and this
machine filled the bill as he had gotten
rid of his Seeburg E. Glenn didnÕt
have to do any restoration on the Nelson-
Wiggen since it was restored by G.
Roger Dayton. Roger, at that time, ran
a business called Pedals, Pumpers and
Inside the Nelson-Wiggen Style 8 that was restored by G. Roger Dayton.

Rolls in Elmhurst, IL. Roger has since of furniture suitable for sophisticated
moved his business to Greenville, SC. settings. Most of its instruments
Quoting again from GlennÕs website: were made in fine walnut cases with
clear beveled glass to display its
ÒThe Nelson-Wiggen Piano Co. classy interior.
was a late comer to the coin-operated ÒThis Nelson-Wiggen Style 8 plays
piano business. Its activity was piano, mandolin, orchestra bells, and
confined mainly to the decade 1920 xylophone. It plays a 10-tune style A
– 1930. roll. The machine alternates between
ÒNelson-WiggenÕs marketing stratthe
bells and xylophone since the A roll
egy for its Ôbetter automaticÕ was to only supports one extra instrument.Ó
make its instruments as fine pieces

10 MECHANICAL MUSIC September/October 2018

The gleaming Steinway Duo-Art.

The Steinway Duo-Art XR Grand
Reproducing Piano.

Glenn moved from California to
the East Coast in 1990. This gave
him more room to grow. He acquired
a beautiful Steinway Duo-Art grand
because he needed something to play
88-note rolls! It had been restored
about 10 years before Glenn got it.
Even now, as a 30-plus year old restoration,
itÕs still OK. He always wanted
both an Ampico and a Duo-Art piano,
but he also wanted quality at a price
he could afford. The Steinway made
Glenn pretty happy because now he
had machines that could play Duo-Art
rolls, 88-note rolls, A rolls and Wurlitzer
APP rolls.

The Seeburg KT Special

Glenn said this machine came along
in the early 1990s. I love that expression
Ð he says it like the machine simply
followed him home! Glenn was in a
stage of his working life that allowed
him to afford much more than he could
have 10 years earlier. The machine was
acquired in an unrestored state from
Don Rand. Don had it for a number of
years, but it was just languishing. It was
in decent shape and nothing bad had
been done to it. For the restoration,
Glenn was looking for someone local,
knowledgeable, and a person who had
enough time to do a great job. That
person turned out to be Tom Hundermark.
Tom was doing GlennÕs player
tech work and tuning at the time. Tom
had never done a coin piano before Ð
he had always done players Ð but he
was willing to take on the job. He was
located in Chatham, NJ. Tom did all of
the piano action and restringing tasks
that were necessary. This was truly a
beautiful restoration job.

Above, the art glass on the KT Special and below is a view with the cabinet door
open to see the immaculate insides.

ÒThe Seeburg KT Special was introduced
in 1924 and originally sold
for $1500. Marketed as a ÒBallroom
Favorite,Ó it was designed to serve in
places requiring the ultra-supreme
in automatic orchestral development.
The elimination of a keyboard
reduced the instrument to convenient
dimensions.

ÒThis instrument contains piano,
xylophone, mandolin, bass drum,
snare drum, tympani, cymbal,
castanets, triangle, tambourine, and
Chinese block. It plays a 10-tune type
G roll.Ó

Of course, Glenn had already picked
up a few G rolls along the way knowing
that he would get a G roll machine
someday!

The Link 2E

This machine was acquired in the
1990s at a place called RodÕs Roadhouse
Restaurant, in Morristown, NJ.
It had been there at least 30-40 years.
It sat in their bar. In the early 1990s,
RodÕs wanted to change the format of
the restaurant and bar and wanted to
get rid of all the antique stuff. Glenn
bought the machine at an auction. It
had certainly seen better days after

September/October 2018 MECHANICAL MUSIC 11

GlennÕs Link 2E features glass panels in front instead of wood. The modification was
made by a former owner to allow people to see the roll move over the tracker bar.

being in a public setting so long.
Unfortunately for Glenn, the former
owners had taken out the bottom
panels and thrown them away so they
could install glass that allowed people
to see what was inside. Rusty King
(known as Mr. Link) did the initial restoration
work, which included making
some parts like a new coin box. Paul
Manganaro recently completed the
balance of the work required. Glenn
really loves the Link arrangements,
even though it is seriously difficult to
change rolls on a Link.

ÒThis Link Coin-operated model
2-E nickelodeon features a piano,
mandolin attachment and a 25-note
repeating Deagan Xylophone or
ÒmarimbaphoneÓ as the Link Company
called it.

ÒLink pianos were unique in that
they were often sold to route operators
who would place them in suitable revenue
generating locations for patrons
anxious to deposit nickels to hear
snappy music. They also were one of
the few nickelodeon makers to employ
the ÒendlessÓ style of music rolls. As
can be seen from the photograph, these
rolls were spread out in an apparent
tangle of paper that tracked through
a maze as it fed over the tracker bar
activating the playing notes. Each
roll played 15 tunes in succession,
one for each nickel, and never had to
be rewound.

ÒThis piano has been restored to
better than original condition except
that the lower front wood panel was
replaced many years ago by glass to
allow viewing the piano mechanism

and the tangle of paper. This encouraged
more coins for more music!Ó

The Wurlitzer Style C Orchestrion

This machine came from Marty
and Elise Roenigk (who owned
Mechantiques). Glenn had wanted a
long frame Wurlitzer for some time.
He had the short frame (five-tune
Wurlitzer AX) machine already, but
he still had about 30 original 10-tune
APP rolls that he got from Hathaway
and Bowers in the 1960s that needed
a machine to play them. Since most of
the Wurlitzer machines are changers,
it is fairly rare to encounter a 10-tune
machine. This one was in original
unrestored condition but did not have
bells or xylophones. Tom Hundermark
added both from various parts that
they were able to get and crammed
everything in the case.

ÒThis Wurlitzer Style C Orchestrion
is the anchor and focal point of the
collection. It was built about 1920
and features the delightful combination
of piano, 38 flute pipes, 21 violin
pipes, and 17 viola pipes. It also
has 16 orchestra bells, 16 xylophone
bars, a mandolin attachment, bass
drum, and snare drum. It plays
from Wurlitzer Automatic Player
Piano rolls, each with 10 tunes and
orchestrated to play any combination
of the instruments included in this
wonderful music machine.

ÒOne of WurlitzerÕs most popular
entertainment devices, these instruments
were sold to operators of large
saloons, dance halls, restaurants,
parlors, and other places where a
machine capable of high volume
would dazzle a crowd encouraged to
put nickel after nickel into its coin
slot.

ÒIt has recently been restored
inside and out to better than original
condition.Ó

Wurlitzer stopped making mechanical
musical instruments in 1939 but
kept making rolls until 1945.

According to Matthew CaulfieldÕs
website:

ÒThere are various stories about
what became of the assets of its Roll
Department after Wurlitzer decided

12 MECHANICAL MUSIC September/October 2018

The art glass and roll mechanism on the Wurlitzer Style C are
beautiful to behold. A view of the Style C with one panel open.

Each art glass panel is wonderfully
detailed and enhances the experience
A closeup of the Wurlitzer logo at the top of the machine. of listening to the machine.

September/October 2018 MECHANICAL MUSIC 13

to cease making music rolls in 1945.
But the closest we can come today to
the truth is contained in the recollections
of North Tonawanda resident
Douglas R. Hershberger from conversations
he had with Ralph Tussing.
When the Allan Herschell Company
learned that band organ rolls were no
longer going to be produced, the company
probably realized that, without
music being available, its carousel
sales would be negatively impacted.
Therefore, Ralph Tussing was asked
to go to the Wurlitzer plant and select
anything needed for Herschell to
carry on the band organ roll business,
which Mr. Tussing was to run for
them.

ÒEventually Tussing started his
own business producing Wurlitzer
rolls (both band organ and APP rolls).
As a consequence to all this, there
was a fantastic amount of Wurlitzer
music available well into the 1950s.

ÒSome of WurlitzerÕs features and
mechanisms were really ingenious.
For example, many machines have
a platinum screen behind the tracker
bar to collect paper dust and chads.
You didnÕt need to pump out the
tracker bar. Merely unscrew it and
wipe the dust away. Similarly, the
rewind mechanism didnÕt involve
grinding gears to stop, but involved a
lever falling into a slot in the take-up
spool when there is no more paper.
This meant that the paper had to be
fed with the spool in front (instead of
in back like the Seeburg design).Ó

The Seeburg Style G Orchestrion

The G was complete when purchased
from Rick Cooley, but it was
an old restoration and didnÕt really
play. It was part of an estate sale that
had been consigned to Rick. The price
was really good because Glenn got it
directly from a bank that took it over
from an estate. (Rick got a brokerage
fee). The machine went directly to
Paul Manganaro for restoration.

The machine included ranks of 32
separate flute and violin pipes that are
controlled and activated by the music
roll. Since pipes operate on pressure
rather than vacuum, the pump has a
separate flap valve system and pressure
reservoir to provide wind for the pipes.

The piano has 50 playing notes and
a mandolin rail in addition to the two
ranks of pipes. Percussion is added
by a bass drum, snare drum, cymbal,
triangle, and two tympani beaters.
The music roll controls all using a
chromatic scale for piano, register Òon
and offÓ perforations for the separate
ranks of pipes so they may use the
same scale as piano, and controls for
all effects.

The piano was acquired in 2006 and
restored in 2010.

The Link AX Orchestrion

This Link came from the same bank
in New York as the Seeburg G and
Rick Cooley was again the broker. I
asked Glenn if the bank was perhaps
called the Nickel Savings Bank! The
Link had been through a flood and had
a cracked plate. Glenn did a comprehensive
search to try to find another
Link piano that had a good plate. It
turns out that the Link company had
the plates custom-made by Hadorff.
There was special spacing on the pins

An overview and a closeup of art glass
details on the Seeburg G reveal the
fantastic restoration done by Paul
Manganaro.

and the size was different from other
pianos. You could not replace it with
a plate from a Seeburg or any other
piano Hadorff made. In Tacoma, WA,
Glenn found a gutted piano that was
the twin of the AX he had purchased.
It was sitting in an antique store
named Mandarin Pianos. This one had

14 MECHANICAL MUSIC September/October 2018

Three views of the Link AX orchestrion reveal its complex interior and intricate art glass display that combine to make for a
viewing and listening feast for the eyes and ears.

a different case and different glass,

but the good thing was it had the same
plate. Glenn measured carefully to
make sure. After confirming the plate
would fit, Glenn bought the twin of
his AX and had the piano sent to Paul
ManganaroÕs who switched out the
plate. Glenn kept the stained glass
from the gutted piano and gave Paul
the rest. Glenn now has the extra glass
on display.
GlennÕs Link AX was built about
1920 and contains piano, mandolin,
ranks of 28 flute and violin pipes,
snare drum, tambourine with separate
beating mechanisms and shaking
mechanisms, triangle and wood block.
This piano was acquired in 2006 and
was restored in 2009.
Glass panels show the instruments making music in the Nelson-Wiggen Style 6.
The Nelson-Wiggen Style 6
This machine originally belonged memories of that record. It really really inspired me to get a Nelson-Wigto
Jim Hamilton from California who cemented my interest in nickelodeons gen 4X machine. Jim Hamilton had
supplied the machines in the LP record and I especially loved the sound of the owned the piano for eons and he sold
named ÒQuarterlodeons.Ó I have fond Nelson-Wiggen machines. The record it to the Bovey family in San Diego, CA

September/October 2018 MECHANICAL MUSIC 15

The lower half of the Nelson-Wiggen Style 6.

where it sat for about 30 years. They
were finally ready to sell it. It was in
rough shape, so it went right to Paul
Manganaro for a restoration.

The Style 6 packed a lot of music
into a small cabinet and appealed to
restaurants, bars, and parlors. The
piano features 28 xylophone bars, bass
drum, snare drum, tympani, triangle,
castanets, wood block, and mandolin.
Some of the percussion operates
by means of a special switching
mechanism that allows them to play
alternatively using the same tracker
bar hole. The music roll controls all
using a chromatic scale for piano, register
Òon and offÓ perforations for the
xylophones so they may use the same
scale as the piano, and controls for all
other effects.

This piano was acquired in 2008 and
was originally restored in the 1970s but
its deterioration since then required
further work in 2008 to restore a level
of playing quality.

The Seeburg K

This machine came from Bart Off
who had seven or eight Seeburg Ks in
what Bart called his ÒWaiting Room.Ó
Glenn said Bart had so many, he
shouldnÕt miss one, and Glenn really
wanted a Seeburg K. The restoration
is old, but the machine plays well. The
machine has a piano, mandolin and

xylophone and is one of GlennÕs more
recent acquisitions.

The Wurlitzer Style 165/166 Band
Organ

One of pices de rŽsistance of
GlennÕs collection is the extremely
rare Wurlitzer 165 band organ. Only 24
original Wurlitzer 165s were produced
and now only 10 survive. Additionally,
the Wurlitzer factory converted some
other organs to 165s, of which only
a few survive. This organ is such an
example.

Recall that Glenn grew up listening
to two 165 band organs, one at Griffith
Park and the other at Lincoln Park
in California. He also saw a 165 at
Playland on the beach in San Francisco,
CA. It is his favorite instrument.
He thought that at best he would go
through life being able to hear one
occasionally, now he has one of his
own.

It was about four years ago when
Tim Trager told Glenn about an
original Bruder 165 that had been
converted by Wurlitzer to a duplex

165. The organ was found in a derelict
house in Wisconsin. The organ was
originally built between 1910 to 1912
but almost immediately was converted
at the Wurlitzer factory to play 165
rolls. It was then given a Wurlitzer 165
serial number. The instrumentation
was a little different from the original
165s in that it had brass trumpets and
some other registers that a Wurlitzer
165 didnÕt have. It also lacked a few
ranks of pipes that traditional 165s
had. Glenn was always interested in
the Wurlitzer 166 registration which
was an expanded 165 scale. Wurlitzer
built three style 166 organs but none
have survived. Wurlitzer continued
(as did Ralph Tussing afterward) to
make music rolls with the full 166
registration even though no organ
could play them. When modern rolls
were made in the 1990s, arrangers
like David Stumpf and Tom Mejier did
not use the full 166 registration. Rich
Olsen also didnÕt maintain the 166
registration until Glenn mentioned
the little-known fact about the 166
registration being maintained in older
rolls. Consequently, until RichÕs death,
he continued the tradition of orchestrating
the full 166 capability.

Since all the Wurlitzer ledgers and
repair records are available, Glenn
was able to find out that his organ
was sold to C.W. Parker, who kept it
for a number of years. Joe Hilferty
of York, PA, did the restoration work
on the organ for Glenn. Glenn was
determined that a 166 capability
was important. This was especially
the case since his organ had the 166
brass trumpets already. Joe and Glenn
agreed that it should have full Wurlitzer
166 registration and scales. In all
these years, the 165 rolls had six extra
registers that none of the surviving
organs had the capability of playing.
Glenn has added all of these registers
except for Uniphone bells which were
added later. Uniphone bells are a separate
set of bells built by the Deagan
company which are repeating bells
with resonators. The 165 rolls have
two register controls for bells, one to
turn on the regular bar bells and one
to turn on the Uniphone bells. The
organ took two years and two months
to restore.

The Tracker scale has 75 holes, with
52 actual playing notes for Bass (six
notes, three sets of pipes), Accompaniment
(10 notes, two sets of pipes),
Melody (22 notes, eight sets of pipes

+ bells), and counter-melody (14
notes, three sets of pipes), the rest for
16 MECHANICAL MUSIC September/October 2018

Two views of the Wurlitzer 165 band organ facade which is based off the design of other surviving similar models.

September/October 2018 MECHANICAL MUSIC 17

controls and drums. The scale is not
chromatic and there are various missing
notes (typically flats and sharps)
for expediency.

The organ contains 316 pipes, with

* indicating the ranks added for the
larger style 166:
¥ Melody: 44 soft violin, 44 loud
violin, 22 prestant violin*, 22
stopped flutes, 22 small piccolo,
22 large piccolo*, 22 flageolets
(total: 198 pipes)
¥ Counter Melody: 14 brass
trumpets*, 14 wood trumpets,
14 stopped flutes, 14 bassoons,
14 2-foot wood violas (total: 70
pipes)
¥ Accompaniment: 10 stopped
flutes, 10 2-foot open flutes, 10
4-foot open flutes* (total: 30
pipes)
¥ Bass: six 8-foot bass, six 4-foot
stopped bass, six trombones
(total: 18 pipes)
¥ Other: 22 bells, bass drum, snare
drum, tympani, cymbal, triangle,
castanets, wood block
The organ did not have a faade
when it was found. No one knows
what kind of faade it originally had.
The faade on GlennÕs organ is a
replica made by hands-on copying and
measuring of other 165 organs whose
owners graciously allowed Glenn
access along with Robert Yorburg
of Yorktown Heights, NY, to make
detailed tracings and measurements.
The faade was carved by Robert
Yorburg, illustrated by Marguerite
Juner, also of New York, and painted,
leafed, and finished by Pamela Hessey,
HawkÕs Eye Studio, Kingman, AZ. The
organ was finished eight years ago.

When Bruder originally brought
these organs into America, their catalog
pictures showed two statues on
the pedestals in front. When Wurlitzer
began to make its own 165s a few years
later, the company deleted the statues
from its catalog pictures. None of the
earliest 165 statues were thought to
have survived until now. Mechanical
music historian Fred Dahlinger located
what appeared to be two original statues
that had been deemed derelict and
stored. The statues had a lot of wood

Detail of the painting on the Wurlitzer 165 band organ facade.

The castanets poking out of the lower left front of the facade.

A view of the statues that were added to the facade after their restoration.

18 MECHANICAL MUSIC September/October 2018

The Glacier 125-Key organ built by
Johnny Verbeek and itÕs additional side
cabinet constructed to increase its playing
capabilities.

rot and other problems, but Fred fixed
them up and brought them to Glenn.
Pam Hessey used the original color
scheme of the faade to finish the
statues that now stand proudly on the
pedestals of his organ.

As for rolls, of course Glenn had to
get all of the known 165 rolls that have
survived. Glenn put a non-invasive
MIDI system on the organ so he would
have access to music made by other
arrangers that would never make their
way onto perforated rolls because
there is no commercial market for
the product. Rich Olsen and Wayne
Holton have arranged obscure period
popular tunes, operatic overtures and
the suite from Carmen for Glenn to
play on his organ via the MIDI system.

The Glacier 125 Key Organ

The Glacier was Johnny VerbeeckÕs
last big organ build before he passed
away. He designed it as a smaller

version of a couple of large organs after delivery, Johnny and Glenn
he had built over the years. The were discussing expanding the organ
Glacier, as originally delivered in to include ÒdanceÓ registers and per2013,
had 112 keys, 557 pipes, and 17 cussion. The best way to add to The
automatic registers. Within a year Glacier and still have it fit in GlennÕs

September/October 2018 MECHANICAL MUSIC 19

The Lincoln Park Wurlitzer Style 165 band organ that Glenn listened to as a teenager is now installed in his home.

house was to build a side-cabinet with
the expanded features. That brought
the organ to 125 keys, 650 pipes, and
23 automatic registers!

The Lincoln Park Wurlitzer Style
165 Band Organ

The Lincoln Park, CA, Wurlitzer
165 organ played at that park from its
delivery in 1924 to just before the park
burned down in 1978. Fortunately,
before the fire the organ had been
removed for servicing. Don Rand and
Ed Openshaw owned it from 1978
until Glenn acquired it in 2015. This
organ is special to Glenn because it
is one of the two organs that got him
hooked on Wurlitzer band organs in
the first place. He never dreamed
he would own the organ he listened
to as a teenager. It allows him to
relive his youthful experiences. Joe

Hilferty restored it to as good as new,
and Glenn now owns a copy of every
known Wurlitzer music roll in the 165
scale. In addition, he produces new
rolls for himself and others to enjoy.

The Wurlitzer CX

Being A Wurlitzer fanatic, Glenn
always loved Wurlitzer music, and the
Automatic Player Piano rolls were a
favorite. While he owned a smaller
Wurlitzer machine for decades (The
AX), he finally was able to acquire a
wonderful, restored Wurlitzer CX,
previously a part of the Jim Krughoff
collection. This particular instrument
came already wonderfully restored.
The instrument has a piano, mandolin,
bass drum, snare drum, violin pipes,
flute pipes, and a set of bells. GlennÕs
large collection of APP rolls sound
even better on this machine!

Background

When Glenn was not pursuing
mechanical music, he received a
bachelorÕs degree in business administration
and a masterÕs degree in
management. That led to a career in
the property and casualty insurance
industry. Assignments in Los Angeles
(twice), San Francisco (three times),
San Diego, Phoenix, Bermuda, and
finally New York meant moving large
mechanical musical instruments each
time and that was certainly difficult!

But he persevered and finally settled
in rural New Jersey.

When Glenn and his wife, Kim
Kleasen, are not enjoying the
instruments, they enjoy other period
collectibles and antiques, the arts and
sciences, foreign and domestic travel,
the great outdoors, activities such
as bicycle riding, skiing, tennis, and

20 MECHANICAL MUSIC September/October 2018

hiking; and electronics.

Glenn describes himself as a music
addict and I must place myself in the
same category. I try to get all the rolls
for my instruments that I can. However,
this seems to be a rare character
attribute, since many people only collect
the machines and donÕt think of
playing different music on them. As
always, I say that it is important to
buy rolls so that the producers of rolls
will continue to provide new material.
So, all you collectors out there please
think about enjoying the music on
your machines and really listen to
them. The mechanical music world
will thank you.

Glenn is currently the editor of the
AMICA Bulletin. He can be reached at
wurlitzer165@comcast.net .

Please feel free to 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 Automatic Musical
Instrument CollectorsÕ Association
(AMICA). Originally printed in the July/
August 2012 issue of The AMICA Bulletin.

The Wurlitzer CX features a wonderlight at the top, a forest scene art glass panel
and display of the roll labels of the rolls currently loaded in the machine.

WE WANT YOUR STORY!

September/October 2018 MECHANICAL MUSIC 21

Art-Cased
Disc Musical Boxes

by Steve Boehck

Figure 1: A frontal view of our restored Symphonion ÒRococoÓ music box serial number 229943.

W
W
hat do we mean by the term Òart-cased elements. There are other elements that could be included
disc musical boxesÓ? My definition is in my definition, but I believe these cover the majority of
that the case should display at least the art-cased disc boxes commonly collected, and it defisome
of the following elements: unusual nitely covers the cases I will be referring to in my articles.
shape, exotic veneers and or premium hardwoods; inlays This is the first of two articles I will write discussing
and or marquetry; hand carving or machine carving; art-cased disc boxes. In this installment IÕll be discussing
embossing and wood turnings; or any combination of these a special process in which a fancy hand-carved look is

22 MECHANICAL MUSIC September/October 2018

Figure 2: Ernst Holzweissig Nachf 1894/95 Wholesale Catalog Figure 3a : 1898 Holzweissig Wholesale Catalog with full page

showing the ÒRococo.Ó

achieved by an unusual process in
which super thin veneers are molded
with a backing of Òplastic woodÓ (sawdust
mixed with animal hot glue). This
is then bonded to a solid wood backing.
Several of these would be made
into panels and then be put together to
form a cabinet. This unique technique
was developed, I believe, by only one
cabinet box maker in Germany. It was
most probably a patented process
as I have never seen any other manufacturer
employ it. I have also been
unable to find any other information
about how the process was originally
developed or much else about the
manufacturer. Perhaps one of our
European members, or especially one
of our German members, can solve
that part of the mystery.

To my knowledge, at least three
disc box makers used cabinets in this
style made by this company. They are

ad for the ÒRococo.Ó

Symphonion, Regina and Celesta. I
also think Polyphon may have used
the cases for the Style 45a, but I am
not absolutely certain that these cases
were a product of the same manufacturing
process. The Polyphon cabinets
appear to have a heavily embossed
veneered surface but they donÕt have
quite the same deep three dimensional
look of the other examples.

We will start by looking at what I
believe was the first example made
by this company, the Symphonion
Style 25c, better known to collectors
as the Symphonion ÒRococo.Ó (See
Figure 1). The first reference I can
find for advertising this instrument
is on Page 64 in the 1894-95 Ernst
Holzweissig Nachf., wholesale to the
trade catalog as shown in Figure 2. It
does not say that this is a new style,
so it is likely that it came out a year
or two earlier. The net wholesale price

is shown as 96 Deutsche Marks (DM)
which is approximately $24. Each 30
centimeter disc (117/8 inch) cost 85
pfennigs (approximately 22 cents).
I cannot find a percentage mark-up
price for the net retail price stated in
the catalog, but it was probably about
100 percent.

The ÒRococoÓ is pictured again in
the 1898 Holzweissig Wholesale Catalog
on Page 109 with a full page ad
as shown in Figure 3a. The price was
lowered to 82 DM, but it now offered
a colorfully painted version for 126
DM. I have personally never seen an
example of one with an original colorful
paint job. You could also buy it
with a matching table to set it on for
200 DM inclusive. See Figure 3b (next
page) which shows Page 119 of the
Holzweissig Wholesale Catalog.

I have rarely seen any advertisements
aimed at the general public for

September/October 2018 MECHANICAL MUSIC 23

Figure 3b: Page 119 form the 1898 Holzweissig Catalog
showing the matching ÒRococoÓ table available for 33 DM.

Approximately $8.25 wholesale.

the Symphonion Style 25c. One of these
hard-to-find ads can be seen in Arthur

W.J.G. Ord-HumeÕs book ÒClockwork
Music.Ó He shows an 1898 full-page
magazine ad from CampbellÕs Music
House of Glasgow and Edinburgh
offering the Symphonion ÒRococoÓ
at a special price of 10 pounds and
10 shillings (approximately $52.50 at
the time) including 25 discs, packing
and carriage to anywhere in Great
Britain or Ireland. This offer expired
after Sept. 30, 1898. This ad can be
observed in Figure 4.
The last date I have seen the Symphonion
ÒRococoÓ Style 25c advertised
is in the 1904 Master Catalog of J. M.
Bon in Leipzig. Figure No.5. On Page
5 of this catalog is illustrated the
Symphonion with a net retail price
of 168 DM (approximately $42) with
each disc costing 170 pfennigs (about
43 cents).

In Figures 6a through 6f are several

Figure 4: 1898 magazine advertisement for the Symphonion
ÒRococoÓ from Scottish music dealer Campbells from Arthur

W.J.G. Ord-HumeÕs book ÒClockwork Music.Ó
Figure 5: The last date I have seen for an ad from the 1904 J. M. Bon of Leipzig cata-
log listing the retail price for the ÒRococoÓ for 168 DM approximately $42 at the time.

different views of our restored Symphonion
ÒRococoÓ instrument.

We now come to the Regina Style
19, 11-inch music box in the pressed
carved case, and later to the Regina
Style 9, 151/2 inch instrument in a
similar style carved case. The reason
I feel these cabinets were made in
Germany is that the first Style 19
Reginas were in the identical case as

the Symphonion ÒRococoÓ box. Please
view the ÒRegina MarchÓ sheet music
composed by ReginaÕs disc music
arranger Octave Chaillet, copyrighted
in 1895. See Figure No. 7a. (Page 27)
The back side was used as an advertisement
for Regina music boxes as
the sheet music was usually given
away free to potential buyers by music
stores selling the Regina instruments.

24 MECHANICAL MUSIC September/October 2018

Figure 6a: A side view of our ÒRococoÕÓ
showing the left side, front and top sitting
on its table.

September/October 2018 MECHANICAL MUSIC 25

Figure 6b: Front view. These embossed
boxes are beautiful on all sides which
makes them very acceptable to sit on a
table in the middle of the room.

Figure 6d: A picture showing the box with the top open and a disc on the machine.

Figure 6c: A closeup shot of the top showing the two classical figures dancing.
The three dimensional height of the dancers probably approaches 1/2 to 5/8 inches
which demonstrates just what a special process was used to flex the veneers that
much without splitting or breaking it apart.

Figure 6e: Closeup of the lid picture
which is a young couple, finely dressed,
exchanging pleasantries. This is printed
on silk and framed with green velvet with
the name ÒSymphonionÓ embossed in
fancy gold lettering above it.

Figure 6f: Pictured is the Sublime
Harmony 117/8 inch disc bedplate. The
two 42 tooth combs are displayed in the
typical early Symphonion diametrically
opposed comb format

26 MECHANICAL MUSIC September/October 2018

You will notice in Figure 7b that the
Style 19 is pictured in the same case
as the Symphonion ÒRococoÓ Style
25c. Further evidence that Regina was
using this cabinet early on for this
model is shown in Figure 8a which is
a very early but undated Regina sales
catalog circa 1895. This catalog was
distributed by H. R. Eisenbrandt Sons
in Baltimore, MD.

Figure 7a: The front page of the ÒRegina
MarchÓ sheet music, copyrighted in 1895
by A. Wolf, one of ReginaÕs largest distributors
at the time. It was composed
by ReginaÕs music arranger Octave
Chaillet. These were usually given complimentary
to music stores who in turn
gave them away free to potential Regina

Figure 7b: Above, the back page of the sheet music is an advertisement for Regina

music box customers.

instruments. Figure 7c: Below, You will notice in this closeup of the middle upper
portion of the ad, what is unmistakably a Symphonion ÒRococoÓ style cabinet.

Figure 8a: Front cover of a circa 1894/95
Regina sales brochure distributed by the
wholesale/retail music house of H. R.
Eisenbrandt Sons, established in 1811
and located in Baltimore, MD.

September/October 2018 MECHANICAL MUSIC 27

Figure 8b: Page 9 of the Eisenbrandt catalog picturing the
style 19 Regina in the ÒRococoÓ case with retail price of $72
with additional 11-inch discs costing 90 cents each.

Page 9 of the Regina Catalog (Figure 8b and 8c) of the
Eisenbrandt Catalog pictures the ÒRegina No. 19Ó single
comb, obviously in the Symphonion cabinet. The retail
price is shown as $72 with each additional 11-inch tune
sheet costing 90 cents.

The only example of a Regina in a Symphonion ÒRococoÓ
case I have ever seen appeared in a sales catalog from Vicki
Glasgow dated June 1975. Pages 16 and 17 of the catalog
describe and picture the instrument in Figures 10a, 10b,
and 10c. As Vicki points out in her description, the Regina
cast iron bedplate is considerably wider than the standard
11-inch Regina.

Obviously, there must have been some sort of pushback
from Symphonion about Regina using the exact same cabinet
for its Style 19 and as a result Regina Style 19s in the
ÒRococoÓ case are very rare. It didnÕt take long for Regina
to get its own custom made art case made by the same
company for both the Style 19 and the similar but larger
Style 9, 151/2 inch box. Examples of the Style 19 Regina
in our collection are shown in Figures 10a through 10c.
Views of the Style 9 Regina in our collection are pictured
in Figures11a through 11c. on Page 30. Next are several
examples of contemporary factory and dealer catalog ads
of the Regina styles 9 and 19 as seen in Figures 12a through
12e on Pages 31-32.

Starting in the last quarter of 1896 and all through 1897
and part of the first half of 1898 Regina ran ads for the Style
9 in many of the leading national magazines on a monthly
basis. The following 18 ads show that the Style 9 was the

ART CASES | See Page 36

Figure 8c. Closeup of the style 19 in the ÒRococoÓ cabinet.

Figure 9a: Front cover of the June 1975 Vicki Glasgow sales
catalogue of antique music boxes. This was the first and only
time I have seen an example of a Regina in a ÒRococoÓ cased
music box.

28 MECHANICAL MUSIC September/October 2018

Figure 9b: Pages 16 and 17 of the June 1975 Vicki Glasgow
sales catalogue describing and picturing the Regina ÒRococoÓ
example.

Figure 10a: A view of our Regina Style 19, with the lid closed
in an oak pressed carved case.

Figure 9c: A copy of the original black and white photo used in
the catalog. Note that the cast iron bedplate is several inches
wider than the standard 11-inch Regina bedplate.

Figure 10b: Our Style 19 with the lid opened, showing the
11-inch disc in place and the top wind crank system.

Figure 10c: Closeup of the duplex comb movement of serial
number 43923. The celluloid patent and instructions tags on
the back sideboard and The Regina Company tag on the front
sideboard. Also to the left front is the combination on/off lever
and speed control.

September/October 2018 MECHANICAL MUSIC 29

Figure 11a: Left, pictured is a view of our
Style 9, 151/2-inch walnut music box with
the lid open and disc in place. The lid
picture is unusual and may not be original
but has been with the box a long
time. It is a beautiful woman playing the
pianoforte with a couple of young girls
dancing at the side.

Figure 11b: Below right, frontal view of
the Regina closed showing the fancy
design of the lid.

Figure 11c: Below left, the disc removed
showing the bedplate with its duplex
combs, the control lever and the top
winding mechanism. The serial number
is 34497.

30 MECHANICAL MUSIC September/October 2018

Figure 12a: Circa 1898 Regina catalog showing the Style 9 on
Page 12 with a retail price of $70 and Tune Sheets 60 cents
each, Òcase in richly carved walnut only.Ó Just for comparison
on the following page the solid wood deluxe cased Style 10 in
oak, Mahogany or walnut was $90.

Figure 12c: Page 7 of a circa 1898 British catalog from Nicole
Freres, Ltd at 21 Ely Place, Holborn Circus, London, E.C.
shows the Regina Style 19 Duplex (11-inch double comb) in
Òrichly carved walnutÓ with a retail price of 12 pounds (approximately
$60). The 151/2 inch Style 9 Duplex in Òrichly carved
walnutÓ below it on the same page was 18 pounds and 10
shillings. (approximately $92.50).

Figure 12b: On page 16 of the same catalog the Regina 19 is
shown with a retail price of $40. Additional tune sheets are
40 cents each. ÒCase richly carved in walnut, also in highly
polished oak and mahogany.

September/October 2018 MECHANICAL MUSIC 31

Figure 12d: An 1898 Rudolph Wurlitzer Co. catalog of music
boxes pictures the Style 19 Regina Duplex on page 189 in
ÒRichly carved walnut, or in highly polished oak or mahoganyÓ
for $70 with 11-inch discs costing 621/2 cents each.

Figure 12e: Page 192 of the Wurlitzer catalog shows the
Regina No. 9, 151/2 inch Duplex for $120 with additional 15 1/2
inch discs costing $1 each. Wurlitzer seems to have marked
their boxes up higher than the other retailers.

Figure 13a: An 1896 magazine ad showing the Style 9. I do not
know the month of publication or the magazine that it came
from. States in the text: ÒHandsomely carved cases, at same
price as plain cases.Ó

Figure 13b: The December 1896 McClureÕs Magazine pub-
lished this half page Christmas ad showing the ÒcarvedÓ case
Regina 9 as ÒThe best present of them all.Ó

32 MECHANICAL MUSIC September/October 2018

Figure 13c: The January 1897 Review of Reviews shows the
ÒHandsomely Carved CaseÓ Regina in another one quarter
size page ad.

Figure 13d: An August 1897 quarter page ad from HarperÕs
Magazine. In this ad, the point is being made that unlike Swiss
music boxes, where most of the time you have to play the
tunes in the order in which they are programed, you can play
your Regina Style 9 music in any order you choose. This same
ad also appeared in MunseyÕs Magazine.

Figure 13e: An ad from November 1897 from the Review of
ReviewÕs promoting the idea that you can Òmake your home
cheerfulÓ by buying and playing a Regina music box during
the Òmelancholy daysÓ of winter when you are forced to stay
inside. Shown is a family with one child playing the Style 9 to
brighten everyoneÕs spirits.

September/October 2018 MECHANICAL MUSIC 33

Figure 13f: In this September 1897 quarter page ad from
MunseyÕs Magazine the point is made that the programing on
Swiss boxes is like fried oysters that are offered a dozen or
half dozen at a time. When the oysters get cold or the tunes
get stale neither is desirable any more unlike the Regina where
your choice in music and programing is unlimited.

Figure 13g: A half page Christmas ad from the December 1897
ScribnerÕs Magazine. Here again the pressed carved Regina
is being promoted as a wonderful holiday present. Shown is
the entire extended family in the parlor enjoying listening to
some Christmas hymns on the Regina.

Figure 13h: Another quarter page ad published in MunseyÕs
Magazine from 1897. The ad again stresses that the Regina
9 can play a Ò1,000 TunesÓ and ÒPleases Everybody.Ó A list
of dealers and agents handling the ReginaÕs is also included.

34 MECHANICAL MUSIC September/October 2018

Figure 13i: This 1897 Harpers Magazine
quarter page ad warns the public that
the Regina ÒQueen of Music Boxes is
imitated but never equaled.Ó

Figure 13k: This ad appeared in an
1897 Century Magazine. It implores
the reader to buy a Regina Style 9 or
19 because it is easily transportable and
you can take it with you to the country or
summer home and donÕt have to worry
about moving a heavy piano to provide
music.

Figure 13n: The January 1898
Cosmopolitan Magazine provides us
with another quarter page ad picturing
the ÒcarvedÓ ÒRegina, Queen Of Music
BoxesÓ in the sunÕs rays as it Òplays with
more brilliancy than any other music box
made.Ó

Figure 13l: In this McClureÕs ad from 1897
Regina is showing off its new ÒOrchestral
ReginaÓ the 27-inch machine which they
claim is the Òlargest music box made.Ó
In the upper right hand corner is illustrated
the Style 9 which is ÒWonderfully
sweet and brilliant in tone,ÓÉ Òdoes
not get out of order,Ó and can Òplay over
1000 tunes.Ó

Figure 13j: In this 1897 quarter page
ad from McClureÕs Magazine Regina is
telling the reader not to Òconfound the
Regina Music Box with the easily disordered
Swiss boxes that can grind
out only a few tunes.Ó Because the
Regina 9 is very well and strongly built,
it doesnÕt get out of order and can Òplay
over 1,000 tunes.Ó

Figure 13m: In this 1897 MunseyÕs ad,
Regina is promoting the style 9 as Òa
most acceptable Wedding Present.Ó

September/October 2018 MECHANICAL MUSIC 35

Figure 13o: HarperÕs Magazine from April
1898 shows the style 9 ÒOvershadows
All Other Music Boxes.Ó This ad also
appeared in ScribnerÕs Magazine.

Figure 13p: The May 1898 McClureÕs

again showcases the Style 9 as ÒThe
Best Music Box Made.Ó

Figure 13r: The last date I have seen so far featuring the pressed ÒcarvedÓ Regina
is in the November MunseyÕs and Century Magazines. Shown is ÒUncle SamÓ
with the Style 9 and states that the Regina is ÒTHE FIRST AMERICAN MUSIC BOX
MANUFACTURED IN THE UNITED STATES.Ó Funny that they should picture the
caved cabinet as I am certain it was produced in Germany.

Figure 13q: Showcased is the ÒcarvedÓ
Regina which can play Òa thousand
tunesÓ and Òare more brilliant in tone than
any other music box made, and have no
delicate parts to get out of order.Ó This
ad appeared in the April 1898 MunseyÕs
and also The Cosmopolitan Magazines.

ART CASES | From Page 28

most heavily advertised table model in
the Regina line. Figures 13a through n
on Pages 32-35.

We now come to a very rare example
of an art case in the same style
by the same German manufacturer.
This music box was produced by the
Berliner Musikinstrumenten-Fabrik

A. G. This company started out in
1894, making a metal ÒbookÓ operated
instrument available in two sizes
called the ÒUnikon.Ó They introduced
their disc-operated music boxes,
called the ÒCelestaÓ in February
1895. This company went broke in
November 1896, but reorganized in
June 1897 under the name of Deutsche
Musikwerke System F. Pietschmann
A. G. The Celesta became available
in several different disc sizes, but for
our purposes, we are interested only
in the Style 12 using a 21 centimeter
disc (81/4 inch). This same movement
was also installed in a plain walnut
36 MECHANICAL MUSIC September/October 2018

veneered box as the Style 10, but the
12 is described in an 1897 wholesale
British Musical Box Catalogue from
Douglas & Co at 7, South Street in
London, as an Òelegant walnut case
carved with allegorical figures.Ó See
Figures 14a with closeup and 14b.

The Deutsche Musikwerke System
company went bankrupt in 1902 with
their managing director Heinrich Hermann
taking over the business under
the name Firm Heinrich Hermann. It
appears that the Celesta music boxes
were discontinued at that time but
they continued to make discs for
them. This rocky business history may
help explain the rarity of the Celesta
and especially the Style 12. Following
in Figures 15 a through h are several
different views of the instrument in
our collection. (Pages 38-39)

It would appear that the company
making the pressed carved cases had
some Celesta cases left over after the
Celesta was discontinued. These were
sold to Symphonion with a different
top panel as shown in Figure 16 (Page
39). I have never seen this style pictured
in any Symphonion Catalog so
I do not have the Symphonion model
number for it. Several different views
of the instrument are pictured in Figures
17a through 17c (Pages 39-40).

As mentioned earlier I am showing a
couple of pictures of a Polyphon Style
45a. in the Frank Nix collection. See
Figures 18 a and 18b (Page 40). Also a
box that I took pictures of many years
ago in Siegfried WendelÕs museum in
Germany. Viewed here in Figures 19a
and 19b (Page 41) plus what appears
to be a 105/8 inch Symphonion, which
showed up on eBay a few years ago.
(Figure 20 on Page 41) There are
undoubtedly other examples out there
as this article was not intended to be
definitive. I encourage anyone who
has other examples to share them
with us.

Epilogue

It could be that the reason many
of these pressed carved cases are
rarely seen today is because of the
special technique in which they were
originally formed. As mentioned at the

ART CASES | See Page 41

Figure 14a: Catalog Page 52 from Douglas & Co. Wholesale Musical Instrument
Warehouse at 7 South Street, London, E.C. In the middle of the bottom of the page
is pictured the 12 Celesta music box in Òelegant walnut case, carved with allegorical
figures.Ó

Figure 14b: Closeup of the Celesta cabinet.
Notice that the picture is just an
artist conception done with a bunch of
squiggly lines.

September/October 2018 MECHANICAL MUSIC 37

Figure 15a: A birdÕs eye view of the 12 Celesta in our collection, showing the top,
front and right hand side. The term Celesta is derived from the Latin meaning heav-
enly. In musical terms it usually means that two of the same notes are tuned several
cents off from each other so that they beat when played together. This gives a quiv-
ering or throbbing sound which was very popular in music box tuning.

Figure 15b: A closeup shot of the lid
exhibiting a very three-dimensional
cherub playing his violin. This panel is
framed with a very decorative solid walnut
border.

Figure 15c: Another shot with the lid
open with a better illustration of the very
three-dimensional top half of a figure
possibly representing an angel. The lid
picture is a very colorful fanciful depiction
of lady Celesta riding in her chariot
being pulled by a team of butterflies
with the name ÒCELESTAÓ emblazoned
in gold letters at the top. Also exhibited
is the several stepped walnut molding
forming the base for the cabinet.

Figure 15d: Left, the fancy casting of the
bedplate is pictured here along with the
41 note comb. There does not appear
to be a serial number anywhere on the
movement.

38 MECHANICAL MUSIC September/October 2018

Figure 15f: A shot of the under side of the box with its rectangular
shaped pad feet. The unusual piece of flexed spring
steel is what holds the bottom on the case. In the Douglas &
Co. catalog for the style 10 which is basically the same movement
only a lever winder instead of a crank, in a plain walnut
veneered case it states: ÒBy simple arrangement the bottom
of the box is removable, exposing the works for the purpose
of oiling or repair.Ó The 12 also has this Òsimple arrangement.Ó
By pivoting the piece of spring steel to the right, it will come
out of its groove allowing the bottom panel to be taken out
exposing the movement.

Figure 15h: The bottom panel removed exposing the move-
ment. As most music box restorers can attest having too easy
an access to the movement is NOT necessarily a good thing!!!!

Figure 16: The different ÒcarvedÓ top of basically the same
case as the Celesta 12 for an unknown model Symphonion
(probably some variation of a model 10 N). playing a 7 5/8
inch disc (a little over 19 centimeters). Its single comb with
41 teeth is pictured which might even be a similar or identical
scale to the 41 note Celesta.

Figure 17a: Birds eye view of the front and right side with
winding crank and the different top.

September/October 2018 MECHANICAL MUSIC 39

Figure 17b: The Symphonion open with a disc in place and
a better view of the front which is identical to the ÒcarvedÓ
Celesta case. Notice that there is no lid picture, but rather just
the name ÒSymphonionÓ in fancy gold script.

Figure 18a: An angled view of the ÒPolyphon-Excelsior-
PiccoloÓ style 45a in the Frank Nix collection Òhighly elegant,
pressed richly decorated walnut veneered case.Ó

Figure 17c: With the disc removed the 41 tooth comb is
exposed, but has the added option of a zither attachment,
where silk covered tissue paper can be slid over the teeth to
give a plucked string effect. This effect is mostly only successful
if the disc has a mandolin style arrangement. The
serial number shown on the bedplate just to the right of the
comb block is 11384.

Figure 18b: Closeup of the top of the 45a exhibiting a pair of
lions facing each other like a coat of arms.

40 MECHANICAL MUSIC September/October 2018

Figure 19a: Pictures I took many years ago (pictures are dated
June 6,1999) at Siegfried WendelÕs Museum in Germany. It is a
pressed carved case but I do not know if it was a Symphonion
or Polyphon as I was unable to look at the movement.

ART CASES | From Page 37

beginning of the article the very high relief was achieved by
placing veneers that had been made very pliable, backed
by Òplastic woodÓ (sawdust mixed with hot animal glue)
pressed (molded) under high pressure and bonded (glued)
to solid wood planks. These panels were then glued
together to form a box with the corners usually covered by
wood strips. This process holds up quite well if the box is
kept in an environment which does not expose it to weather
that features extremes of heat and cold and it especially
helps to keep these boxes away from excessive moisture.
On Pages 42-43 are pictures of a Symphonion ÒRococoÓ
and a Regina Style 19 that were ravaged by exposure to
excessive moisture.

Sources

¥ My personal collection of original and re-print catalogs, original
advertising plus other ephemera.
¥ Volume 2 Number 5 March 1985, Music & Automata by Arthur W.
J. G. Ord-Hume pages 24 and 25. For Celesta information.
¥ Clockwork Music by Arthur W. J. G. Ord-Hume page 181.
¥ The Encyclopedia Of Disc Music Boxes by Q. David Bowers for
information on the Celesta music boxes Pages 113 to 117.
Figure 19b: Closeup of the top of the Wendel pressed carved
music box.

Figure 20: Pictures of what appears to be about a 105/8 inch
disc Symphonion in a carved case that showed up on eBay
several years ago. I have not seen this model pictured in any
catalog either.

September/October 2018 MECHANICAL MUSIC 41

42 MECHANICAL MUSIC September/October 2018

September/October 2018 MECHANICAL MUSIC 43

Sunbelt Chapter

Chair: Ray Dickey
Reporter: Diane Caudill
Photographer: Diane Caudill

Jul. 4, 2018 Ð Houston, TX

The Sunbelt Chapter held a celebra

tion full of fun, food, and music on Jul.
4, 2018 at the home of Alan Bies and
Steve Boehck.

Without even lighting a firecracker,
Alan and Steve managed another
spectacular show for the chapter
members. Serving plenty of hot dogs,
ribs, and potato salad, followed by
cobbler and homemade ice cream
(courtesy of Gary McGaughy), the two
hosts kept their audience entertained
with patriotic music box tunes and
band organ music.

Approximately 30 attendees braved
morning storms and sporadic street
flooding to travel to the Houston
Heights and be ÒwowedÓ by the Bies/
Boehck Victorian home which is full of
music boxes, clocks, fans, glassware,
and other interesting collections that
the pair have amassed over the years.

President Ray Dickey samples ice cream
and cobbler.

The rain forecast didnÕt dampen
any spirits even though the big band
organ had to remain in the carriage
house (instead of its usual move
outside for the full effect). It pumped
out song after song of well-known

arrangements, many created by Sunbelt
member Wayne Holton.

By the end of the day, the sun finally
made an appearance, and members
left full, happy, and glad they didnÕt
have to swim home.

Kurt Nauck, Terri Cunningham, Phil, Sandra, and Monicta Smith, Andy and Frances
Ware, Jennifer Lehman, and host Alan Bies celebrate the Fourth in front of the
Hupfeld Phonoliszt Violina.

Gary McGaughy and wife Phyllis brought two flavors of homemade ice cream com-
plete with music box themeÑCapital Cuff Crunch and Regina Vanilla.

Custom signs made to advertise the ice cream flavors.

Alan makes adjustments to new member Karen RueÕs Monopol
disc box, a family piece which she inherited. Having never
heard the box play, she was overcome with emotion when the
first notes sounded

Steve plays the Encore Banjo for the gathered guests. Steve and AlanÕs restored 26-inch Orphenion disk music box

September/October 2018 MECHANICAL MUSIC 45

Southern California Chapter

Chair: Robin Biggins
Reporter: Robin Biggins
Photographer: Lowell Boehland

May 26, 2018 Ð La Mirada, CA

This was the third meeting this year
for the Southern California chapter
and it was again very different from
anything chapter members have
done before. Our host was Arnold
Applebaum, and he invited us to visit
his 20,000 square foot warehouse
full of art, sculpture, mechanical
music, antique radios and collectible
antiques. The variety of items was
breathtaking, and when our members
arrived they were so excited, like kids
in a candy store! At the entrance was a
Nelson-Wiggen Style 6T nickelodeon,
which is identical to the standard 6X
but equipped with an ADT shooting

Our host, Arnold Applebaum with the Wurlitzer 145 band organ.

The Wurlitzer Style CX with the roll changer and ÒWonder
Light.Ó

The Nelson-Wiggen Style 6T Nickelodeon.

The Weber Euterpe Orchestrion.

No matter how big the group, Lowell Boehland gets Ôem all in!

Diane and Bob Lloyd in the Gallery. Hans Davidson in repose.

Gloria Schack, Christian Eric and Roger DeWeese among the artifacts.

gallery game. The instrument plays
piano, mandolin, bass drum, snare
drum, triangle, xylophone and wood
block from a single 10-tune Style G or
4X music roll. It was formerly in the
Helene Sutter collection.

Not to be outdone was the Wurlitzer
Style 145 band organ, serial #4140,
shipped Feb. 2, 1929, to the Spillman
Engineering Co. in N. Tonawanda, NY.
This organ contains approximately
105 pipes, a 16-note set of orchestra
bells and plays Wurlitzer Style 150
band organ rolls arranged on a duplex
roll frame. It was formerly in the Warren
Deasey collection,

Next was the Wurlitzer Style CX
Serial #14493 circa 1910. It contains
the Wurlitzer six-roll automatic roll
changer, which uses five-tune 65-note
Automatic Player Piano rolls (APP). It
features piano, mandolin, snare drum,
bass drum and triangle, along with a
rank of 38 violin and 38 flute pipes.
It was formerly in the Helene Sutter

September/October 2018 MECHANICAL MUSIC 47

Members enjoying the refreshments.

Arnold and Robin conduct the business meeting.

A closeup showing details of the Weber Euterpe Orchestrion.

collection.

The last of the large instruments
is the Weber Euterpe Salon Piano
Orchestrion, originally converted
from a barrel instrument to Euterpe
rolls by Weber sometime around
1910. It was located in Germany and
imported to the U.S. by Jerry Doring.
The instrument contains several ranks
of pipes and percussion effects.

A number of beautifully-restored
disc and cylinder musical boxes
were on display, including some with
bells and organ effects. There was
a room devoted to 1920s era radios
and another room of 1930s radios and
phonographs. Another room was full
of antique clocks!

A nice variety of food and refreshments
was provided. Robin Biggins
conducted the business meeting. A
podium and microphone made it much
easier for everyone to hear Robin conduct
the meeting. We were pleased to
have our treasurer and recorder, Bob
and Diane Lloyd, in attendance.

Mr. Applebaum told us his parents
were collectors and he is simply
following the family tradition! Dana
Johnson provided the instrument
descriptions for this report. We had a
record 59 members in attendance. The
photos will give you some idea of the
variety of the items contained in this
wonderful collection.

Robin Biggins poses with a painting that
bears an eerie resemblance.

48 MECHANICAL MUSIC September/October 2018

Above, the clock room. Below, the radio room.

September/October 2018 MECHANICAL MUSIC 49

Snowbelt Chapter

Chair: Tracy M. Tolzmann
Reporter: Tracy M. Tolzmann
Photographer: Merrie Tolzmann

Jul. 21, 2018 Ð Saint Paul, MN

The MBSIÕs Snowbelt Chapter got a
late start on 2018 with its first meeting
of the year held on Saturday, Jul. 21,
at CafesjianÕs Carousel in Saint Paul,
MN, at beautiful Como Park. The
meeting was in conjunction with Òthe
Block-Heads tentÓ of the ÒSons of the
Desert,Ó the Twin Cities branch of the
international Stan Laurel and Oliver
Hardy appreciation society.

The evening began with socialization
shortly after 6 p.m. when the
carousel closed following public
rides. Tables and chairs were set-up
around the carousel pavilion while a
pot luck dinner spread was readied for
the 55 Snowbelters and Block-Heads
in attendance. There was plenty of
delicious food for everyone to share,
with lots of cool beverages to slake
our thirsts. A better evening could not
have been asked for as the previous
hot and humid weather took a break
making the event nearly perfect!

At 8 p.m. rides began on the merrygo-
round. CafesjianÕs Carousel was
the 33rd unit built by the Philadelphia
Toboggan Company and was installed
at the Minnesota State Fair in August
1914. ÒPTC 33Ó operated annually
during the fair for 74 years until the
owners decided to remove 20 of the
68 wooden steeds and place them up
for auction on the lucrative collector
market in the late fall of 1988. When
news of the impending auction was
made public, local carousel-lovers
Peter Boehm and Nancy Peterson
founded the non-profit corporation
Our Fair Carousel (OFC) and secured
the funding to purchase the complete
ride for $1.1 million backed by the City
of Saint Paul. The carousel was named
for its most-generous benefactor, the
late Gerard Cafesjian, who donated

Block-Heads Jenny and Liam MacKenzie enjoyed the carousel. Numerous young-
sters were present for the combined club evening Perhaps thereÕll be a future MBSI
member or two thanks to the joint event.

MBSI Vice President Tom Kuehn and his wife, Hongyan.

Snowbelter Mike Merrick restored and
maintains the Wurlitzer 153 band organ.
His meticulous attention to the instrument
makes it one of the best-sounding
153s in the country. Note the tracker
bar rollers on the hybrid, pressure-only

Snowbelt Chapter treasurer Gary Goldsmith aboard his trusty steed.

organ.

Snowbelt Chapter chairman Tracy Tolzmann straddles his
favorite horse, a stunning alligator-clad pony carved by mas-
ter PTC technician David Lightfoot.

Snowbelt member Carol Schultz enjoys her chosen horse.

Snowbelters and Block-Heads socialize before dinner.

Snowbelters Norma and Bernie Gaffron enjoy one of the car-
ouselÕs two chariots. Note the Wurlitzer 153 at the carouselÕs
center.

September/October 2018 MECHANICAL MUSIC 51

$600,000 toward the rescue effort.
The attraction has been running in
its custom-built Como Park pavilion
since October 1999, and is still owned
by OFC and is operated by a volunteer
work force.

A fire on the Minnesota State Fair
grounds on Jun. 2, 1939, nearly spelled
the end of PTC 33 when the conflagration
spread to the carousel building,
destroying the rideÕs band organ, and
charring eight of the wooden horses.
The ride was repaired and ready for
passengers when the state fair opened
late that August. With the limited
annual use of the ride, it was never
repainted (except for the eight damaged
steeds). The rest of the horses
all bear their original paint. An occasional
coat of varnish was applied to
give the horses a little gloss which was
carefully removed in the early 1990s
to restore the steeds to their original
glory.

Gerard Cafesjian admitted that his
initial interest in carousels stemmed
from his happy childhood memories
of hearing a band organ in a nearby
amusement park through the bedroom
window of his boyhood home. When
the idea of restoring live band organ
music to the carousel was suggested,
Cafesjian eagerly agreed to finance
the purchase of an apropos instrument.
Snowbelter Mike Merrick led
the search for an organ and arranged
for the purchase of a hybrid Wurlitzer
153 from Marty and Elise RoenigkÕs
Mechantiques. Since the organ had
already experienced some modifications,
MikeÕs meticulous restoration
focused on making the instrument
as maintenance-free as possible. The
pressure pump was removed and
Mike installed a new reservoir and
built a blower that is stationed inside
the carouselÕs center motor house and
is connected to the organ by an air
hose. The instrument is unique among
Wurlitzers as there is no vacuum in the
organ and it operates on all pressure.
Slotted rollers hold the style 150 paper
music rolls against the tracker bars
in the duplex roll frame. Mike had
to construct many devices to modify
the organ to the carouselÕs special
needs, particularly a ÒmuteÓ control
which allows the organ music to be

terminated for announcements while
not interrupting the progress of the
roll. Flipping one of the 3 mute control
switches starts the music again.
MikeÕs system prevents problems that
could result from interrupting the roll
frames during rewind.

When everyone had their fill of
carousel rides and the sun was getting
low, the eveningÕs comedy film program
commenced. The amusement
park-themed show began with the
animated cartoon ÒRoller Coaster
RabbitÓ starring Roger Rabbit. Laurel
and Hardy were up next as stable
hands in the 1929 Hal Roach Studios
silent short subject ÒWrong Again,Ó
where they mistake a horse named
Blue Boy for the famous stolen
Gainsborough painting. The paintingÕs
owner, unaware that Stan and Ollie
are returning the horse, tell the boys
to ÒPut him on top of the piano.Ó The
following scenes show their considerable
efforts trying to get a horse on
top of a grand piano! Next up were the
beautiful Thelma Todd and the Òplain
JaneÓ ZaSu Pitts in ÒOn The Loose,Ó a
1931 release. The girls are sick of their
dates taking them to Coney Island, so
when two English gentlemen promise
them a unique experience, they
expect the best, only to be taken to
Coney Island once again! (Seeing the
vintage fun house attractions such as
a centrifugal spinning floor and the
walk-through rolling barrel made one
realize why such amusements are no
longer used in our current litigious
society!) The program concluded

Twilight brought the screening of classic Hal Roach Studios comedies.

Oliver ÒBabeÓ Hardy on the left and Stan
Laurel on the right in ÒWrong Again.Ó
The horse, Blue Boy, is in the middle.
The 1929 Hal Roach Studios comedy
was one of Laurel and HardyÕs last silent
films, although it was released with synchronized
music and sound effects.

with the Our Gang kids deciding to
play hooky to go fishing, unaware that
their teacher has planned a free outing
for the class at an amusement park.
In 1933Õs ÒFish Hooky,Ó the teacher
conspires with her boyfriend — who
happens to be the local truant officer Ð
to teach the errant boys a lesson while
he chases them all around the park.

The piggy-backing of the Snowbelt
meeting with a gathering of classic
comedy buffs was a perfect blending
of the two hobbies. The music of the
expertly restored and always in tune
Wurlitzer 153 Ð which played the music
from the popular Hal Roach films that
were composed by Minnesota native
Leroy Shield Ð and the vintage comedy
films combined for an evening that
everyone enjoyed.

52 MECHANICAL MUSIC September/October 2018

In Memoriam In Memoriam
Stephen Kent Goodman

By Kelly Goodman

Stephen Kent Goodman, of Granada
Hills, CA, born on Aug. 12, 1949 in
Glendale, CA, to Naoma (Noble)
Goodman (deceased) and Kent Goodman
(deceased), passed away at age
68 on Jul. 18, at his home in Fresno,
CA. He attended USC, Cal Arts, and
Dick Grove School of Music.

He began writing marches at age 12
and continued composing professionally
up to the time of his death. He
was commissioned to produce music
for many bands/orchestras and cities
as well. He also restored and created
the music for automatic musical
instruments too.

A quote from his website:

ÒWhen I heard my first orchestrion
(automatic orchestra) perform at
age 17, a life-long love affair with
automatic music began. From the
very first coin dropped into its slot, I
wanted to get my own compositions
and arrangements onto paper rolls
which performed this mechanical
assemblage of real, acoustic instruments.
The sound was real- not a
reproduction recreated by electronic
speakers. I was hooked.Ó

His hobby was working on film
scripts.

Stephen is survived by and his wife,
Kelly, his brother, Garry, and niece,
Lisa Goodman. He also leaves behind

By Luke Myers

I just read a few moments ago of
the sad news on Stephen Kent GoodmanÕs
passing. I am very shocked to
say the least. He was an invaluable
resource and a great influence in the

his adored cat, Cindy Sue ÒTootsÓ
Meowz and many wonderful and dear
friends. He was a member of Baptist
and Methodist Churches.

He was a member of ASCAP and

mechanical realm. Stephen was one
of the restorers of the magnificent
Robot Band, just one of his many projects,
which can be seen here: https://
goo.gl/WQPVwA

Stephen is referred to as Òhaving
more credits to his name in mechanical

AMICA. The Neptune Society is han-
dling his final wishes.

A special thanks to Erin M. and
Christal M. for the care they gave
Stephen in his last days.

music than at the end of a Star Wars
movie,Ó in the above article.

I know that all of us will miss him
greatly and we all send Kelly our
deepest sympathies and prayers. This
is going to be a hard time for those
closest to him.

September/October 2018 MECHANICAL MUSIC 53

In Memoriam In Memoriam
John Motto-Ros

By Dave Corkrum

Golden Gate Chapter member John
Motto-Ros passed away on Jul. 3,
2018. He and his wife, Nadine, were
members of the chapter since at
least 1991. John was also a member
of the Founding Chapter of AMICA
and had served as its president from
2007 to 2009. John was very active
in his community of Sutter Creek,
CA, the ÒJewel of the Mother LodeÓ
which is located in the foothills of the
Sierra Nevada mountains. Although a
member of both MBSI and AMICA, his
real interest was paper rolls and the
machines to play them on. His music
room which he could see and hear
from above in his study was filled with
unique instruments and collections
of various items from the days of the
49ers.

John and Nadine truly gave of
themselves and their collections. John
was definitely a promoter of automatic
music. He once loaned a player piano to
a nearby car dealership to help develop
an interest among those shopping for
new cars. He organized a band organ
rally in Sutter Creek for many years
and then moved it to Jackson, CA,
where there was more interest. During
these rallies he was always on the
move, usually in a Model A Ford with
a calliope mounted on the truck bed. In
2009, he was the recipient of the MBSI
Roehl Ambassadorship Award.

At first, John and I did not get along
very well as I thought him too gruff,
but then when we started talking about
sharing the music with others, we
really became good friends. He gave
me ideas on ways to spread the word
and the music, such as advertising and
radio spots. Even with his illness, he
was always on the go! About a week

Photo by Chuck Schoppe
Top: John Motto-Ros with some of the mechanical music machines he loved.
Bottom: John with his wife, Nadine, and friends at a Ragtime West Meeting.

before he passed, he called me. He for an hour and at the end I knew I
told me of his illness and how he and was going to lose a very good friend.
Nadine were feeling about it. And we John, you did a lot of good for your
talked about how to get the word out community and the membership. We,
to the public. We must have talked and especially, I, will not forget.

54 MECHANICAL MUSIC September/October 2018

In Memoriam In Memoriam
Wallace C. Donoghue

By Ann Donoghue

Wally Donoghue was an avid follower
of Mechanical Music Digest
(MMD), a long-time member of MBSI
and AMICA, and enjoyed this crowd
very much. He passed away Jul. 17,
after a battle with ALS.

One of the first companies he
established, in the early 1960s, was
Plymouth Piano and Music Box Company.
Dad somehow stumbled upon
Harvey RoehlÕs book and since he was
already a piano player and lover, the
mechanical aspects of a reproducing
piano intrigued his engineering mind
greatly. He appreciated Ampicos and
Duo-Arts the most. He looked for and
picked up pianos that no one wanted,
restoring them and selling them.

He developed relationships with
local piano tuners and asked them to
tell him about any reproducing pianos
they came across. He frequently found
pianos just prior to them heading to
the garbage heap. I can remember
when I was a kid there were five grand
pianos in the living room and one in
the bedroom! These included pianos
that had signatures of Myra Hess and
Percy Grainger on the harp.

Dad and Larry Givens were fast
friends. They met in college when
Larry spotted DadÕs Model T (his daily
driver) and left a note on the windshield.
They shared many projects
together and often bought and sold

mechanical instruments from each
other. My first Knabe Ampico came
from Larry (Ken Long has it now).

Prior to closing down his business
in the 1990s Wally made sure everyone
in the family had a reproducing piano.
The family had a Mason and Hamlin,
two Knabes and a Steinway (the Percy
Grainger)! I say ÒhadÓ because a couple
of them have since been switched
out for other reproducing pianos, and
the Grainger Steinway went to CrankerÕs
Collection of Mechanical Marvels.

Many friends have found use for
the various parts left over after the
business closed and he delighted in
hearing about othersÕ projects and
how they put the parts to use! (And
there are still parts in the shop!)

My folks have a home filled with
music boxes of all kinds, the Mason
and Hamlin and clocks. Us kids enjoy
playing them whenever we can. We are
very grateful for the love of mechanical
music that they instilled in us, and
the pianos we all have.

Wally was born on Jul. 4, 1935 in
Boston, MA, to Lawrence Donoghue
and Helen Craven. He graduated from
Benson High School in Omaha, NE,
and received a Bachelor of Science
degree in electrical engineering from
Carnegie Tech University. He married
Marlene Speer shortly after graduation.

Wally and Marlene moved to Plymouth
in 1958, and Wally started a

career with General Motors, working
in the Noise and Vibration Laboratory
and other design areas. In 1969, he
left GM and with Marlene, established
several successful small businesses.
Wally designed and manufactured the
Slim Guide¨ Skinfold Caliper.

He owned and drove many classic
cars and was active in the Classic Car
Club of America, vacationing on more
than 25 CCCA CARavans. He was the
technical consultant for the Rolls
Royce Phantom Ill Technical Society
and delighted in helping fellow owners
figure out mechanical problems.

He was devoted to the family pets
and there were frequently more dogs
and cats (and a few exotic pets) in the
house than Marlene would have liked.

He will be remembered for his large
laugh and big smile, his curious mind
and his keen intellect.

Our Condolences to the families of these members in their time of loss

MBSI member and Southern MBSI member Ed Hattrup has Bill ChapmanÕs partner, John
California Chapter member Nick passed away at age 95. Ed was also Ohrenstein has also passed away
Monios from Long Beach, CA, has an AMICA member, belonging to that unexpectedly. He was only 59 years
passed away. Our condolences to his organization since 1970 He lived in old.
wife, Linda. He was a very caring and Ramona, CA.
faithful man.

September/October 2018 MECHANICAL MUSIC 55

15 .Ó REGINA
CHANGER CREST
Quality carving in Oak or Mahogany
Unfinished – ready to stain – $900.00
Price includes postage within the U.S.
Nancy Fratti Music Boxes
315-684-9977
musicbox@frontiernet.net
BenÕs Player Piano Service
Repair and restoration of air powered mechanical music
devices of all description.
Player pianos
Reproduing pianos
Dance organs
Fairground organs
Nickelodeon pianos
Original historically
Correct techniques
And materials used
Throughout in the
Rebuilding process.
Benjamin R Gottfried
464 Dugan Road, Richfield Springs NY 13439
Bensplayerservice.com 315-858-2164
SAMPLE Restorations, LLC.
Joe Smith
Email: mbsi@irondogmedia.com to place your ad here!
This could be your ad right here!
56 MECHANICAL MUSIC September/October 2018
Throughout its history, MBSI has fostered an interest in and preservation of
automatic musical instruments. Your gift to the Endowment Fund will
support programs that will help future generations appreciate these
achievements of manÕs creative genius. Visit www.mbsi.org to learn more.
In order for anything
once alive to have
meaning, its effect
must remain alive in
eternity in some way
Ð Ernest Becker, Philosopher
A Lasting Legacy
The Musical Box Society International
is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization.
All donations to the Endowment
Fund are tax deductible.
A gift of any size is welcome.

THURSDAY, FRIDAY AND SATURDAY,
NOVEMBER 15, 16, & 17, 2018

Thursday starting at 12:30 P.M.
Friday and Saturday begins at 9:00 A.M. each day

We are in the process of accepting collections and additional fine

machines for our Premier Fall Event of antique and automatic musicmachines. Already included in our upcoming sale are excellent

collections of upright, table & floor model music boxes of all kinds

Edison Bijou and Excelsior, as well as a Columbia ÒSÓ, fine music boxes,
Another wonderful offering of floor model machines including Circassian

offerings from all over the country.

Contact us to have your items and
collections included in this sale.
Call and get included on our travel and pickup
schedule across the United States and Canada.

Steven E. Stanton, (517) 331-8150Email Ð stevenEstanton@gmail.com
Michael C. Bleisch, (517) 231-0868Email Ð mcbleisch@gmail.com

StantonÕs Auctioneers,
AUCTIONEERS & REALTORSSTANTONÕSSteven E. Stanton

(517) 331-8150 cellular

Appraisers, & Realtors

(517) 852-0627 evening

144 S. Main, P.O. Box 146
Vermontville, MI 49096 E-mail Ð stevenEstanton@gmail.com

Phone: (517) 726-0181

Michael C. Bleisch

Fax: (517) 726-0060

(517) 231-0868 cellular

E-mail: stantonsauctions@sbcglobal.net

E-mail Ð mcbleisch@gmail.com

Website: www.stantons-auctions.com

Chet Ramsay
Antiques
Complete Restoration
Services Available.
Specializing in Music Boxes
Ð Ð
Bought ¥ Sold ¥ Repaired
¥ Outside Horn Phonographs
¥ Music Boxes
Come visit our Victorian
showroom and workshop
East Fallowfield Twp.
2460 Strasburg Road
Coatesville, PA 19320
2 miles south of Coatesville
610-384-0514
Showroom open by appointment
Regina Upright Changer
Upcoming at Auction – May 11 & 12
Accepting Quality Consignments
$7,000-$10,000
cottoneauctions.com
COTTONE AUCTIONS
Advertise in The Mart
Have some spare parts or extra rolls taking up the space
where you should be installing your next acquisition?
Ready to trade up, but need to sell one of your current
pieces first? Get the word out to other collectors in The
Mart, an effective advertising tool at an inexpensive
price. Copy or cut out the form below and mail it in to get
started. Or, go to www.mbsi.org and place your ad online!
Name Phone
Email
Text of ad
Get noticed,
grow your business
Take advantage of MBSIÕs new advertising
program thatÕs perfect for small business owners
looking for a way to reach potential buyers
without a huge expense.
The MBSI BuyerÕs Guide section offers you six
business card size advertisements (3.5 inches
wide by 2.25 inches high) at a cost of $35 per ad
for members (or $40 for non-members). Total
cost is $210 (or $240 per year for non-members).
Discounted pricing in the BuyerÕs Guide
requires a 6-issue commitment and ads must
be pre-paid. Single-issue ads are $50 each.
Call (253) 228-1634 for information
or email mbsi@irondogmedia.com
VINTAGE Restorations, LLC.
Joe SmithÕs
Email: joe@vint-restorations.com | Phone: (555) 555-1212
Email: bill@wri-repair.com
Phone: (555) 555-1212
Website: www.Wri-Repair.com
Sample advertisement
Sample advertisement
Quality Work Done Right
WrightÕs Repairs
58 MECHANICAL MUSIC September/October 2018

Loesche Model 2 (Titania)
Peerless
Nickelodeon
Regina Style 35
Corona Automatic
Changer
Columbia Grafina
Console Phonograph
Mills Single
Violano
Victor Style V
Phonograph
Wurlitzer Style 50
Kiddie Band Organ
Wurlitzer
Pianino
National Piano
Seeburg KT
Special
Seeburg K
Nelson Wiggen
Nickelodeon
Seeburg KT
Special Mutoscope
Berry Wood
Auto Electric
Cabinet Grand
Please contact Dan at (949) 375 -2932 for pricing McAlister Collection
Loesche Model 2 (Titania)
Peerless
Nickelodeon
Regina Style 35
Corona Automatic
Changer
Columbia Grafina
Console Phonograph
Mills Single
Violano
Victor Style V
Phonograph
Wurlitzer Style 50
Kiddie Band Organ
Wurlitzer
Pianino
National Piano
Seeburg KT
Special
Seeburg K
Nelson Wiggen
Nickelodeon
Seeburg KT
Special Mutoscope
Berry Wood
Auto Electric
Cabinet Grand
Please contact Dan at (949) 375 -2932 for pricing McAlister Collection

Mechanical
Music
DiRecTORY
MeMBeRs,
MuseuMs,
& DealeRs
2016 Ð 2017
Mechanical
Music
DiRecTORY
MeMBeRs,
MuseuMs,
& DealeRs
2016 Ð 2017
PLAN AHEAD

ACT NOW

Reserve your advertising space now
for the 2018-2019 Mechanical Music
Directory of Members, Museums and
Dealers.

Placing your advertisement in an
MBSI directory means your companyÕs
name and contact information will be
a permanent part of this collectorÕs
reference book for the next two
years. Plus, your ad earns you a place
on the MBSI website where people
searching for your services can find
and click directly through to reach you
via email or phone.

Mailed directly to more than 1,300
member households, and given out to
each new member that joins the
society, it means your ad could be
seen several hundred times in the
next two years.

Call (253) 228-1634 or email
editor@mbsi.org to reserve your
advertising space now.

ADVERTISING DIMENSIONS & COSTS

Dimensions Cost

Make an impact! Full Page 7.25Ó x 9.75Ó $290

Get a full page Half Page 7.25Ó x 4.5Ó $160
ad that costs you Quarter Page 3.5Ó x 4.5Ó $90

less than $12.25 Eighth Page 3.5Ó x 2.125Ó $50
per month

Non-members pay a 10% surcharge on the above rates

60 MECHANICAL MUSIC September/October 2018

New in Stock!

¥
Regina Changer, 20 3/4Ó ,
mahogany, home model
¥
Mira, 18 .Ó in decal case
¥
Capital Cuff, Style F, coin
operated, on table
¥
Miraphone, 12Ó double
comb, with phono parts
¥
Symphonion, 19 1/8Ó
UPRIGHT, coin-op

¥
Ariophon, book playing disc
box, super rare!

¥
Polyphon, 11Ó BELL box
¥
Polyphon, 15 .Ó UPRIGHT
¥
Mermod Interchangeable cylinder boxes
¥
Early key-wind boxes, two early pieces with exposed
controls
¥
Nicole Freres, Overture & Fat Cylinder boxes
¥
Hidden & Exposed Drum & Bell boxes
¥
Early snuff boxes , with sectional combs
¥
Over 8000 discs of various brand/sizes
Tell me your needs!
¥
Books, new and used
=======================================================

Nancy Fratti Music Boxes
PO Box 400 Ð Canastota NY 13032 USA
315-684-9977
musicbox@frontiernet.net
www.nancyfrattimusicboxes.com

THE MART THE MART
CLASSIFIED ADS

The first two words (or more
at your choice) and the memberÕs
name will be printed in all caps/bold
and charged at 60¢ per word.

Mechanical Music

Mechanical Music is mailed to all
members at the beginning of every
odd month Ñ January, March, May,
July, September and November.

MBSI Advertising Statement

http://www.mechanicalmusicpress.com

CREMONA COIN OPERATED piano -needs
retubing. Has 3 rolls and art glass. Piano
Player. Collection of SBMI Bulletins and magazines
from 1970 to present. Call RICHARD
NELSON at (845) 359-2721.

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. $15.95 USD. Free shipping

ALL ADS MUST BE PREPAID

We accept VISA/MC and Paypal.

ADVERTISING DEADLINES:

The 1st day of each even month:
Feb., Apr., Jun, Aug., Oct. and Dec.

Display ads may be submitted
camera-ready, as PDF files, or with
text and instructions. File submission
guidelines available on request.

Errors attributable to Mechanical
Music, and of a significant nature, will
be corrected in the following issue
without charge, upon notification.

Add a photo to your ad!

Photos are only $30 extra per issue.

Email editor@mbsi.org or

call (253) 228-1634 for more details.

SUBMIT ADS TO:

MBSI Ads
130 Coral Court
Pismo Beach, CA 93449
(253) 228-1634
Email: editor@mbsi.org

62 MECHANICAL MUSIC September/October 2018

in the continental U.S. Additional postage

charges apply for other locations.
REPRODUCTION POLYPHON discs; Catalogs
available for 19 5/8Ó, 22 1/8Ó, and 24 1/2Ó.
DAVID CORKRUM 5826 Roberts Ave, Oakland,
CA 94605-1156, 510-569-3110,
A REGINA Clock for a Regina Style 35 Auto-www.polyphonmusic.com
matic Changer Contact: CHARLIE BEATTY,

SERVICES
WANTED
(269) 637-9265, jcbeatty566@comcast.net 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

Advertise in The Mart

Fill out the form below and mail to MBSI at 130 Coral Court, Pismo Beach, CA
93449. Call (253) 228-1634 with questions.

Name Phone

Text of ad

Add a photo to your ad!

You know the old saying, ÒA photo is worth 1,000
words!Ó Well, itÕs only $30 per issue to add a
photo to your classified advertisement in the
Mart. ThatÕs a lot less than 1,000 words would
cost. A photo makes your ad stand out on the
page and quickly draws a readerÕs interest in the
item. Email your advertisement with photo to
editor@mbsi.org or call (253) 228-1634 for more
details.

Have you tried the MBSI online classifieds? ItÕs quick and easy to place your ad. Pay
with Paypal and see your ad on the website AND in the journal. Go to www.mbsi.org
and click on the Classifieds link to get started today.

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 Pennsylvania
Ave., Lomita, CA 90717-1516. Phone:

(310) 534-1557 Email: MBRCU@AOL.COM.
On the Web: www.musicboxrepaircenter.com
Each One
Reach One
New Member
Display Advertisers

2 Renaissance Antiques
56 Bob Caletti Music Box
Restorations
56 BenÕs Player Piano Service
56 Nancy Fratti Music Boxes
57 StantonÕs Auctions
58 Chet Ramsay Antiques
58 Cottone Auctions
59 McAlister Collection
61 Nancy Fratti Music Boxes
66 Marty Persky
67 Morphy Auctions
68 Auction Team Breker

Our advertisers help make this publication
possible. Please visit them soon!

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Mechanical Music Directory

Mechanical
Music
DiRecTORY
MeMBeRs,
MuseuMs,
& DealeRs
2016 2017
only $10
ppd

Contact
Jacque Beeman
(417) 886-8839

September/October 2018 MECHANICAL MUSIC 63

OFFICERS, TRUSTEES & COMMITTEES of the
MUSICAL BOX SOCIETY INTERNATIONAL¨

OFFICERS
President

Clay Witt
820 Del Rio Way Unit 303
Merritt Island, FL 32953
floridaclay@floridaclay.net

Vice President

Tom Kuehn
4 Williams Woods
Mahtomedi, MN 55115
kuehn001@umn.edu

Recording Secretary

David Corkrum
5826 Roberts Avenue
Oakland, CA 94605
musikwerke@att.net

Treasurer

Edward Kozak
3615 North Campbell Avenue
Chicago, IL 60618
kozak@seldenfox.com

TRUSTEES

John Bryant
Judy Caletti
Ed Cooley
Sally Craig
Wayne Finger
Tom Kuehn
Mary Ellen Myers
Mary Pollock
Clay Witt

BOARD ADVISER

Junichi Natori,
International Adviser

MBSI FUNDS

COMMITTEES
Audit

Edward Cooley, Chair, Trustee
Mary Pollock, Trustee

G.Wayne Finger, Trustee
Endowment Committee

Edward Kozak, Treasurer, Chair
Mary Pollock, Trustee
B Bronson

Executive Committee

Clay Witt, Chair, President
Tom Kuehn, Vice President
Mary Pollock, Trustee
Judy Caletti, Immediate Past Pres.
John Bryant, Trustee

Finance Committee

Edward Kozak, Chair, Treasurer
Wayne Wolf, Vice Chair
Tom Kuehn, Vice President
Judy Caletti, Trustee
Peter Both
B Bronson

Marketing Committee

Rob Pollock, Chair
John Bryant, Trustee

G.Wayne Finger, Trustee
Bob Smith
Meetings Committee

Tom Kuehn, Chair, Vice President
Mary Pollock, Trustee
Don Henry
Matt Jaro
Cotton Morlock
Rich Poppe

Membership Committee

Rob Pollock, Chair
Judy Caletti, Trustee, Immediate
Past President
Linda Birkitt, Southern California

Membership Committee
(cont.)

Museum Committee

Sally Craig, Chair, Trustee
John Bryant, Trustee
Ken Envall, Southern California
Julian Grace, Sunbelt
Wayne Myers, Southeast
Ray Parkinson, Northwest IntÕl

Museum Sub-Committees

Ohio Operations
Emery Prior

Nominating Committee

Dan Wilson, Chair
Mary Pollock, Trustee
Judy Caletti, Immediate Past Pres.
Carol Beck
Steve Boehck
Ray Dickey
Vernon Gantt

Publications Committee

Bob Caletti, Chair
Tom Kuehn, Vice President
Steve Boehck
Dave Corkrum
Christian Eric
Kathleen Eric
Terry Smythe

Publications
Sub-Committee

Website Committee
Rick Swaney, Chair
Julian Grace
B Bronson
Don Henry
Knowles Little, Web Secretary

Special Exhibits Committee

Wayne Myers, Chair
John Bryant, Trustee
David Corkrum, Golden Gate
Robert Ebert, Mid-America
Jack Hostetler, Southeast
Judy Miller, Piedmont
Mary Ellen Myers, Southeast
Rick Swaney, Northwest IntÕl
Bill Wineburgh, East Coast

SPECIAL ACTIVITIES
Publications Back Issues:

Jacque Beeman

Regina Certificates:

Bob Yates

MBSI Pins and Seals:

Jacque Beeman

Librarian:

Jerry Maler

Historian:

Bob Yates

MBSI Editorial Office:

Iron Dog Media
130 Coral Court
Pismo Beach, CA 93449
editor@mbsi.org

64 MECHANICAL MUSIC September/October 2018

CALENDAR OF EVENTS

Date Event Location Sponsor
Oct. 7, 2018 Southern California Chapter Meeting Rancho Palos Verdes, CA, Gloria Schack
Oct 19-21, 2018 East Coast Chapter Meeting Westford, MA Mary & Dick Hunt
Oct. 21, 2018 National Capital Chapter Meeting Gaithersburg, MD Matt and Beni Jaro
Dec 2, 2018 Snowbelt Chapter Meeting Mahtomedi, MN Tom & Hongyan Kuehn
Aug 27-31, 2019 2019 MBSI Annual Meeting Rockville, MD National Capital Chapter

Please send dates for the Calendar of Events to Russell Kasselman (editor@mbsi.org)

CONTACTS

CHAPTERS

East Coast

Chair: Bill Wineburgh
(973) 927-0484
Dues $10 to Geoffrey Wilson
804 Appleton Way
Whippany, NJ 07981

Golden Gate

Chair: Jonathan Hoyt
(408) 214-9313
Dues $5 to Dave Corkrum
5826 Roberts Ave.
Oakland, CA 94605

Japanese International

Chair: Tomiju Endo x
+81-42-339-9099
Dues Japanese yen 4,000 to
Sadahiko Sakauchi
5-2-41 Nigawa-cho
Nishinomiya-shi
662-0811 Japan

Lake Michigan

Chair: Marty Nevel
(312) 613-8500
Dues $5 to James Huffer
7930 N. Kildare
Skokie, Illinois 60076

Mid-America

Chair: Rob Pollock
(937) 508-4984
Dues $10 to Harold Wade
4616 Boneta Road
Medina, OH 44256

National Capital

Chair: Matthew Jaro
(301) 482-2008
Dues $5 to Florie Hirsch
8917 Wooden Bridge Road
Potomac, MD 20854

Northwest International

Chair: Dale Tyvand
(425) 774-7230
Dues $7.50/person to Kathy Baer
8210 Comox Road
Blaine, WA 98230

Piedmont

Chair: Vernon Gantt
(919) 264-2222
vgjr123@yahoo.com
Dues $10 to Vernon Gantt
PO Box 20238
Raleigh, NC 27619

Traveling MBSI Display
Bill Endlein
21547 NW 154th Pl.
High Springs, FL 32643-4519
Phone (386) 454-8359
sembsi@yahoo.com

Regina Certificates: Cost $5.
B Bronson
Box 154
Dundee, MI 48131
Phone (734) 529-2087
art@d-pcomm.net

Advertising for Mechanical Music
Russell Kasselman
Iron Dog Media
130 Coral Court
Pismo Beach, CA 93449
Phone (253) 228-1634
editor@mbsi.org

CHAPTERS

Snowbelt

Chair: Tracy Tolzmann
(651) 674-5149
Dues $10 to Gary Goldsmith
17160 – 245th Avenue
Big Lake, MN 55309

Southeast

Chair: Judy Miller
(828) 513-7007
Dues $5 to Julie Morlock
780 Cherry Grove Road
Orange Park, FL 32073

Museum Donations
Sally Craig,
2720 Old Orchard Road
Lancaster, PA 17601
Phone (717) 295-9188
rosebud441@juno.com

MBSI website
Rick Swaney,
4302 209th Avenue NE
Sammamish, WA 98074
Phone (425) 836-3586
r_swaney@msn.com

Web Secretary
Knowles Little
9109 Scott Dr.
Rockville, MD 20850
Phone (301) 762-6253
kglittle@verizon.net

Southern California

Chair: Robin Biggins
(310) 377-1472
Dues $10 to Bob Lloyd
1201 Edgeview Drive
Cowan Hgts, CA 92705

Sunbelt

Chair: Ray Dickey
(713) 467-0349
Dues $10 to Mary Grace
13431 Grand Masterpiece
Houston, TX 77041

September/October 2018 MECHANICAL MUSIC 65

MARTY PERSKY

AUTOMATIC MUSICAL INSTRUMENT SPECIALIST
SERVING COLLECTORS WORLDWIDE

Instrument Brokering & Locating
Appraisals / Inspections / Free Consultation

Popper Felix Mortier 84 key CafŽ Wurlitzer MPO 33A Welte 4 Concert

Bow front Violano Weber Grandezza Violina Orchestra Weber Maesto

Holl 43-Key 2 Barrels Knabe AMPICO 5Õ8Ó Louis XV Wall Box Collection Niemuth 45-Key Bacigalupo
Wanted: Art Case Steinway Duo-Art & Raffin Organ.

Visit Mechmusic.com for more information on these and other fine instruments.

Tel: 847-675-6144 Email: Marty@MechMusic.com

For more highlights and videos, visit www.Breker.com/New Highlights
or youtube.com/auctionteambreker
Fully-illustrated bilingual (Engl.-German) COLOUR Catalogue available against prepayment only:
Euro 28.Ð (Europe) or elsewhere Euro 37.Ð (approx. US$ 44.Ð / Overseas)
(Bank draft, cash or by Credit Card with CVV and expiry date: MasterCard/Visa/AmEx)
. Consignments for Future Auctions Always Welcome! .
Ð The Specialists in ÈTechnical AntiquesÇ Ð
P. O. Box 50 11 19, 50971 Koeln/Germany á Tel.: +49 / 2236 / 38 43 40 á Fax: +49 / 2236 / 38 43 430
Otto-Hahn-Str. 10, 50997 Koeln (Godorf)/Germany
e-mail: Auction@Breker.com á www.breker.com á Business Hours: Tue Ð Fri 9 am Ð 5 pm
PLEASE FEEL FREE TO CONTACT OUR INTERNATIONAL REPRESENTATIVES:
U.S.A.: Andrew Truman, Tel. (207) 485 8343 * AndrewAuctionTeamBreker@gmail.com
Australia & New Zealand: P. Bardenheier, (NZ), Tel./Fax (+64) (0)9 817 72 68 * dbarden@orcon.net.nz
Japan: Murakami Taizou, Tel./Fax (06) 68 45 86 28 * murakami@ops.dti.ne.jp á China: Jiang Feng, Tel. 138 620 620 75 * jiangfengde@gmail.com
Hong Kong, Taiwan, Singapore: Alex Shih-Chieh Lin, (HK), Tel. (+852) 94 90 41 13 * alexsclin@gmail.com
England: Tel. (0)777 963 7317 * AuctionTeamBrekerUK@outlook.de á France: Pierre J. Bickart, Tel. (01) 43 33 86 71 * AuctionTeamKoln@aol.com
Russia: Maksim Suravegin, Tel. +7 903 558 02 50 * Maksim-ATB.ru@gmx.net
Éand many more!
Musical Clock
with Prototype
Cylinder
Movement, c. 1820
Estimate:
2.000 Ð 3.000 /
$ 2.300 Ð 3.500
Silver-Gilt and Enamel
Singing Bird Box
by Charles Bruguier,
c. 1845
Estimate:
20.000 Ð 30.000 /
$ 23.200 Ð 34.800
Palais Royale
Piano-Form Sewing
Necessaire, c. 1830
Estimate: 2.000 Ð 3.500 /
$ 2.300 Ð 4.000
Gold Pocket Watch with Sur-Plateau
Movement, c. 1815
Estimate: 1.000 Ð 1.500 / $ 1.160 Ð 1.740
Gold and Enamel Musical Pendant,
c. 1820
Estimate: 2.000 Ð 4.000 / $ 2.300 Ð 4.600
Superb Gold and Enamel
Musical Harp Pendant, c. 1805
Estimate: 10.000 Ð 15.000 /
$ 11.600 Ð 17.400
Exceptional Gold Musical
Presentation Snuffbox, c. 1810
Estimate: 10.000 Ð 20.000 /
$ 11.600 Ð 23.200
Monkey Fisherman Automaton
by Jean Phalbois, c. 1884
Estimate: 6.000 Ð 8.000 / $ 6.950 Ð 9.300
Rare Curved Musical Gold Snuffbox,
c. 1812
Estimate: 8.000 Ð 12.000 / $ 9.300 Ð 13.900
148th Specialty Auction
ÈFine Mechanical Music InstrumentsÇ
Featuring the Luuk Goldhoorn Collection
9 + 10 November 2018
Musical Sewing Necessaire
by F. Nicole, c. 1840
Estimate: 2.000 Ð 3.000 / $ 2.300 Ð 3.500
Fine Dutch Musical Sewing
Compendium, c. 1820
Estimate: 2.500 Ð 3.500 /
$ 2.900 Ð 4.000

Volume 64, No. 4 July/August 2018

· July 1, 2018 ·

Mechanical Music Mechanical Music
Journal of the Musical Box Society International
Devoted to All Automatic Musical Instruments

Volume 64, No. 4 July/August 2018

July/August 2018 MECHANICAL MUSIC 3
Volume 64, No. 4 July/August 2018
5 PresidentÕs Message
7 EditorÕs Notes
53 In Memoriam
37 Golden Gate
40 National Capital
43 Northwest International
46 Southern California
51 National Capital
MBSI NEWS
FEATURES
CHAPTER
REPORTS
22 – Name that Tune
Clay Witt discusses his methods for
tracking down the tune names and
composers featured in a new-to-him
Nicole Frres cylinder box.
On the Cover
A rare Lochmann Automat 150 in
Jim Lowell and Linda RickertÕs
collection. The box was on display
during a Southern California
Chapter meeting. For more, see
Page 51.
MECHANICAL MUSIC
Journal of the Musical Box Society International
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 Directory
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 2018. The Musical Box Society International,
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
Devoted to All Automatic Musical Instruments
MBSI has replanted 16 trees so far as part
of the Print ReLeaf program.
10 Nickel Notes
22 Name that Tune
27 The Hunt
31 Mechanical Music Radio
33 Music in the Motor City

The World of Mechanical Music The World of Mechanical Music
Copy this page, and give it to a potential new member. Spread the word about MBSI.

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The Musical Box Society International, chartered by the
New York State Board of Regents, is a nonprofit society
dedicated to the enjoyment, study, and preservation of
automatic musical instruments. Founded in 1949, it now
has members around the world, and supports various

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Member Benefits

educational projects.

Regional chapters and an Annual Meeting held each year
in different cities within the United States enable members
to visit collections, exchange ideas, and attend educational
workshops.

More Information:

Phone/Fax: (417) 886-8839

Email: jbeeman.mbsi@att.net

4 MECHANICAL MUSIC July/August 2018

By Clay Witt

MBSI President

The year is rapidly moving on. (DonÕt
they all?) When you receive this issue
of Mechanical Music our next annual
meeting, this year in Detroit, MI, will
not be far away. Everyone should
have received a registration packet by
now and I hope you will be sending in
your confirmation soon if you havenÕt
already done so.

If you have never been to an annual
meeting you are in for a treat. Our
local chapters who put them on Ð this
year itÕs the Mid-America Chapter Ð
work incredibly hard to make each
meeting a memorable experience.
These meetings not only enable you to
visit different parts of our great nation
but they provide access to see some
of the best mechanical music collections.
There is a large mart where you
can see interesting instruments and
mechanical music memorabilia and
perhaps find that item on your bucket
list that you just need to acquire.
There is good food and entertainment
and informative workshops taught
by knowledgeable people who can
answer your mechanical music questions.
Best of all, there are lots of other
mechanical music enthusiasts to meet
and talk to. ItÕs a great way to catch up
with old friends and make new ones.

I wanted to bring you up to date on
a project mentioned in my PresidentÕs
Message in the January/February 2018
issue of Mechanical Music. I related
then that MBSI and the Musical Box
Society of Great Britain (MBSGB)
were encouraging publication of an

English translation of Dr. Helmut
KowarÕs book ÒSpielwerke aus Prag
und WienÓ (Musical Boxes of Prague
and Vienna). At its March mid-year
meeting our trustees voted to pledge
$2,000 from our Heintz Publications
Fund toward the 5,000 euros needed
to bring the project to fruition.
MBSGB had previously pledged 500
euros. (See Ò2018 Mid-Year Trustee
Meeting Minutes,Ó section 2, on page
10 of the July/August 2018 edition of
Mechanical Music for details.)

Now there is another exciting development.
We have been informed that
MBSGB, at its recent annual meeting,
decided to pledge half of the required
5,000 euros if we would do the same.
Our board took the challenge and
approved upping our pledge to 2,500
euros. Thus the chances are good

that this project will move forward.
I have no projected publication date.
The current German language edition
will need to be translated and we
understand that Dr. Kowar intends to
expand the English language version
and bring it fully up to date. We will
keep you posted.

A video of a workshop presentation
by Dr. Kowar on this subject is available
in the Video Library section of the
membersÕ only area of our website.
Look under the ÒCylinder BoxesÓ
section of the index of the videos for
ÒHistory of Music Box Movements from
Prague and Vienna – Dr. H. Kowar.Ó

Finally, did you know that there is
now a website, Mechanical Music
Radio, broadcasting mechanically
produced music 24/7? Read more
about it on Page 31 of this issue.

WE WANT YOUR STORY!

.
.
..
¨.
(INTERNATIONAL)
ORGANIZED IN 1949
DEVOTED TO ALL MECHANICAL MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS
.
.
..
¨.
(INTERNATIONAL)
ORGANIZED IN 1949
DEVOTED TO ALL MECHANICAL MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS
Musical Box Society International
P.O. Box 10196
Springeld, MO 65808-0196
Phone/Fax: (417) 886-8839
Musical Box Society International
P.O. Box 10196
Springeld, MO 65808-0196
Phone/Fax: (417) 886-8839
MBSI MEMBERSHIP DRIVE
EACH ONE/REACH ONE NEW MEMBER
MBSI is pleased to offer new members a $15 discount off their rst year of membership dues. You
are considered a new member if you have not been a member in the past three years. This discount
is also available on our website, www.mbsi.org.
Current MBSI members who sponsor a new member will receive a $5 discount off their next yearÕs
MBSI membership renewal for each sponsorship. Attach a copy of the discount voucher below to a
copy of the membership application form from Page 4 of this issue of Mechanical Music. Place your
name as ÒsponsorÓ on the application form.
Please make copies of these forms as needed and send the completed forms with checks to the MBSI
administrator at the address listed below.
Dues Voucher Ð$15
New U.S. members may join MBSI for one year at $45 (instead
of $60); Canadians $55 (instead of $70; and, other International
members at $60 (instead of $75). This certicate must accom-
pany payment and a copy of the completed membership
application from page 4 of this issue of Mechanical Music.
New Member Name(s):
Expires: 01/01/2019
Authorized by MBSI Administrator
NEW MEMBER
GIFT CERTIFICATE
New members are those who have never been members
of MBSI or those who have not been members for three
years prior to submission of this voucher.
New members are those who have never
been members of MBSI or those who
have not been members for three years
prior to submission of this certicate.
Gift Membership Name
Sponsor
Address, City, State, ZIP
Phone Email
Please mail this form together with your check made payable to ÒMBSIÓ to the MBSI Administrator at the address listed
above. Memberships are $45 for U.S. residents, $55 for Canadian residents, and $60 for International residents.
SPECIAL OFFER: Purchase one or more rst-year MBSI gift
memberships at $45 each U.S., $55 Canadian, or $60 other Interna-
tional and you will receive $5 off your next year’s MBSI membership
renewal for each ÒNew MemberÓ gift.
.
.
..
¨.
(INTERNATIONAL)
ORGANIZED IN 1949
DEVOTED TO ALL MECHANICAL MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS
.
.
..
¨.
(INTERNATIONAL)
ORGANIZED IN 1949
DEVOTED TO ALL MECHANICAL MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS
Musical Box Society International
P.O. Box 10196
Springeld, MO 65808-0196
Phone/Fax: (417) 886-8839
Musical Box Society International
P.O. Box 10196
Springeld, MO 65808-0196
Phone/Fax: (417) 886-8839
MBSI MEMBERSHIP DRIVE
EACH ONE/REACH ONE NEW MEMBER
MBSI is pleased to offer new members a $15 discount off their rst year of membership dues. You
are considered a new member if you have not been a member in the past three years. This discount
is also available on our website, www.mbsi.org.
Current MBSI members who sponsor a new member will receive a $5 discount off their next yearÕs
MBSI membership renewal for each sponsorship. Attach a copy of the discount voucher below to a
copy of the membership application form from Page 4 of this issue of Mechanical Music. Place your
name as ÒsponsorÓ on the application form.
Please make copies of these forms as needed and send the completed forms with checks to the MBSI
administrator at the address listed below.
Dues Voucher Ð$15
New U.S. members may join MBSI for one year at $45 (instead
of $60); Canadians $55 (instead of $70; and, other International
members at $60 (instead of $75). This certicate must accom-
pany payment and a copy of the completed membership
application from page 4 of this issue of Mechanical Music.
New Member Name(s):
Expires: 01/01/2019
Authorized by MBSI Administrator
NEW MEMBER
GIFT CERTIFICATE
New members are those who have never been members
of MBSI or those who have not been members for three
years prior to submission of this voucher.
New members are those who have never
been members of MBSI or those who
have not been members for three years
prior to submission of this certicate.
Gift Membership Name
Sponsor
Address, City, State, ZIP
Phone Email
Please mail this form together with your check made payable to ÒMBSIÓ to the MBSI Administrator at the address listed
above. Memberships are $45 for U.S. residents, $55 for Canadian residents, and $60 for International residents.
SPECIAL OFFER: Purchase one or more rst-year MBSI gift
memberships at $45 each U.S., $55 Canadian, or $60 other Interna-
tional and you will receive $5 off your next year’s MBSI membership
renewal for each ÒNew MemberÓ gift.

EditorÕs Notes EditorÕs Notes
By Russell Kasselman

MBSI Editor/Publisher

Last issue, we ran a series of photos
taken by Walter Nuss at the 25th
Annual MBSI Meeting in Saddlebrook,
NJ. The year was 1974, and newly-
minted MBSI member Bill Endlein
had just gotten his driverÕs license.
He used that license to drive to his
first annual convention of mechanical
music enthusiasts. Bill called me
recently to answer the question posed
above the photos, ÒRemember these?Ó

Bill provided several names to
go along with the images that are
reprinted on pages 8 and 9 of this
issue with captions this time. IÕd like
to extend a big thanks to Bill for calling
in with the information, as it helps
in the continuing quest to document
the history of this organization and its
members.

This was a simple and easy exchange
between Bill and I, but it starkly highlights
a fact that I feel might too easily
become overlooked the longer I serve
as the editor/publisher for the Musical
Box Society International.

The fact is, IÕm not a mechanical
music expert. Now, many of you
might chuckle a bit to yourselves at
that statement because that fact is
so obvious to you. My column does,

however, appear here on a regular
basis, and that potentially creates a
situation where people who havenÕt
been around this society for a long
time might assume that I know more
than I really do.

The truth is, IÕm an expert at
gathering, editing, and presenting
information from the real mechanical
music experts, and thatÕs you. You are
the collectors, researchers, restorers,
music makers, and even manufacturers
of new instruments. You are the
heart and soul of the MBSI and I really
want to hear more about you and from
you.

IÕm thrilled to be entrusted with the
job of gathering that information and
presenting it via this publication and
the society website. I heartily encourage
you to share your stories with me
so that they can be set down in print
and saved for future generations to
learn from and continue to enjoy this
hobby. ThereÕs no need for you to be
an expert writer. IÕm here to help with
that part of things.

So, what do you know that might
help other mechanical music enthusiasts
grow and learn? Call me. Email
me. IÕm ready and willing to help
record what you know so that others
can continue the mission of MBSI to
preserve these wonderful instruments

MAILING ADDRESS
MBSI Editorial/Advertising
130 Coral Court
Pismo Beach, CA 93449
EMAIL ADDRESS
editor@mbsi.org
PHONE
(253) 228-1634

and educate future generations to do
the same.

IÕll be looking forward to hearing
from you soon.

Welcome new members!
April 2018 May 2018 Each One
Frank Fulkerson Julianna & Catherine Dickenson
Toledo, OH St. Francis, MN Reach One
Oliver Kyburz Yi Peng Li New MemberLeimbach, Switzerland Tian Jin, Tian Jin
Michael Stambaugh Steven Mansee
Shaker Heights, OH Chicago, IL
Kenneth Lauderback Robert Andersen & Donald Johnson
Milwaukie, OR Rochester Hills, MI
Teresa & John Ghazoul
Bellville, OH
Steve Robertson & Kym Reinstadler
Ann Arbor, MI

July/August 2018 MECHANICAL MUSIC 7

Remember these?

Photos from the 25th Anniversary MBSI Annual Meeting in 1974, Saddlebrook, NJ

Walter Nuss, J. Lawrence Cook, and Jack Hardman in the hos

pitality room.
Durward Center and Mike Kitner making a presentation at the
annual meeting.

Durward Center during his presentation at the annual meeting.

Sandy Litman (third person from the left) listens to a J.
Lawrence Cook roll.

Bob Glasgow (second from left), Sandy Litman (third from left),
Pam Ryder is on the left. and Joe Rush (behind Sandy).

Elise and Marty Roenick (far left) with an unknown group.

Walt Bellm and E.W. McKinnon with Tony (unknown last name).

Kevin SheehanÕs Wurlitzer 146 mounted on a 1920 TT Ford
truck and powered by a period domestic hit-and-miss
one-lunger. Kevin says ÒLinda and I brought the rig to the convention
on a flat bed trailer.. I remember overhearing Arthur
Ord-Hume remark to a guest who was listening to a tune,ÕWe
donÕt have anything like THAT in England!Õ Fond memories.Ó

Hans Fryberg (left) and David Bowers enjoying refreshments.

Dave Beck, Lee Munsick, Judy and Allan Kenisburg share a
laugh outside.

Greg Schmidt is in the background with glasses. Fred Freid
is looking at the book. Larry Dupon, also wearing glasses, is
gesturing with his hand in the background.

Rob and Ginny McMullin enjoying the day.

Nickel Notes

By Matthew Jaro

In this edition of Nickel Notes we
travel to the beautiful home of Paul
Ciancia in Northern New Jersey. Paul
has been an MBSI member since 2009
and an Automatic Musical Instrument
CollectorsÕ Association (AMICA)
member since 1970. His collection is
wonderfully displayed and consists
of reproducing pianos, nickelodeons,
orchestrions, antique phonographs
and antique radios.

Beginnings

PaulÕs interest in mechanical music
stems from his interest in music as
he was growing up. His father played
the piano and the accordion; his uncle
played violin and guitar; his grandfather
loved opera. Paul was very much
surrounded by music. He took classical
piano lessons for about 10 years.
He was also interested in all sorts
of mechanical and electrical things.
When he was in grammar school, he
would walk home and pick through
the trash looking for TVs, radios and
any other interesting items. (This
really brings back memories, because
I did exactly the same thing when I
was that age).

PaulÕs family had a farm in north
Jersey where they would go for the
summers. There was an old Milton
upright player piano in the living
room that didnÕt work. He looked
at the tracker bar and gazed at the
other components wondering how
you would get music out of this thing.
That probably planted the seed since
this was the natural intersection of
an interest in music and an interest in
mechanics.

By the time Paul went to college,
the bug really bit and he went to a

Paul Ciancia with his Seeburg G.

couple of piano dealers in New York
City (where he was going to college).
One was the Lincoln Piano Company
on Third Avenue. They had a lot of
player pianos Ð in the basement,
upstairs, and everywhere. Back in
the late 1960s, nobody really wanted
them, and he was probably getting
them for free. Paul went there with
very little knowledge of pianos, but
there was somebody working for
Lincoln who steered him onto what
he thought was a good piano. It was
a Stroud Themodist. Although it was
painted white, internally it was very
clean and all original. Paul bought
that piano for $150 and then went to
the store with a friend and a pickup
truck, having no idea how much those
things weigh. The dealer said, Òthere
is no way that you and your friend
are going to be able to put this on the

truck.Ó They had two planks, and they
thought they could roll it up onto the
back of the truck like it was a piece of
furniture. So he ended up having the
piano delivered. That piano mover is
still doing his moves today.

Paul took the piano apart. He went
to the library to see if there was any
information available. Just by luck,
the recently published book by Larry
Givens on rebuilding the player piano
was on the shelves. He read it coverto-
cover several times and thought
that he was now prepared. There was
also the Duffy Player Piano Company
in Palisades Park, NJ. John Duffy, who
passed in 2012, was a tugboat captain
before entering the player piano business.
He opened the business in 1960
because of a resurgence of interest in
players and sold it in 1969 when he
returned to sea as a captain for the

10 MECHANICAL MUSIC July/August 2018

An Edison Idelia in PaulÕs collection. An Edison Idelia in PaulÕs collection.
Part of PaulÕs antique radio and phonograph collection.

An Edison Home model with polyphone horn.

Circle Line Tours in New York City. ask lots of technical questions. At
His player piano company continued first, they thought he was a competi-
with new ownership into the 1980s. tor. Eventually, they warmed up and
Anyway, Paul would visit DuffyÕs and helped Paul out a great deal.

Radios

In addition to mechanical music,
Paul has an extremely impressive
and beautiful antique radio and phonograph
collection. The first radio
he bought was at an antique car flea
market. Then he started advertising
for radios in the local shopper paper.
ThatÕs how he ran into Bart Off. Bart
had radios and wanted a piano Ð Paul
had pianos and wanted radios! Since
they both wanted good prices for their
items, they simultaneously decided to
trade. Paul was in medical school and
found an Aeolian upright in a church
hall. He made a deal with the church
to replace it with a straight piano. That
became BartÕs first piano. Paul didnÕt
see Bart again for nearly 30 years.
They met up again about eight years
ago at Glenn ThomasÕs Christmas
party. Glenn has an impressive collection
of mechanical music and also
currently serves as the editor of the
AMICA Bulletin.

Collecting and Restoring

The first restoration project apart
from player pianos was a reproducing
piano. One of the people Paul went to
school with had a Stroud upright Duo-
Art. It sat in the friendÕs basement for a
number of years and Paul was anxious
to try restoring a reproducing piano.

July/August 2018 MECHANICAL MUSIC 11

So, he swapped a working player
piano for the unrestored Duo-Art.
His next acquisition was a Steinway
XR Duo-Art that he obtained from
Lincoln Piano in New York City. The
restored piano was sold through Duffy
to Michael Bennett (the director of
ÒA Chorus LineÓ). It finally came to a
point that Paul was too busy at school
to keep rebuilding pianos.

In 1972 Paul saw Harvey RoehlÕs
book ÒPlayer Piano TreasuryÓ and took
a trip up to Binghamton, NY, to see the
collection. That was his introduction
to coin-operated pianos. The Seeburg
G and the Reproduco piano-pipe organ
really struck him. Paul said Harvey and
Marion were really great. They served
him and his friend lunch, played all
the instruments, and did what they
could to nurture his interest. Paul
remarked that everyone in the hobby
was extremely helpful in trying to get
newcomers cultivated and entrenched
in the hobby. When the ÒEncyclopedia
of Automatic Musical InstrumentsÓ
was published, it gave a jump start to
interest in the field. Similarly, during
the last several years there were a pair
of authors that put together a series
of books on phonographs, ephemera
related to phonographs, photographs
of collections, etc. This reignited
PaulÕs interest in phonographs.

The Reproduco Piano-Pipe Organ

PaulÕs Reproduco was purchased
from G.W. McKinnon in 1973. It was a
consignment item in his catalog. The
instrument was in Greene, NY, near the
Pennsylvania line. McKinnon wanted
Paul to buy it sight-unseen, but Paul
didnÕt like that idea and went to look
at it. The machine dates to 1927 and
originally came out of TeglerÕs Mortuary
in Damascus, PA. It went to a local
church, and the consigner got it from
the church. G.W. McKinnon had done
some restoration on it and it played
pretty well. Paul brought it home
and enjoyed it for more than 30 years
before sending it to Alan Lightcap for
restoration.

The Steinway XR Duo-Art Piano

The Steinway XR piano that Paul
currently owns was acquired in 1977
from Tom Ahearn, who was living in

The circa 1927 Reproduco Piano Pipe organ restored by Alan Lightcap.

A closeup shows the detailed carving on the Steinway XR Duo-Art piano.

Boston, MA, at that time. Paul wanted Bernard Kritzman. Bernard had a story
an art case piano. He initially went to to go with the piano. It was bought by
New York City to look at a Jacobian a wealthy individual for his new bride.
XR owned by a piano tuner named She died shortly after they were wed.

12 MECHANICAL MUSIC July/August 2018

The Steinway XR Duo-Art in all its glory.

The double Mills Violano Virtuoso that came out of a Nebraska
farm hand house and was completely dismantled before being

restored.

A closeup showing the detail on the violin and playing mecha-
nisms in the double Mills Violano Virtuoso.

The piano was covered up and never
played again. Bernard found it, had
it restored and was asking $12,000
for it in 1972. Needless to say, Paul
continued to look. He came across
the Spanish style XR he has now and
bought it in unrestored condition. He
had the piano professionally restored
in New York City and restored the
player mechanism himself.

The Mills Violano Virtuouso

Paul bought a single Mills around
the same time as the Reproduco. He
bought it from a collector in Long
Island, NY, who got it from the collection
of Walt Kehoe. Paul had the
machine for several years, when he
decided he would like to upgrade to a
double Mills. He advertised in the club
publications for both a double Mills
and a Seeburg G. The Mills that Paul

currently owns came from a farmer
in Montana. He had it in a building
where his farm employees lived. The
farmer had purchased it from a junk
store in Nebraska in the 1950s. Instead
of going to look at it, Paul asked for
extensive pictures and specific closeups.
It looked pretty good, so he went
for it.

Paul dismantled it entirely. He had
the piano restrung professionally.
The sound board was in perfect condition.
The case was professionally
refinished. Paul dealt with all of the
electrical components himself. That
was about three yearsÕ work. The
only things that really needed to be
replaced were the weight arms. He got
a new set from Chuck Pfeiffer. Before
the days of Terry Haughawout, Chuck
was THE person for Mills restorations.
Paul still had to find a converter. He

got the large converter for the double
mills from Chuck Commerford in
Missouri. Chuck Pfeiffer proved to be
very helpful as was Art ReblitzÕs book
published with Mike Kitner.

The Seeburg Style ÒGÓ Orchestrion

The Seeburg G came from Bob
Avary, a collector then living in
New Mexico in the early 1980s. Bob
answered one of PaulÕs ads. Bob sent
pictures of the machine. The case was
refinished. Art Reblitz had restrung
the piano, rebuilt the piano action, and
re-gilded the plate. In the pictures, all
of the mechanisms had been taken
out of the piano and spread out on
bed sheets. Not knowing whether
everything was there and even if it
belonged to the same instrument, Paul
contacted Art Reblitz. Just like Harvey
Roehl, Paul had heard of Art but never

July/August 2018 MECHANICAL MUSIC 13

met or dealt with him. Again, like
Harvey, Art was extremely helpful. Art
knew Bob and said Paul could trust
him as a collector. Art also confirmed
that everything Bob was showing in
the pictures belonged to the machine
being sold. With that, Paul went ahead
and purchased the machine. Since the
piano was recently redone, Paul chose
to restore the Seeburg G before the
Mills. He redid the pneumatic work
and re-plated the metal parts. There
was a lot of cosmetic work involved,
but it got finished in 1985. Several
years ago, Paul had Alan Lightcap
replace the pin block and the sound
board. (Art and Bob had decided not
to undertake those tasks in the 1970s,
but by 2007 they needed replacement.)
Alan also restored the pump and pipe
chest. It also got a professional refinishing
job.

The Aeolian Concertola

One of the great highlights of PaulÕs
collection is a beautifully restored
Aeolian Concertola. For those unfamiliar
with this (including me!), the
Concertola is a machine that can play
as many as 10 Duo-Art rolls. You can
select any roll to be played by pushing
a button. The tempo is automatically
set by extra holes in the beginning of
the roll. The machine moves the roll to
the tracker bar, threads the roll onto
the take-up spool, sets the tempo,
plays the roll and rewinds it at the end.
The unit is physically separated from
the piano.

The Concertola was purchased
from Paul Manganaro in 1986. Paul M.
said he got a call from the owner who
lived in Florida. The owner said he
really didnÕt know what the machine
was, but he thought it was some kind
of juke box. As the owner was in the
process of describing it to Paul M.,
he knew immediately what it was.
So, Paul M. bought it and brought
it to East Rutherford, NJ, where he
was living at that time. Paul C. saw it
in Paul M.Õs shop and thought it was
a fascinating piece of machinery. He
thought about it for a while and then
bought it. Paul C. had never seen one
before and nobody knew much about
them.

It was pretty rusty, being a

The Seeburg G that Paul purchased after consulting with Art Reblitz to be sure all
the parts shown in the pictures from seller Bob Avary.

combination of brass parts and
brass-plated steel. Paul started on this
project in the late 1980s, after he finished
restoring the Mills. He decided
to take on the changer part first. When
he moved in 1991, the project stopped
and didnÕt get restarted for another
10 years. Alan Lightcap had restored
Bob GilsonÕs Concertola, so Paul gave
Alan this one to do as well. Alan did

the contact chest, all the pneumatic
components, and the pump. Then he
put it together and got it working.
There were some blueprints available
and all the parts were there.

The cabinet was basically falling
apart and there were pieces missing
so Paul and Alan decided to display it
without a case, leaving all of the intricate
and beautiful machinery visible.

14 MECHANICAL MUSIC July/August 2018

The finished Aeolian Concertola, one of only 14 known to exist and one of only 10 to be connected to pianos.

July/August 2018 MECHANICAL MUSIC 15

A view of the roll frame before restoration.

The Aeolian Concertola when Paul bought it.

The restored roll frame loaded with rolls ready to play.

A closeup view shows the tracker bar.

A closeup of the roll pull tabs attached to the roll frame.

The well-ordered pneumatic tubing under the roll frame. The tune-selector mechanism for the Aeolian Concertola.

16 MECHANICAL MUSIC July/August 2018

Paul with the Hupfeld Phonoliszt Violina he purchased from Doyle Lane and then had restored to a magnificent condition.

There are 14 Concertola units
known. Of the 14, 10 are connected
to pianos (but not necessarily Con-
certola pianos). PaulÕs is connected to
the Steinway Duo-Art piano. Of the 10
connected to pianos, only about five
are working. You can see that there
are many steps from when you press
the selector button, to the point where
it rewinds and shuts off. ItÕs a very
complex device.

The Hupfeld Phonoliszt Violina

The next machine to come along
was the Hupfeld Phonoliszt Violina.
I love it when people say Òit came
alongÓ, like a Phonoliszt might follow
me home someday! The first time
Paul had seen a Phonoliszt was at

the Murtaugh Guinness collection
during a local MBSI meeting (one of
the first Paul attended). Alan Lightcap
was there because he had restored
virtually all the instruments in the
Guinness collection. Paul heard the
machine and was hooked. He began
a lengthy search for a Hupfeld. He
contacted some of the European
dealers and the prices were already
out of reach: $70,000 in 1982 was far
more than he could spend. The Hupfeld
Paul owns now came from Doyle
Lane. Jerry Cohen had it before Lane.
Jerry got it from Hathaway & Bowers,
who in turn got it from the Cliff House
in San Francisco. It was purchased
by the Whitney Brothers, who ran the
Cliff House in the 1930s-1940s. It was

probably imported by Ernest Bšcker
of New York in the early 1910s. Most
likely it was on the West Coast its
entire life. In the book ÒPut Another
Nickel InÓ by Q. David Bowers, there
is a picture of the machine in the Cliff
House workshop partially disassembled
(and the Seeburg H next to it is
probably my machine, ÒOld SilverÓ).
Hathaway & Bowers did the original
restoration for Jerry Cohen. Jerry
had the machine until his fire in the
late 1970s. The machine was then
purchased by Chuck Pfeiffer who sold
it to Doyle Lane.

Doyle sat with the machine for about
15 years. Paul contacted Doyle in the
late 1980s, but Doyle had no interest in
selling it. So, Paul continued looking.

July/August 2018 MECHANICAL MUSIC 17

The keyboard was restored with matching ivory keys to ensure authenticity.

A closeup shows the pristine condition of the violin mechanisms.

In 1987 Paul went to the Charlie Smallwood
auction in San Francisco, CA.
There was an early Model B missing
some of its panels. It had a lot of rust.
It had been stored in a warehouse
for decades. Rodents had gotten into
it. The piano action was nothing but
chewed up felts, rusted iron and a
lot of mouse droppings. It was rough,
but Paul wanted it really bad. The
pre-auction estimate of $35,000 was
passed and it was hammered down
at $90,000. Paul dodged a bullet, but
missed another opportunity. The
search continued.

Siegfried WendelÕs replica Phonoliszts
then came on the scene. Paul
looked at them but still favored owning
an original machine over a replica.
Just around that time Doyle put out
a flier announcing that he was liquidating
much of his collection. Paul
immediately tore open the flier, flipped
through it and found that the Phonoliszt
was there. The description said
it had been in the Cohen collection.
No price was listed. He immediately
called Doyle who said he had been
bombarded with phone calls and the
first person there with a check could
have the machine. Paul asked for a little
time. He said he would send Doyle
$1,000 as a non-refundable deposit
and he would have two days from that
point to pick it up. Overnight, Paul
decided it would be best to drive up
to Vermont and look at the machine
before diving in headfirst. He brought
his $1,000 with him just in case. It
was January and it was snowing very
hard, but he felt he had to get up there.
Luckily, the snow tapered off and he
made it the rest of the way to Vermont.

On arriving, Paul went into a brick
mill building and saw the piano part of
the Phonoliszt with only the sides and
the back. No strings, no plate, no key
bed. Doyle appeared and they took a
tour of the three-story building looking
at all the parts. The piano plate
was here, the piano action was there,
the violin mechanism was upstairs.
Fortunately, the piano stack was out
of the machine but in one piece. The
violin chassis was in one piece. Paul
didnÕt have knowledge deep enough to
know if all the parts were there or if
the damage could be restored. He gave

18 MECHANICAL MUSIC July/August 2018

The violins with bows restored by Art Reblitz in a 40-hour specialized process using
a jig built specifically for the task.

his deposit and said he would have to
return with his expert, Alan Lightcap.
Doyle said, Òthere is a guy standing
right behind you ready to buy.Ó So Paul
and Alan made the trek back up. Alan
said to Paul, ÒitÕs all complete,Ó and
thus with AlanÕs blessing, Paul bought
the machine. Alan could not take on
the restoration project at that time.
Similarly, Art Reblitz and Ron Cappel

were both busy, so Paul decided to
proceed on his own.

The first parts to be worked on were
the violin components. The bow consists
of two concentric rings that must
move freely to operate. The two rings
were stuck together, but once they
were pulled apart and cleaned, they
operated correctly. The drive wheel
that turns the bow was warped and

had to be recast. Art Reblitz put the
horse hair on the bow using a special
jig he made (talk about a specialized
niche: re-hairing Phonoliszt bows!).
It took about 40 hours to do the job.
Art said it was a very demanding task
with a specific order of operations
to go through. The violins were the
next thing that needed attention.
Paul called up the Julliard School of
Music and spoke to the conservator
of stringed instruments to ask for a
recommendation. He got the name of
RenŽ A. Morel, who turned out to be
a world-renowned violin technician
who serviced Stradivarius instruments.
Paul loaded up the violins
and brought them to Morel who was
a Frenchman wearing a white smock.
Paul said it was like going to see a
medical specialist. Paul showed him
pictures of the machine. Morel said
he had seen one in Utrecht, Holland,
at a museum, so he was sympathetic
to the cause. Paul said it was amazing
to him since someone of MorelÕs stature
could simply have said: ÒI donÕt
want to be bothered with this junk.Ó
Instead, Morel was enthusiastic and
told Paul he thought he could help
with the restoration. With that, Morel
took on the restoration of the violins
to correct problems caused by years
of neglect. Morel was shown an original
violin from GuinnessÕs Phonoliszt
Violina to guide him in the restoration.

The cabinet had to be restored as
well. Paul went to ConstantineÕs in
New York City Ð a supplier of veneers
to the trade. He asked if they had clients
for their veneers that did furniture
restorations of the caliber required.
They gave Paul the name of a man in
New York City: a Romanian immigrant
named Ted Badea. He was as good
with woodworking as Morel was with
violins. Again, they visited GuinnessÕs
to look at a Phonoliszt in the flesh.
TedÕs shop spent the next year and a
half transforming the cabinetry.

At this point nearly six years of
efforts had been expended restoring
different aspects of the machine.
Restoration of the pneumatic systems,
however, still lay ahead. Paul asked
Alan again if he had time and he agreed
to do all the pneumatic components.
Paul took no shortcuts on the project.

July/August 2018 MECHANICAL MUSIC 19

The piano was restrung, a new block,
new bridges and a new board were
installed by a professional piano company
in New York. Paul even replaced
the key tops in matching ivory. It was
a long project, taking more than eight
years, but everybody who comes and
listens to the finished product is rapt
by the sound.

The Cremona J Orchestrion

The Cremona was acquired about
10 years ago. Paul was at Jasper SanfilippoÕs
to pick up the Phonoliszt bow
from Art Reblitz. Jerry Biasella invited
Paul to listen to JasperÕs machines.
So Paul listened to every American
machine! He really liked the sound
of the Cremona J. Paul asked Tim
Trager if he knew of a Cremona J for
sale Ð and, of course, Tim did. Tim
put Paul in contact with a fellow from
the Carolinas. This person obtained
it from the Musical Wonder House in
Wiscasset, ME, around 1970. It had
been restored 25 years earlier by Don
McDonald. It needed additional work
now. Paul asked Alan to do a complete
restoration which was finished in
2008.

The Link 2E

PaulÕs Link 2E came from Carl
Barker of Media, PA. Carl is a piano
technician who restored it back in the
1960s. It did need a little attention so it
made its way over to AlanÕs for a pump
rebuild. The remainder of the original
restoration work is still functional.

The Knabe AMPICO

The Knabe was acquired from Rick
Smith in Glen Cove, Long Island, NY.
Paul had been looking for an art case
AMPICO, and Rick had a 5-foot, 8-inch
Louis XV Knabe built in 1924. It had
an ÒAÓ action and Paul added a ÒBÓ
drawer. It was recently restored by
Alan. A connection to the Concertola
allows the device to play Ampico rolls
on the Knabe.

The Seybold Jazz Accordion Piano

Paul acquired a Seybold Jazz Accordion
Piano which he had restored. The
machine consists of a piano, accordion,
bass and snare drums and cymbal. The
piano is of French manufacture, the

The Cremona J that came from the Musical Wonder House once operating in Maine
in the 1970s and located by Tim Trager.

The immaculate interior of the Cremona J.

20 MECHANICAL MUSIC July/August 2018

The Link 2E that needed only a pump rebuild after an initial
restoration by Carl Barker in the 1960s.

A closer look at the upper section of the Link 2E.

The Knabe AMPICO that is connected to the Aeolian
Concertola.

accordion is a Hohner. An expression
system controls instrument dynamic
levels. The machines found their main
use in cafes and restaurants. There
are only a handful of these known to
exist. It came from Oregon, where Jim
Knudtson was the owner. He bought
it in the 1970s from Claes Friberg in
Denmark. Very few were imported
into the United States. Music is not
real plentiful for these machines.
There was a re-cutting project a few
years back where they borrowed all
of KnudtsonÕs original rolls. Some
new arrangements are currently being
cut in Europe for the machine. RenŽ

Seybold of Strasbourg, France, was
the inventor. The company should
not be confused with the U.S. Seybold
Piano Company which makes pianos
often used in Nickelodeons and
Orchestrions. The French machines
were produced in the late 1920s and
early 1930s, when sales of coin pianos
were poor. The company was in
Alsace-Lorraine which suffered heavy
damage during World War II. Consequently,
very few machines survive
today. The restoration is anticipated
to be completed next year.

After spending a lovely day with
Paul and having dinner at his house,

it was time to hit the road back to my
home in Maryland 4. hours away. Paul
Ciancia can be reached at fairwinnj@
aol.com

Reprinted with permission of the
author and The Automatic Musical
Instrument CollectorsÕ Association
(AMICA). Originally printed in the September/
October 2012 issue of The AMICA
Bulletin.

July/August 2018 MECHANICAL MUSIC 21

Name That Tune

The Nicole Frres in its as found state.

By Clay Witt

I should really stay off of eBay. Both
my bank account and David Beck,
my long-suffering restorer of several
years standing, would likely appreciate
it. I see some once fine old musical
box that has fallen on hard times there
and my heart goes out to it. Such was
the case with the Nicole Frres box
seen above in its Òas foundÓ state. Yes,
it needs help. There are two broken
teeth, some very squeaky dampers, a

seldom functioning start/stop lever, a
possible run affecting tune four, and
general cleaning and adjustment to
set right.

In any event, I acquired the box at
a modest price and finally it arrived.
First, I set about cleaning up the really
dirty case. That endeavor turned out
well. Next, I became curious about
the history of the box. Fortunately, I
saw it retained its original tune sheet.

22 MECHANICAL MUSIC July/August 2018

The faded tune sheet as found.

The enhanced tune sheet.

Right away I noticed that the original
London dealer, Keith, Prowse & Co.,
had pasted strips of heavy paper
with the firmÕs name at the top and
its Cheapside address at the bottom.
(Cheapside is a London street that
has been associated with commercial
activity for centuries. The name long
predates the current meaning of
ÒcheapÓ as inexpensive or low quality.)
Keith, Prowse & Co. was in business
in London from 1830 and the company
name still lingers on, although it is
no longer associated with musical

devices, according to Wikipedia.

Handwriting on old tune sheets is
often artistic, with lots of embellishments,
but sometimes, as was the case
with this box, it can be quite difficult
to decipher. My attempt to unravel the
tune names was further complicated
by the fact that the ink on the tune
sheet was badly faded. Enter modern
technology. In times past, I would
have spent quite some time working
in Photoshop to try to enhance a
picture of the tune sheet taken with
a digital camera. More recently I have

discovered that the built-in photo
viewer in Windows 10 can make quick
work of it. This involves just clicking
the photo file and allowing Windows
10 to open it natively. Once the file is
open, you can click on ÒEdit & Create,Ó
then ÒEditÓ and finally ÒEnhance your
photo.Ó Voila! (One note of caution,
as they disclaim in the commercials,
your results may vary.)

Armed with a more legible tune
sheet to work from I turned my attention
to the handwriting Ñ swoops,
flourishes, and undulations that look
pretty but can make unrelated capital
letters look almost identical and low-
er-case letters almost unrecognizable.
Working out what is inscribed on tune
sheets is often further complicated by
the fact that limited space led writers
to use abbreviations. In the case of
my tune sheet, only a fragment of
the name of an operetta was written
as the source of the tune. What were
these tunes? Who composed them?
When were they composed? Were
they part of a larger work? Would
they be consistent with the 1869 date
research showed should be the date of
manufacture of this musical box from
the serial number (#42565)?

This is where I spent a couple of
hours with various online search
engines (Google, Bing, and Norton
Safe Search). My strategy was to take
what little I could discern of the writing
and work backward from there.
Considering I have only a passing
acquaintance with mid-19th century
music and the language in which the
tune name is written, here mostly
French, it took some persistence
and patience but the story gradually
unfolded. Here is how it all worked
with this tune sheet.

Tune 1. I was able to figure out
that the tune name was ÒA cheval
sur laÓ something and that the name
of the work from which it was taken
included ÒDuchÓ something. Entering
ÒA cheval sur laÓ into the website
search engines did not bring up a
satisfactory result. Adding ÒoperaÓ or
ÒmusicÓ to the search terms struck
out too. Searching using the phrase
Òoperetta A cheval sur laÓ did the
trick. The larger workÕs full name is

July/August 2018 MECHANICAL MUSIC 23

ÒLa Grande-Duchesse de GŽrolstein,Ó
a Jacques Offenbach operetta in three
acts. Further search on the full name
of the work shows that a main character,
a General Boum, sings about his
military prowess in ÒA cheval sur la
disciplineÓ (a stickler for discipline).
It dates from 1867. So, what is on the
tune sheet is a tune name ending in an
abbreviation of discipline, ÒDiscip.,Ó
and just part of the name of the operetta
where the song appears is given.
(Discipline is apparently spelled the
same in English and French, by the
way.)

Tune 2. The entrŽe here is the fairly
clear name Robinson Crusoe. Results
when searching on that name brings
up information about another Offenbach
1867 operetta. I have learned
that tunes from operettas and operas
are often named by some phrase in
the lyrics of the song. The first word
in this tune title is ÒSalutÓ (ÒhelloÓ in
French). Another search helped me
find the Robinson Crusoe libretto,
although not in as straight forward a
way as I might have hoped. After some
false starts, a search for ÒOffenbach
Robinson Crusoe libretto SalutÓ led
me to the complete libretto in French
on the French version of Wikisource
(fr.wikisource.org). Searching in that
for ÒSalutÓ revealed several instances
of that word, one of which is a fit for
the writing on the tune sheet, ÒSalut
chaumire.Ó (ÒHello thatched cottageÓ
according to Google Translate,
another useful resource.)

Tune 3. This one was considerably
simpler to unpack. The main work
is ÒRomeo & JulietteÓ by Gounod. A
search for Ògounod romeo and juliet
librettoÓ (search engines are usually
not case sensitive, by the way) quickly
brought me to a site with the complete
libretto in parallel English and French.
The first word in the title on the tune
sheet is ÒAnge.Ó A search for that in the
libretto brings us to ÒAnge adorableÓ
(adorable angel) sung by Romeo to
Juliet. GounodÕs Romeo & Juliet also
dates from 1867.

Tune 4. This one had me completely
stumped. There was nothing clear to

Jacques Offenbach, composer of ÒLa Grande-Duchesse De GŽrolstein,Ó and
ÒRobinson Crusoe,Ó that appear on the Nicole Frres box. Offenbach was born
Jacob Offenbach in Germany, switching his name to Jacques after being accepted
to the prestigious Paris Conservatoire to study music. The director of the school
was prejudiced against Jews, having rejected Franz Liszt earlier because of cultural
heritage. After much pleading by JacobÕs father, however, the director of the school
agreed to hear Jacob play. Jacob was immediately accepted, along with his brother,
and both boys adopted French versions of their names. Jacques left the school
after one year because academic study did not fulfill him. He earned a living as a
cellist and a conductor, living most of his adult life in France before being forced
out after the fall of emperor Napoleon III in the 1870s. He later lived in Vienna and
London. He wrote nearly 100 operettas, many which are still heard on stages today.

24 MECHANICAL MUSIC July/August 2018

Charles Gounod, author of the libretto ÒRomeo and JulietÓ that appears on the
Nicole Frres box was born in Paris, France. He studied at the Paris Conservatoire
and won the Prix de Rome in 1939 for a cantata called ÒFernand.Ó The Prix de Rome
was a French scholarship program that allowed a student to reside in Rome for
three to five years paid for by the king of France. He became world-renowned in
1859 for his composition ÒAve Maria.Ó Also in 1859, Gounod released Faust which
was initially not well received, but became immensely popular and has continued to
be performed through today.

Two pages of the sheet music for

the waltz ÒGolden BeautyÓ written by
me beyond the first word of the tune address with pictures of the box Charles Godfrey in 1863. The sheet

music was scanned and is available for

title, ÒLesÓ (the article ÒtheÓ in French), and tune sheet and a plea for help in

free from the University of Michigan.

which of course is not enough to get identifying Tune 4. Based on his expe-
you anywhere. rience and the wealth of information

Here a great resource came to my in the register, the very helpful Arthur found. A copy available through ama-
rescue. One of our sister organiza-Cunliffe had the answer, ÒLes Fau-zon.co.uk has a listing with the remark
tions, the Musical Box Society of Great vettes. Polka. Bousquet.Ó Follow up ÒBinding Ð 1 Jan 1864.Ó This certainly
Britain, has for years been compiling online research showed that Bousquet gets us into the expected ballpark in
a registry of Nicole musical boxes. is composer Narcisse Bousquet. (ÒLes terms of dates.
You can simply go to their website at FauvettesÓ means ÒThe WarblersÓ per
www.mbsgb.org.uk and find ÒMusical Google Translate.) The University of Tune 5. This one is readable right
Box RegisterÓ under the ÒResourcesÓ Melbourne, Australia, has a published from the tune sheet, ÒGolden Beauty,Ó
menu for further information. I filled copy in its collection showing the date a ÒValtzÓ (waltz) by Godfrey. Online
out the form provided and registered as Ò1882?Ó A couple of other sources research here shows that Godfrey
my newly acquired Nicole there, send-list various scores dating back to 1870 is Charles Godfrey and that the tune
ing it off by email to the designated and an 1869 edition in French was dates from 1863.

July/August 2018 MECHANICAL MUSIC 25

Tune 6. A ditto mark at the end of
the line shows that this tune is also
attributed to Charles Godfrey. This
gave me a good leg up as I could
search directly for his tunes. The
tune title is not clear from the tune
sheet. Note, among other things, that
what turns out to be capital Ts on the
sheet look very much like the writerÕs
capital Fs and he or she writes a low-
er-case p in disjointed parts. Further
online research concerning GodfreyÕs
compositions confirmed that the title
is ÒTip Top, Galop.Ó (A galop was
a lively dance of the period.) This
tune probably dates from 1868, as it
was advertised by the publisher in
the January 30, 1869, edition of the
London Illustrated News. A copy of
that edition can be found online via
Google Books. The ad reads: ÒThe Tip-
Top Galop Ð Charles GodfreyÕs new
Galop. This attractive, spirited, and

excellent galop will soon be tip-top in
popularity. Sent for 18 stamps Ð Duff
and Stewart, 147 Oxford Street.Ó

The bottom line. Count yourself
fortunate if you have the original tune
sheets on your musical boxes. They
can provide a wealth of information.
Dates tunes were composed can
help place the date of the box when
the maker is unknown (it can be no
older that the date of the most recent
song) or confirm that the tunes on the
box are consistent with an identified
makerÕs serial number. They can give
you insight into a musical time long
gone by. If a tune sheet is faded and
the hand writing is not a model of precision
donÕt worry since this is not as
big an obstacle it once was. Electronic
image enhancement can make faded
text come to life again.

Being able to decipher even a word

or two in a title can lead you to uncovering
a lot of information about a tune
through the magic of modern website
search engines. Just be persistent.
When a search engine does not turn
up what you want, try a variety of
search terms and if that doesnÕt help
try a different search engine as some
turn up things others do not. There
is literally a world of information out
there and fleshing out a musical boxÕs
historical setting can enrich the experience
of being its caretaker for future
generations.

As for #42565, the sound beneath the
squeaks is bright, full and clear even in
its current state. Sometime this year it
should be back to its original musical
glory. My hope is that once my stewardship
is over it will go to someone
who will care for it so that it can go on
bringing pleasure for at least another
hundred years.

WE WANT YOUR STORY!

The Music Box Makers, The History of the Music Box in Ste. Croix

SPECIAL: $10 PPD U.S.A.

The Golden Anniversary Book

SPECIAL: $10 PPD U.S.A.

MBSI Pins

Proudly wearing your MBSI Pin shows your
membership in the society and will encourage
conversation about mechanical music.

$5 PPD U.S.A.

The Hunt

The Style 27 Folding Top Regina

By Jamie Brewer

I joined MBSI back in 1971. Even
though that transpired 47 years ago it
still feels like yesterday as I type this
out today. Journaling for too many
years has taught me how the personal
back stories behind my prized possessions
are what makes them special to
me, my family, and friends.

The story of my Regina Style 27
20.-inch folding top music box is no
exception.

I first heard this music box at John
BishopÕs house in King of Prussia, PA,
back in the fall of 1972. John was very
active in the MBSI and the East Coast
Chapter at the time. While we listened,
John told me it was his favorite disc
box in his collection.

Two years later, in November 1974,
John was killed when his car was
hit from behind by a church school
bus. Vicki Glasgow brokered the sale
of JohnÕs collection. Bob and Vicki
Glasgow were so close to John it is
safe to say they might have been considered
family.

I only knew John some two years.
Even so, all these years later I can
still feel the void his death left in my
life. Andy LaTorre, who was active in
the MBSI in the early 1970s, sent me
a picture of John. You can see him on The restored case and cabinet of the Regina Style 27 folding top disc player.

Column Graphic by Mary Clegg
July/August 2018 MECHANICAL MUSIC 27

the far left. The photo was used for
JohnÕs memorial notice in the MBSI
Bulletin and is the sole picture of
him I possess. IÕm still grateful that
the image was made and marvel that
someone thought to snap the photo
since back when it was taken it wasnÕt
as common for people to take pictures
of everyday events, as compared to
today where iPhones are so common
that people record almost every bit of
everyday life.

Well, back to the folding top Regina.
Vicki kept this machine of JohnÕs on
her closed in front porch area of her
home. Vicki had a delicate ear and
loud music boxes drove her to distraction.
The Regina Style 27 is certainly a
loud one.

In 1976 Vicki put this music box
on the market, listing it in her 1976
catalogue. I was working again, having
been called back to GM after being laid
off for more than a year. I knew the
history behind this piece and wanted
to own it. I rationalized the purchase
of this music box to be my ÒrewardÓ
for getting called back to work. I contacted
Vicki and we worked out the
details out of the sale. I sold a Criterion
15.-inch box I had purchased from
John at the fall East Coast Chapter
meeting in 1972 to Nancy Fratti. This
transaction paid for nearly half of this
ÒnewÓ box. I delivered the Criterion
to Nancy and picked up the Regina
folding top at an East Coast Chapter
meeting in Binghamton, NY. Some
research on my part revealed that this
meeting was held May 22, 1976. What
I remember most of this meeting was
worrying over the Regina Style 27
stored in the trunk of my 1975 Plymouth
Duster parked in the parking lot
of the Binghamton, NY, YMCA. I was
still strapped moneywise and stayed
in the cheapest places for meetings, so
I had some reason to worry but, fortunately
for me, all worked out and I got
the box safely home after the meeting.

The box came to me with an early
short Polyphon crank which made it
a bear to crank up and listen to. Last
fall I was able to procure the correct
Regina crank for this box which
started out another chain of events.

Except for a bit of oiling, the box had
not been touched mechanically for

Photo by Andy LaTorre
John Bishop, far left, at an MBSI gathering in the 1970s.

The Regina bedplate that originally left the factory in a Regina Style 28 cupola case.
The bedplate switch may have been made by Lloyd Kelly when factory parts for
Reginas were still available for delivery.

28 MECHANICAL MUSIC July/August 2018

The original ÒRegina Red MudÓ finish
can be seen under the crank escutcheon
as compared to the oak Òtiger grainÓon
the exposed parts of the case.

decades. It was time for an overhaul.
Dave and Carol Beck were willing to
take on the job.

I didnÕt want to just overhaul the
music box works and then have the
guts reinstalled into a grungy cabinet,
so I decided it was also time to finally
get the case cleaned up.

A Regina Style 27 connotes a coin
operated machine. A close inspection
of the motor boards showed a Regina
ÒcautionÓ sheet which covered the
hole where the lock would have been
and another ÒcautionÓ sheet over
where the coin slide was originally
installed. The motor had the extra
shaft configurations for a coin op
mechanism. A junker box provided
me with the wooden coin box and
hold down bracket I could transfer
to this case. The spare parts fit the
existing screw holes perfectly.

The beautiful quarter-sawn oak
case had been finished in what Glenn
Grabinsky has coined Òthe Regina Red
MudÓ finish. At first glance it appeared
that it might even be a mahogany case.
As the years passed the red bleached
out which has allowed more of the
oak Òtiger grainÓ to show through.
The picture showing the protected
finish under the crank escutcheon
compared to the exposed case side
is striking. This was a factory applied

The cabinetÕs origins are still a mystery. It was built to hold a 27-inch Regina, but
slots are available to store 151/2-inch discs.

The restored folding-top machine and its base are enjoyable additions to the
authorÕs collection regardless of their heritage.

July/August 2018 MECHANICAL MUSIC 29

finish. There was residue on the top
right motor board from an old dealer
label which resembled in size the
stickers Ruth Bornand used to apply
on the boxes that passed through her
shop in Pelham, NY.

I contacted Bob Yates to research
the Regina shipping books to ascertain
if this case left the factory as an oak or
a mahogany instrument. According to
the books the serial number stamped
on the bedplate indicated that the
movement actually left the factory in a
later cupola case as a Regina Style 28.

At this point in time all I could do
was speculate about how maybe a
former owner of the folding top case,
since it was originally a coin-operated
machine, found it easier to just
switch out the worn-out comb and
old bedplate assembly and install an
on/off lever. I could see where the
coin slot and lock holes were cut in
and they had dark red/brown wood
stain soaked into the unfinished wood
around them. It was evident to me that
the coin operating mechanism was a
factory installation done up before the
case was finished. The hole for on/off
lever shaft was raw unstained wood
which told me that the addition was
drilled in after this box left the factory.

For what it is worth, I speculated that
all the switching around transpired

back in the ÒLloyd Kelly daysÓ when
such practices with Reginas were
common and original factory parts
were still easily procured.

The base cabinets for folding top
boxes are harder to find information
about than the music box itself. The
base for my Regina is also a mystery. It
was built for a 27-inch machine. There
were five dividers factory installed as
well as a bottom spacer board making
the disc storage suitable for 15.-inch
discs. Did the cabinet factory alter this
to move out an unsellable cabinet? The
folding top model was only in production
for a few years. It took me more
than 25 years to turn up this base, so
IÕm not going to split hairs over minor
details. I figure I am just lucky that the
wood color is pretty similar between
the two pieces.

In the end, the bedplate might not
be the original one that left the factory
to the motor and case. The works have
been altered from a coin-operation to
a regular music box. The base cabinet
is not a perfect match. In the grand
scheme of things, these ÒflawsÓ do not
matter to me. I like to share the stories
of the people and events behind the
prized pieces of my collection. It can
sound corny but when I play this box,
in addition to enjoying the music, my
mind goes back to the days of John

More online

Smartphone users can scan the
QR code above to be taken directly
to a video where this machine can
be heard playing ÒSmoky Mokes. Ó

To view the video on your com
puter, go to https://www.youtube.
com/watch?v=ori-3d5MpFg

Bishop and the Glasgows, and the
time spent enjoying the music box
hobby before the days of the internet.

I like to think IÕm helping to preserve
a bit of that past in these ramblings of
mine. It is sad, too, how those close to
us slip away and, as time passes, are
forgotten.

IÕve uploaded a video to YouTube
of this box playing ÒSmoky MokesÓ
a Òhot tuneÓ which really shows this
instrument off.

Seeking your stories for ….

Did you once spend time finding the perfect musical

antique to round out your collection? What was it? How
did you find it? Was it in ruins, or in perfect condition?
Was there a time you randomly ran across a unique The Hunt
instrument then found a way to acquire it and restore it
so that you might display it and tell the story to all who
visit your home?
Answer these questions and you will have the perfect
story for ÒThe HuntÓ column in Mechanical Music. forward to hearing from you.
Editing help is available if you have a story, but you Email your story to editor Russell Kasselman at
are not sure how to organize it or present it. We look editor@mbsi.org.

30 MECHANICAL MUSIC July/August 2018

Mechanical Music Radio is on the air

The worldÕs first and only mechanical
music radio station is now
broadcasting 24 hours a day via the
internet.

James Dundon, program controller
of the station, promises the best variety
of automatic musical instruments.

ÒWeÕve got mechanical organs of
every type, pianolas, music boxes,
orchestrions and more,Ó he said.
ÒWeÕve done our research and picked
the most iconic instruments from
around the world, playing music from
the best arrangers, past and present.Ó

Every Tuesday night between 8 p.m.
and 10 p.m. (BST), the station is live
and interactive, taking requests for
specific tunes, making mentions of
supporters and more. During the day,
the station broadcasts information
about worldwide musical societies
and groups, events and other information
that any mechanical music
enthusiast might find interesting.

The station is powered by the same
type of computer technology in use by
stations like Classic FM and Radio 2.

The most popular tracks will get the
most plays across a week, and with
such a wide database of music (more
than 10,000 unique songs), each hour
is bound to be full of surprises, said
Dundon.

Dundon is a full time radio presenter
and programmer based in Cornwall,
UK. He created and organized the
Mechanical Music Radio project at his
own expense.

ÒItÕs been a long time ambition of
mine to put mechanical music on
the map. There is a radio station for
every other genre of music, and so I
hope Mechanical Music Radio can
bring some quality recordings to loyal
enthusiasts and also target a new
audience,Ó Dundon said.

Dundon said he would appreciate
listeners supporting the station by
tuning in, sending music to add to
his playlist, and possibly making a
donation to help with the annual
operating costs. Because the station
is crowdfunded, it means there are no
advertisers getting in the way of the
music.

In addition to his regular radio day job,
and Mechanical Music Radio, James
Dundon is the owner of Het Blauwtje, a
street organ that he travels with around
the United Kingdom to provide a unique
type of entertainment at events.

To listen go to www.mechanicalmusicradio.
com or download the mobile
app. Search for Mechanical Music
Radio in the app store. The station
also has a presence on Facebook and
Twitter. Find these pages by searching
for ÒMechanical Music Radio.Ó

James Dundon with a book of music for
his organ.

July/August 2018 MECHANICAL MUSIC 31

How does it work?

The Regina Start/Stop mechanism for non-coin operated disc music boxes

By Bob Caletti

Below you can see two pictures of a
15.-inch Regina table top music box
start/stop mechanism.

In the first image, the spring barrel
is in the stop position with the
spring-loaded lever restraining the
governor start/stop wire. This keeps

the governor from spinning. The other
end of the lever is resting in the spring
barrel slot.

When you want to play the disc, you
move the start/stop indicator arm from
the stop position to the start position
which, in turn, shifts the lever up and
out of the spring barrel slot and at the
same time releases the governor stop

Stop position

wire allowing the governor to spin
and the spring barrel to rotate, and, in
turn, play the disc.

After the spring barrel rotates for
5 or 10 seconds the start/stop indicator
can be moved back to the stop
position since the lever is beyond the
spring barrel slot and is now riding on
the full diameter of the spring barrel.
See the second image for more detail.

At the end of the song, the spring
barrel will have rotated to the point
where the spring barrel slot is present
again and the spring-loaded lever will
drop into the slot. At the same time,
on the other end of the lever, the stop
wire is arrested and the governor
stops spinning.

In the stop position a disc can be
removed and a new one put on, if
desired. A disc should only be put on
when the spring barrel is stopped in
this position.

Most of the time all this action goes
unseen by the person enjoying the
music box as they simply move the
lever from stop to start, but now you
know how and what makes the disc
stop playing.

Play position

32 MECHANICAL MUSIC July/August 2018

2018 MBSI Annual Meeting

Music in the Motor City

By Russell Kasselman

The Mid-America Chapter bills itself
as the ÒHave More FunÓ chapter, and
as hosts of this yearÕs annual MBSI
convention it looks like event organizers
took that motto to heart.

Consider the fact that attendees
will be staying in DetroitÕs Motor City
Casino Hotel, featuring more than
2,700 slot machines plus table games,
restaurants and live entertainment.
Plus, Detroit is where the music
of Motown was born, along with
the iconic Fillmore concert venue,
Comerica Park and Ford Field. Plus it
was once the thriving heart and soul
of the American automotive industry,
so history wonÕt be hard to find.

Trustees and committees will gather
on Tuesday, Aug. 28, for a round of
MBSI business discussions while most
members will be arriving and settling
into their rooms. Registration will be
open from 3-9 p.m. on Tuesday.

Wednesday, Aug. 29, starts early
with registration open from 8-10 a.m.
and an optional tour to Henk and Irene
NoordemeerÕs collection. Tour buses
leave the hotel at 9 a.m. This tour
includes lunch at the NoordemeerÕs
home.

This tour requires a passport or
enhanced drivers license from the
states of Michigan, Minnesota, New
York, Vermont or Washington to participate.
Each person must have their
own identification. Any questions or
clarifications on this policy must be
addressed prior to the meeting.

The tour will take you over the
6,178-foot long, twin-span Blue Water
Bridge that connects Port Huron, MI,
to Point Edward, Ontario, and then on
to Melbourne, Canada. their beautiful home will include the dip ever made (or so it seems). These

Henk started out collecting phono-finished basement which shows off decorative dishes for holding salt can
graphs and has filled his house and most of the phonographs and record be viewed in various display cabinets
part of another building with examples collection. throughout the home.
from around the world. A tour through Irene has an example of every salt The ground floor presents some

Henk and Irene Noordemeer with their Bruder Fair Organ at a band organ rally.

Henk Noordemeer examines one of the phonographs in his collection.

extremely rare phonographs, music
boxes, a Mills Deluxe Violano, and a
Nelson-Wiggen piano. The separate
collection building (with a recent
addition) houses more phonographs,
early televisions, radios and related
equipment, a Cremona piano, a
Coinola X, a Bruder Fair Organ, and
an 80-key Mortier Dance Organ.

Meeting attendees are on their own
for dinner Wednesday night, but event
organizers urge everyone to save
room for an ice cream social from 9-11

p.m. where people will have a chance
to catch up with old friends and make
new ones.
Thursday offers a tour covering
two collections, the Stahl Automotive
Foundation and Bronson Musikalle.
Buses leave the hotel at 8 a.m. and
tight schedules will be maintained so
that everyone can have time for lunch
between stops.

Ted Stahl is the owner of a fantastic
collection of more than 125 classic
cars from brass era, depression era,
pre- and post-war models and modern
automobiles, including several one-
of-a-kind treasures. The vehicles are
displayed in a large building erected
specifically to showcase their engaging
designs. Surrounding the vehicles
are original Route 66 signage, vintage
neon lights and gas pumps. There
is also a drive-in theater and a 1950s
diner replica inside the building.

More recently, Ted has become
interested in mechanical music and
has put together a very impressive
collection including a 125-key Gaudin
Fair Organ. According to the StahlÕs
website, www.stahlsauto.com, it is the
largest scale Gaudin organ known.

ÒDuring the Ôteens, Gaudin focused
on building fairground organs with
elaborate carvings and exposed brass
trumpet pipes. In the 1920s, they
shifted their emphasis to elaborate
dance organs.

ÒThis example was found in
England mostly intact but with
moisture damage. It underwent total
restoration by the world-renowned
fourth-generation organ expert
Johnny Verbeeck and his staff in Belgium,
replicating parts as necessary.
The musical scale was extended to

include a full rank of massive bronze
carillon bells, the largest of which
weighs about 600 pounds! Attention
to detail is extraordinaryÑfrom the
gold leaf to the four nine-foot tall gold
statues.

ÒAt one time these glorious organs
were often used in traveling shows,
including with companies that
showed motion pictures in a tent
behind the instrument. Playing a
concert into a town square, a Gaudin
organ would attract patrons from
every direction.Ó

StahlÕs also includes a Weber Mae-

sto, Mills Deluxe Violano, Hupfeld

Phonoliszt, 97-key Mortier Dance

Organ, Mortier Cafe Organ, several

jukeboxes and music boxes. There

is also a Wurlitzer Theatre Organ

installed into the structure which will

be played live, during the tour.
The following comes again directly

from the StahlÕs website.

ÒThe Wurlitzer theatre pipe organ
installed in the Stahl Museum has
its origins in the instrument the
Wurlitzer factory built for its founder.
The console and select sets of pipes
were from the Wurlitzer mansion in
Cincinnati Ohio. Built in 1923, there
was no record of this instrument
ever having been sold; it was never
invoiced to the family!

A few of the automobiles in Ted StahlÕs collection can be seen here.

ÒWurlitzer was the premier manufacturer
of Theatre Pipe Organs, from
1915-1940 they made over 2,500 of
them, these instruments were the
voice of the silent film.

ÒIn 1999 the instrument was re-designed
and enlarged to be a complete
concert grade theatre organ, the new
specification was made by theatre
organist Lyn Larsen, utilizing select
ranks (sets) of pipes from many
1920s vintage Wurlitzers. The organ
was completely rebuilt by master
restorer Ken Crome, and installed in
the Milhous Museum in Boca Raton
Florida. The Crome Organ Company
installed the organ in the Stahl
Museum.

ÒThe organ has three keyboards, 23
sets of pipes ranging from Trumpets
and Saxophones with brass resonators
(horns), Violins, Viols, Flute,
Clarinet, Tuba, Oboes and other
orchestral instruments, 1,524 pipes
and 208 tuned percussion notes in
total. The percussion section includes
a Marimba, Xylophone, Glockenspiel,
Chimes, Celesta, Vibraphone,
Piano and tuned Sleigh Bells. ÒtrapÓ
Percussions include Snare Drum,
Cymbals, Castanets, Tambourines, as
well as silent movie sound effects like
bird whistles, Door Bells, Surf, Slide
Whistle, Locomotive Whistle and of
courseÑauto horn!Ó

34 MECHANICAL MUSIC July/August 2018

The 125-key Gaudin Dance Organ is a featured part of the Stahl collection tour.

The Bronson collection is a
multi-generational collaboration
contained in two buildings. The
original structure features a nice display
of mechanical music, including
cylinder boxes, table top disc boxes,
floor-standing disc changers, along
with American nickelodeons, a Mills
Deluxe Violano, band organs and
crank organs. The collection also
includes an Arburo Dance Organ, a
Bursens Street Organ, and a 121-key
Decap Dance Organ. The walls are
covered with a number of items, some
musically related, some not.

The later building was designed
for, and exhibits, a premier display
of statuary by American artist John
Rogers, who published his works
primarily from 1860-1893. More than
50 of the groups were professionally
photographed for inclusion in a book
written by the Curator of American
Art, of the New-York Historical
Society.

Musical instruments in the building
include a 1914 Philipps Pianella Pfau,
a Steinway Duo-Art grand, a Mason &
Hamlin Ampico B, and replicas of a
Wurlitzer Harp and Encore Banjo.

Built into the structure is a 3-manual,
10-rank, Wurlitzer Theatre Organ.
Many top artists have been recorded
on the digital playback system which
allows for live performances. Describing
the entire complex, the assistant

curator says unashamedly, ÒItÕs the
most exquisite and extensive collection
of mechanical music in Dundee.Ó

A bonus for visitors will be a demonstration
of a small, but important
display of high-tension evacuated
paraphernalia, including Crookes and
Geissler tubes.

Geissler tubes were invented by
German physicist Heinrich Geissler
in 1857 as a way to demonstrate
the principles of electrical glow
discharge, similar to what you might
see in a neon sign today. According to
Wikipedia.org:

ÒIt consists of a sealed, partially
evacuated glass cylinder of various
shapes with a metal electrode at each
end, containing rarefied gases such as
neon, argon, or air; mercury vapor or
other conductive fluids; or ionizable
minerals or metals, such as sodium.
When a high voltage is applied between
the electrodes, an electrical current
flows through the tube. The current
dissociates electrons from the gas
molecules, creating ions, and when
the electrons recombine with the ions,
the gas emits light by fluorescence.
The color of light emitted is characteristic
of the material within the
tube, and many different colors and
lighting effects can be achieved. The
first gas-discharge lamps, Geissler
tubes were novelty items, made in

many artistic shapes and colors to
demonstrate the new science of electricity.
In the early 20th century, the
technology was commercialized and
evolved into neon lighting.Ó

Crookes tubes were derived from
Geissler tubes, and were instrumental
in the identification of cathode rays
which were later named electrons.
Crookes tubes were also instrumental
in the discovery of X-rays.

Friday will be a mix of workshops
and a tour of the storied Detroit Fox
Theater. Workshops will run from
8-10 a.m., then buses leave for the
Fox Theater at 10:45 a.m., returning
to the hotel at 2 p.m. Workshops then
continue from 2:30-5:30 p.m.

Workshop presenters include David
Ramey, Charlie Moore, Bill Edgerton,
Bob and Diane Yates, Richard Dutton,
Dwight Porter, and Marty Persky.

David Ramey is a well-known, longtime
and active restorer of automatic
music machines. His talk is titled
ÒCoin Piano Pneumatics 101Ó and it
will help you learn the basic principles
of pneumatic vacuum systems in coin
pianos and orchestrions. Find out how
those little holes in the paper make
music.

Charlie MooreÕs talk is called ÒWhatÕs
New with the Old Roller Organ?Ó and
it begins with an introduction of the
roller organ, or organette, made by
the Autophone Company, that plays a
pinned wooden roller. Then, based on
experience with numerous examples,
the development of the Concert Roller
Organs with the two bellows vacuum
system will be discussed, as well as
other modifications. The workshop
ends with a revival of the ÒName
that Roller Organ TuneÓ game, 2018
edition.

Bill EdgertonÕs talk on ÒReplicating
the Seeburg KT SpecialÓ is a heavily-
illustrated presentation around
his decision to build the Seeburg KT
Special replica, describing some of
the problems encountered along the
way, ending with the unveiling of the
finished product at the MBSI Annual
Meeting in 1986.

Bob and Diane Yates will present
ÒNineteen Fascinating and Rare Musical
InstrumentsÓ a compilation from

July/August 2018 MECHANICAL MUSIC 35

decades of collecting and numerous
past presentations, this video details
machines from the YatesÕ personal
collection. The machines, in the small,
hand cranked class, will be shown and
played. Bob says that all the machines
are ÒfascinatingÓ and Òrare,Ó but notes
that in a couple of cases, the term
ÒmusicalÓ may be misleading.

Richard Dutton is a recognized
expert on the music of the Grand
Roller Organ and his research has
taken him into other areas. His
workshop, titled ÒResearching Tunes
and Their Composers,Ó will present
techniques and websites for online
research about tunes on mechanical
music machines, who composed and
popularized them and what role they
played in the culture of their times, as
well as how to locate sheet music for
them that can be viewed and downloaded
at no charge. Some of the tunes
discussed will be played on a Grand
Roller Organ.

Dwight PorterÕs presentation of
ÒDisc and Cylinder Music BoxesÓ
will cover the new automatic Porter
changer with tubular chimes. HeÕll also
give some restoration tips including
the importance of re-cementing Swiss
box cylinders and proper adjustments
for Regina Changers.

The Porter Music Box Company is a
premier restorer of music boxes of all
types. They produce new disc boxes
and the music for them as well.

Mechanical music specialist Marty
Persky will present ÒThe Sanfilippo
Collection,Ó a behind-the-scenes view
of the development and future of the
Sanfilippo collection. The collection
is housed in a stately setting on the
Sanfilippo estate and managed by the
Sanfilippo Foundation that shares
mechanical music with the public
through group tours and fundraising
events for charitable organizations.

The tour of the Fox Theater starts
with a pizza buffet lunch at the
acclaimed Hockeytown Cafe, a longtime
local favorite. After the meal, itÕs
a short, walk across the street to the
Fox.

The theatre was built by film pioneer
William Fox at a cost of $10.5 million.
It was completed in 1928. The theme
is a mix of Burmese, Hindu, Persian

and Chinese. It was DetroitÕs premier
movie palace for decades, but became
neglected by its owners in the 1960s
and then closed in the mid-1980s for
renovations. The new owners pledged
to bring the structure back to its original
grandeur. One year and $12 million
later, the promise was fulfilled.

The theaterÕs grand lobby is 37
feet long and 60 feet high featuring
massive columns on both sides. The
auditorium, at 105 feet in height, is
completely adorned with ornate,
architectural castings and has a seating
capacity of more than 5,000. Seats
are available on three levels, the main
floor, the mezzanine and the gallery.
The stage is 130 feet wide with the
proscenium at more than 77 feet.

Filling this ámovie palaceá with music
is the original 4-manual, 36-rank, 2,500
pipe Wurlitzer organ. The plan is to
have the theatre tour, which includes
a visit back stage, followed by a
demonstration on the Wurlitzer.

Friday night is game show night in
the Hospitality Room, hosted by Doctor
Dave and Professor B. ItÕs sure to
be an entertaining evening of free fun
for everyone.

The MBSI annual society breakfast/
business meeting happens Saturday
morning. The doors open at 7:30 a.m.
and the meeting is scheduled to last
until 11 a.m.

Following the meeting, a half-hour
break allows those people displaying
wares in the Annual Meeting Mart to

The interior of the Fox Theater in Detroit, MI, which has a 4-manual, 36-rank Wurlitzer
organ with 2,500 pipes.

get set up and ready for shoppers. The
mart runs from 11 a.m. to noon, then
takes a break for the awards luncheon
in which outstanding members of
MBSI are recognized for their efforts
to promote and preserve mechanical
music as a hobby. The mart then
resumes from 2-5 p.m.

Mart spaces are available for rent at
$25 per space. Spaces measure 6-feet
by 30-inches and tables are available
on request. Contact Mike or Penny
Kinter at (269) 781-3466 or email
pmkinter@sbcglobal.net with any
questions about mart spaces.

A banquet with entertainment
closes out the official Annual Meeting
on Saturday night starting at 7 p.m.

Several local collectors will be
opening their homes for Sunday tours.
Specifics on these collections will be
available at the meeting venue.

Everyone planning to attend the
event should reserve hotel rooms by
Aug. 1 to get the preferred rate of $134
per night. When reserving a room, be
sure to mention MBSI so the hotel
knows to charge the correct fee.

A taxi from the Detroit Metro Airport
is estimated to cost around $50.
Companies like Uber and Lyft are also
available for transportation purposes.

Registration packets were mailed to
all MBSI members in early June.

People who are not MBSI members
can look for the packet to be posted
on the MBSI website at www.mbsi.org
in the near future.

36 MECHANICAL MUSIC July/August 2018

Golden Gate Chapter

Chair: Jonathan Hoyt
Reporter: Jenny Hoyt
Photographer: Rob Thomas and
Jonathan Hoyt

May 6, 2018 Ð Menlo Park, CA

Members of the Golden Gate Chapter
of MBSI and the San Francisco
Chapter of AMICA gathered together
on May 6, 2018, at the home of Bob
and Judy Caletti in Menlo Park, CA.
Approximately 40 people in total
attended this joint meeting. The
Caletti collection is a favorite among
chapter members and visitors alike
due to its size, variety and periodic
new additions.

Music Boxes in the collection
include a 15.-inch Regina Changer,
27-inch Regina Changer, 18.-inch
Mira Grand, a three-disc Symphonion
Eroica, a Symphonion musical hall
clock with 135/8-inch disc, Polyphon
Musical hall clock with 24.-inch disc,
27.-inch Symphonion music box with
12 bells, 12-inch Regina clock disc
chime mechanism, and two cylinder
music boxes. Orchestrions, Nickelodeon,
and Reproducing piano pieces
include a Banjo-Orchestra, Seeburg H
Orchestrion, Cremona K Orchestrion,
Art case Knabe Reproducing piano
with Ampico system, and a Peerless
Style D Nickelodeon.

Bob and JudyÕs newest instrument is
a 27.-inch Symphonion upright with
12 bells which was purchased as a
project about one and a half years ago.
ItÕs an absolutely beautiful and rare
instrument, and what Bob describes
as Òa very interesting challengeÓ to
restore. Restorations are familiar
undertakings for Bob, who is a
mechanical engineer. His appreciation
for the mechanisms in these machines,
as well as the history of how and
where they were made, is what led
him to start restoring the music boxes
in his personal collection and then
into professional restoration. MBSI
members have likely read an article

Meeting hosts Bob and Judy Caletti beside the newest piece in their collection: a
fully restored 27.-inch Symphonion upright with 12 bells.

or two in this publication authored by
Bob which have showcased either a
completed restoration or an instructional
article on the subject.

Throughout the afternoon, guests
were free to tour the home and enjoy
each of the restored instruments.
The history of many of the pieces
also made for fun conversation. One
such piece is actually the CalettiÕs

first instrument: a Peerless Style D
Nickelodeon that belonged to BobÕs
grandfather, which came with a bar he
purchased in Petaluma, CA. Bob recollects,
ÒIt wasnÕt playing when I got
it but I was able to visit SutroÕs in San
Francisco which had a lot of mechanical
music machines and pianos,
including a working Peerless Style
D like my grandfatherÕs. A few years

Jonathan and Jenny Hoyt enjoy the three-disc Symphonion
Eroica in the study.

The dessert table was a popular stop for guests! Shown here
(left to right): Jonathan & Jenny Hoyt, AMICA members Paul
Turney and Gary Schneider, Julie Hughes, and Judy Caletti.

John and Dianne Fields stop to exchange smiles and take a
photo with Samuel Sun

Richard Reutlinger and Bob Gonzales enjoy music from the
Cremona K Orchestrion.

AMICA and MBSI members listening to the music.

Guests had a great time touring BobÕs restoration shop. Bob
made himself available to answer questions and chat with
curious visitors.

38 MECHANICAL MUSIC July/August 2018

MBSI and AMICA members, gathered together for a group photo.

Bob Caletti plays his Seeburg H with the doors open for the enjoyment of guests.

after that I was able to get it restored
and it now plays the same music that
came from the bar where my grandfather
had it.Ó The CalettiÕs fondness for
mechanical music only increased after
that. ÒAfter the Peerless, I started collecting
Vienna Regulator clocks and
then music boxes and then Orchestri-
ons and pianos,Ó explains Bob.

Lunch on the patio brought everyone
together again for a period of
friendly, vibrant conversation. Then
a brief business meeting followed for
each group. Richard Hughes began
the chapter business meeting with
a warmhearted welcome and introduction
of his successor as chapter
chair, Jonathan Hoyt. Richard served

as chapter chair for about three years
and was recognized for the genuine
nature with which he approached his
duties during his tenure. Jonathan and
Chapter Secretary/Treasurer Dave
Corkrum then each provided updates
on regular chapter business. Dave
extended an invitation for others to
join him in an upcoming July event
organized by the California Historical
Radio Society, called Radio Day by the
Bay.

The CalettiÕs warm hospitality
extended into the early evening. Bob
led a tour of his restoration shop.
Others chose to enjoy dessert by the
piano or roam at their leisure, admiring
all the lovely music machines.

Exiting Chapter Chair Richard Hughes
introduces Jonathan Hoyt as his
successor.

Bob and Judy Caletti have been collecting
since 1981, when they became
members of MBSI and AMICA. The
Chapter was privileged to have been
invited to enjoy their home and
exquisite collection, and of course an
afternoon with friends, both new and
old. Many thanks to the CalettiÕs for
creating such an inviting environment
and fun meeting!

July/August 2018 MECHANICAL MUSIC 39

NCC holds its 22nd Annual C&O Organ Grind

Chair: Matthew Jaro
Reporters: Robert and Nancy Goldsmith
Photographers: Nancy Goldsmith, Paul
Senger, and Ginny Little

May 27, 2018 – Potomac, MD

The National Capital Chapter (NCC)
held its 22nd Annual Organ Grind
and Music Box Demonstration at the
Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National
Historic Park overlooking the Great
Falls of the Potomac. There were 23
members viewing and demonstrating
instruments.

The weather was unusually warm
and muggy with a prediction of rain
and thunderstorms. The Great Falls
Tavern section of the canal was empty
of water due to major reconstruction
between Great Falls and Georgetown.
The water level of the Great Falls itself
was very high due to recent flooding.

Ginny Little worked with the
younger crowd at the touch table as
they played the old standby, Ring-A-
Tune. A new addition, the childrenÕs
Jelly Roll Player Piano, featured a
programmable plastic barrel with 32
time slots controlling 10 piano keys.
It was quite the challenge. Knowles
LittleÕs first music box, a circa 1945
juke box, was on display with four
of the NCC convention table favors
featuring the famous 1983 NCC favor
that had a strong resemblance to the
late Siegfried Wendel from Germany.

Jack and Mildred HardmanÕs elec-
trical/hand crank 20-note Alan Pell
Organ got off to a high voltage start
with a nostalgic piece of music and
concluded with John CageÕs ÒFour
Thirty-Three.Ó

Jan and Terry Bender demonstrated
their brand new R20 Konzertorgel an
ÒOriginal RaffinÓ from Uberlingen,
Germany. Last summer they ordered
the custom organ after touring the
Raffin plant with Rafael on their way
to the Waldkirch Organ Festival. What
a beauty! It features six melody stops
with tenor and base accompaniment!

One of the park visitors programming a tune on the Jelly Roll Player Piano.

Jack and Mildred Hardman serenade
visitors with their Alan Pell 20-note
organ.

John Grant and Jan Bender with a paper
tape driven music box.

Faye Simpson is initiated in the fine art
of organ grinding on Paul SengerÕs John
Smith organ.

Richard Simpson demonstrates the
Mechanical Organette and Gem Roller
Organ.

Knowles Little with his first music box
from 1945.

Richard Simpson plays a tune on Paul
SengerÕs John Smith busker organ.

Two big kids (Paul Senger and Robert Goldsmith) play with
PaulÕs original Jack in the Box.

Terry and Jan Bender with their new Raffin 20/78 organ.

Phyllis watches as one of the park visitors tries out the Ring-
A-Tune at the touch table.

Phyllis Krochmal, Ginny Little and Reporter Bob Goldsmith
man the touch table which includes the 1983 NCC table favor
and basket of music boxes for the kids to play.

July/August 2018 MECHANICAL MUSIC 41

Cheryl and Dick Hack demonstrated
their Arthur Prinsen 32-pipe book
playing organ on wheels. They like
rolling their organ down the street for
4th of July parades. The HackÕs grandson,
Travis Hanna, cranked a great
rendition of ÒThe Liberty Bell March.Ó

Joe Orens and Florie Hirsch brought
their Hofbauer TanzbŠr 20-note accordion.
Sporting a top hat and formal
attire, JoeÕs playing was so realistic
he was often asked to play a special
request.

Paul Senger brought his totally
home-built, John Smith design,
20-note, 20-pipe, hand-crank busker
organ. It produces a surprisingly loud
sound considering all the wind that
has to pass through the tracker bar.
Richard Simpson regaled the crowd
by cranking ÒThe Dodge Brothers
March.Ó

Knowles Little showed off his 1906
Regina single comb disc music box
playing ÒThe Blue Danube Waltz.Ó

Neither the prediction of rain nor
the empty canal dampened the enthusiasm
of the park guests nor the NCC
organ grinders. A good time was had
by all.

Visit https://tinyurl.com/NCCCNO-
2018 for a slide show from
Knowles and Ginny Little.

Florie Hersch and Joe Orens serenade
the canal visitors with his TanzbŠr 20
note accordion.

Travis Hanna cranks a tune on the Arthur Prinsen 32 key organ with Cheryl Hack in
the background.

Dick Hack (right) checks out Terry and Jan BenderÕs new 20/78 Raffin Organ with
custom paintings.

42 MECHANICAL MUSIC July/August 2018

Northwest International Chapter

Chair: Dale Tyvand
Reporter: Rick Swaney
Photos: Rick Swaney, Dale Tyvand

Apr. 20-22, 2018 Ð Vancouver, BC

The Northwest International Chapter
held an unusual meeting last April.
We attended the annual convention of
another collectorsÕ society Ð not music
box collectors, but collectors of magic
lanterns. This came about because the
organizers of the convention, David
and Lesley Evans, are also MBSI
members. They invited our chapter
members to attend. The convention
was the 18th Annual International
Convention of the Magic Lantern Society
of the United States and Canada.

A magic lantern is the earliest form
of a slide projector. Invented in the
1600s, it became a common form of
entertainment and education in the
18th, 19th, and first half of the 20th
century. It uses a bright light and a
lens to project images. More advanced
lanterns have multiple lenses, enabling
them to do fades, overlays, and other
special effects. The slides are glass
plates, originally hand-painted and
later produced photographically.
Some slides have moving parts activated
by a crank or lever to produce
limited forms of animation.

The convention took place in Victoria,
the capital city of British Columbia,
located on the southern tip of Vancouver
Island, Canada. Attendees stayed
at the Inn at Laurel Point, a hotel thatÕs
walking distance from VictoriaÕs Inner
Harbor and FishermanÕs Wharf. The
convention activities were held at the
Metro Studio Theatre, a live-performance
theater in downtown Victoria.

The convention was a three-day
event. The first two days were devoted
to magic lantern presentations Ð 15 in
all. The presentations were 30 to 45
minutes each, covering a wide range
of topics. Some of the topics were:

¥ Historical Overview of Victoria
A top end ÒtriunialÓ (3 lens) magic lantern used in presentations at the convention.

The convention hotel at Laurel Point, Victoria, BC

Bob Winquist presents the photography
of Edward S. Curtis, who spent his career
taking pictures of Native Americans in
the Pacific Northwest.

¥ Photography of Edward S
Curtis (photographer of Native
Americans)
¥ Charles Chase and the Electric
Cyclorama (360-degree projection
system)
¥ Sex for Boys (youth lessons in
fitness, hygiene, and self-control)
¥ Dissolving Views (special effects
with slides)
¥ Early Disney Comic Strips
The most unusual presentation was
a demonstration of Nishiki Kage-e, a
Japanese magic lantern tradition. This
presentation style employs multiple
hand-held projectors, each of which
projects a single element or character
of a story. Multiple performers hold
projectors and move around, combining
their elements on a rear-projection
screen.

The presentations were grouped into
morning and afternoon sessions, with
a lunch break at noon. Box lunches
were provided for us. Each evening
we came back to the theater after
dinner for a 90-minute professional
magic lantern show. The first show
was put on by the American Magic
Lantern Theatre, consisting of Terry
and Debbie Borton with Nancy Stewart.
The second show was presented
by ÒProfessorÓ Lindsay Lambert. Both
shows combined slides with music
and were presented in a 19th century
style.

On the first day, we were on our own
for dinner. On the second day, a buffet
dinner was provided. The dinner was
held in the community room of the
Christ Church Cathedral, a few blocks
from the theatre. To add a little more

Northwest International Chapter members Kathy Baer, Annie Tyvand, Mike Smith,
Dale Tyvand, and guest Paul Bellamy enjoy a fish and chips dinner

A demonstration of Nishiki Kage-e, a Japanese magic lantern show.

Rick Baer (in the blue jacket) checks out the slides for sale.

44 MECHANICAL MUSIC July/August 2018

magic to the magic lantern convention,
magician Rick Swaney presented
a 30-minute magic show prior to the
dinner.

The last day of the convention
included a business meeting in the
morning and an auction of slides
and projectors in the afternoon. In
addition to the auction, there were
opportunities to purchase slides in
the theater during breaks between the
presentations.

Five members of the chapter
attended the convention (in addition to
David and Lesley). They were: Rick and
Kathy Baer, Dale and Annie Tyvand,
Rick Swaney, and Mike Smith. We
had one MBSI activity apart from the
convention. That was an impromptu
dinner on the first day. We got together
in Dale and AnnieÕs hotel room for a
feast of fish and chips hand-carried
from a restaurant on FishermanÕs
Wharf. We were joined by guest Paul
Bellamy, visiting from the UK.

We held a short chapter meeting
prior to dinner. As we were short of
a quorum, not much business was
discussed other than where the next

Magician Rick Swaney shows how to tear up then restore a newspaper.

couple meetings would be held. of it. If you would like to learn more

Many thanks go to David and Lesley about magic lanterns and the Magic
for taking on the task of putting on a Lantern Society, you can visit their
convention and for inviting the North-website at: www.magiclanternsociety.
west International Chapter to be a part org.

WE WANT YOUR STORY!

A Lasting Legacy In order for anything
once alive to have
meaning, its effect
must remain alive in
eternity in some way

All donations to the Endowment

generations appreciate these achievements of manÕs creative

Fund are tax deductible.
genius. Visit www.mbsi.org to learn more.

A gift of any size is welcome.

July/August 2018 MECHANICAL MUSIC 45

Southern California Chapter

Chair: Robin Biggins
Reporter: Linda Birkitt
Photographer: Lowell Boehland

Mar. 17, 2018 Ð Phoenix, AZ

The Southern California Chapter
business meeting was held Mar. 17,
2018 at 9 a.m. in Phoenix, AZ, at the
spacious Residence Inn. Robin Biggins
presided and gave members details
with regard to our pending visit to the
Musical Instrument Museum, a Saturday
night dinner at Organ Stop Pizza
in Mesa, AZ, and our Sunday visit to
Jim Lowell and Linda RickertÕs home
in Tucson, AZ. We were delighted to
have the MBSI Board of Trustees join
the chapter for these events.

The Musical Instrument Museum
(MIM) calls itself the worldÕs
only global museum for musical

Robin Biggins conducts the chapter business meeting at the hotel.

Chapter members browse the collection displayed in the MIM Mechanical Music Gallery.

The automaton display includes MBSIÕs Mask-Seller doll (left). It was made in Paris,
The entrance to the Mechanical Music France, in 1910 by Roullet et Decamps. It moves its arms, legs, eyes and tongue
Gallery at the MIM. when operated.

Albert Metzger and Judy Garris listening to the audio tour that Linda Birkitt, Sandy DeWeese, and Roger DeWeese at the cal-
explains each instrument in the gallery. liope display in the Mechanical Music Gallery.

Charles and Hildegard Davis with Dick and Phyllis Goetz in the Connie and Dieter Brehm near the barrel organ display in the
organ area of the Mechanical Music Gallery. Mechanical Music Gallery.

July/August 2018 MECHANICAL MUSIC 47

A crowd gathers to hear the DeCap dance organ play. Jerry Kaliser enjoys the audio tour in front of the DeCap organ.

instruments. It opened Feb. 6, 2008,
and the building covers 200,000
square feet. There are more than
6,800 musical instruments and objects
displayed inside. Among some of the
exhibits was the piano John Lennon
used to compose his well-known song,
ÒImagine.Ó

Since it was St. PatrickÕs Day, Irish
music and dancing performances
were taking place on the front patio of
the MIM. One of the galleries at the
MIM is known as the Artists Gallery
where instruments of Johnny Cash,
Taylor Swift, Elvis Presley and the
band Maroon 5 are displayed. Another
gallery is known as the Experience
Gallery where visitors can actually
play selected instruments from the
collections. One of the G Perlee
orchestrions on display was painted
with a windmill, ship and seascape. Of
course, for us, the Mechanical Music
Gallery was a highlight because it is
filled with many instruments on loan
from MBSI. When the large Dutch
Decap Apollonia orchestrion was
demonstrated by a MIM docent, the
room was filled to capacity. A rather
esoteric instrument displayed at the
MIM was the Theremin, which is an
electronic musical instrument that
you play without physical contact. It
was patented in 1928 and you can view
it on YouTube or Wikipedia. There are
actually so many exhibits at the MIM
that one day is not sufficient to see
every one of them.

Saturday night was spent at the
Organ Stop Pizza eatery. A mammoth
Wurlitzer pipe organ was the

The hand-cranked G. Perlee Organ features 52 keys and 162 pipes.

A few of the street organs on display in the Mechanical Music Gallery.

48 MECHANICAL MUSIC July/August 2018

Chapter members and MBSI trustees gathered for a group photo in Jim Lowell and Linda RickertÕs home.

Lyle Merithew, David Frank, Jim Warner, and Jim Lowell listen
to a beautiful example of a Polyphon.
Jim Lowell demonstrates his Wurlitzer orchestrion, while a
Symphonion Eroica waits its turn to be played. A rare Lochmann Automat 150 in the collection.

July/August 2018 MECHANICAL MUSIC 49

The Wurlitzer pipe organ console with the swell shutters open to show the myriad pipes behind the walls.

featured instrument. It is billed as the
worldÕs largest concert organ with
more than 6,000 pipes. The oldest set
of pipes in this organ was built in 1918.
While the largest pipe is 3 feet wide,
36 feet tall and weighs one ton, the
smallest pipe is but one-quarter inch
in diameter and weighs only 4 ounces.
Per the Organ Stop Pizza website,
the most frequently played song is
ÒChattanooga Choo-Choo,Ó while a
close second is ÒThe Phantom of the
Opera.Ó

The organist, Charlie Balogh,
plays almost continually without
sheet music, so, when he heard
there were 50 members of MBSI in
the audience he immediately played
ÒMusic Box DancerÓ to everyoneÕs
delight. This particular organ console
has 1,074 individual keys, buttons and
switches that can produce any sound
you can possibly imagine. It is valued
at $5 million. Not only is the music
grand, but the pizza and lasagna are
also quite good. It is impossible to

Wayne and Alice Finger dancing at the pizza parlor

keep your feet from tapping to the but also a scrumptious Southwestern
music at this charming venue! luncheon embellished with grand

On Sunday, those who visited Jim Southwestern hospitality. It was an
Lowell and Linda RickertÕs home were exciting weekend event to which the
treated to a fabulous musical display, photos can attest.

50 MECHANICAL MUSIC July/August 2018

National Capital Chapter

Chapter Chair: Matt Jaro
Reporters: Donna and Gene Borrelli
Photographers: Gene Borrelli, Paul
Senger and Knowles Little

Apr. 22, 2018 Ð Great Falls, VA

The National Capital Chapter held
its spring meeting on Sunday, Apr. 22,
at the home of Mildred and Jack Hard-
man in Great Falls, VA. There were 28
chapter members in attendance and
one guest. We had lunch followed by
a business meeting. The meeting centered
around plans for the 2019 MBSI
Annual Meeting which will be hosted
by the National Capital Chapter and
held over Labor Day Weekend, Aug.
27ÐSept. 1, 2019.

The Hardmans have an extensive
collection of mechanical music. It
includes a 90-key Carl Frei system
Dutch street organ named ÒDeKei,Ó an
Edgerton replica KT Special, a Regina
27-inch changer, a 15.-inch Regina-
phone, a Wurlitzer Bubbler Jukebox,
several small cranked organs, a Raffin
31/84 hand-cranked street organ,

Ginny Little shows Helen Stiskal the
Regina 27-inch changer.

Thomas Russo and the ÒDeKeiÓ Dutch street organ.

Matt Jaro conducts the business meeting.

Jack Hardman demonstrates a Wurlitzer
bird whistle

A well-deserved thank you cake for Jack
and Mildred Hardman for hosting.

John Ball helps the baking crew deliver the four manual
Wurlitzer organ console cake.

David Burke, Knowles Little and Richard Simpson inspect one
of JackÕs music boxes.

Jack and Mildred kick off the organ concert.

It turns out you can have your organ and eat it too.

a 1926 Steinway DuoArt piano, and a PianoDisk digital
player in a Grotrian concert grand piano. But, the crown
jewel of their collection is a 4-manual 38-rank Wurlitzer
Theater Organ.

Following the business meeting we were treated to an
organ concert by Scottish theater organist David Gray at the
HardmanÕs regular community organ concert. Two regular
concert attendees, who own a bakery, brought two large
cakes to the meeting to thank Mildred and Jack for their
generosity in allowing the community to hear the organ.

David Gray performs on the Wurlitzer.

David Gray introduces himself to the audience.

52 MECHANICAL MUSIC July/August 2018

In Memoriam In Memoriam
Fred Krochmal

By Paul Senger

I am sad to announce the death of
National Capital Chapter member
Fredrick ÒFredÓ Krochmal on Mar. 13,
2018 at age 75. Fred and his wife, Phyllis,
have been members since 2015 and
have attended many chapter meetings.
Fred was a retired dentist in Virginia
who joined MBSI after hearing and
seeing mechanical music machines
at Jack and Mildred HardmanÕs. He
enjoyed the instruments and the new
friends he and Phyllis have made at the
chapter meetings. He had a lifetime
interest in trains and participated in
various railroad and model train clubs.
Fred loved classical music and was a
longtime supporter of the Amadeus
Concert Series in Great Falls, VA. We
will miss having more years together
with Fred.

His funeral was held on Mar. 16,
2018 in Falls Church, VA. Our deepest
sympathy goes out to Phyllis and the
family.

Phyllis and Fred at the chapter meeting in Baltimore in 2016.

Mary Clegg

By Robin Biggins

The Southern California Chapter is sad to
report the passing on March 3, 2018 of long
time member, Mary Clegg. She was 81, and was
married to Weldon Clegg for 61 years. We had
chapter meetings at their home, usually around
Christmas time, and they were very special.

Mary was a talented graphic artist, and she
created the iconic graphic for The Hunt feature for this
publication. We encourage members to write more ÒHuntÓ
reports so her legacy can continue.

Mary was always willing to volunteer for society events
and conventions. She will be sorely missed.

Mary studied interior design at the University of

Graphic by Mary Clegg

California, Riverside. An accomplished artist,
she received her Certification as a Decorative
Painter from the National Society of Decorative
Painters in 1984. She continued to paint and
teach art classes for local chapters at national
conventions well into the later years of her life.

She loved family genealogy, antiquing, trying
new recipes, and cutting fresh flowers from the
yard. Mary lives on in the hearts and memories

of her husband of 61 years, Weldon Clegg; her two
daughters, Karen Clegg and Cynthia Renier, her son-in-law
Jeffrey Renier, her four grandchildren Daniel F. Clegg, Ashley
Jodoin, Robert Renier, and Matthew Renier; her brother
Stephen Graves; and nieces and nephews. She also had the
love of countless friends. Mary was preceded in death by her
son, Daniel W. Clegg.

July/August 2018 MECHANICAL MUSIC 53

In Memoriam In Memoriam
Barbara Lichtman
Excerpted from her obituary photographs, went on countless be easier to list things she didnÕt do
Barbara Lichtman passed away in adventures and traveled all 50 states than to list ones she did. Always the
April 2018. She always joked that she several times over. She earned a doc-life of the party, permanently sharing
was born in Two Egg, FL, (but it was torate, established her own computer her stories with everyone.
really Stamford, CT). She was living in training company, and spoke to people She was married to Anita as best
Valencia, CA, at the time of her death. across the globe on a HAM radio. She friends and partners for more than 50
To say Barbara lived life to the became a skilled magician and mem-years. Their son, Nathan, remembers
fullest is an understatement. She built ber of the Magic Castle. She lived her his ÔdadÕ as his scoutmaster, his con-
amateur rockets that went more than truth as a woman who was accepted fidant, his magician assistant, and his
a mile skyward. She took stunning into groups like the Red Hats. It would role model.

Bill Kap

Excerpted from online sources

ÒSeymourÓ Bill Kap, a well-known
piano collector and dealer, age 87,
passed away in April 2018. Bill was
married to Hildred, who preceded him
in death. Bill and HildredÕs children
include Adam, Sara Macres, Mike, and
Stephanie. Bill was a devoted grandfather
to Marina, Marley, Maggie and the

late Alexander.

Bill was born in Flint, MI. He was
a resident of East Cleveland, OH, for
20 years, formerly of Kirtland, OH.
He was drafted into the U.S. Army in
1957, serving as a Teletype operator
at Fort Gordon, a military base near
Augusta, Ga.

He owned and operated Bill Kap

Piano since 1959. He loved collecting
music boxes and working at his store.
Family and friends remember Bill as
a jokester, hardworking, street-smart,
and a self-made man who was a true
entrepreneur.

He collected a wide variety of
instruments, from bird boxes to player
pianos to orchestrions.

John ÒJackÓ Lemmer

By James Huffer

There are so many stories about veteran who served in the Korean War.
Lake Michigan Chapter MBSI Treasurer Jack, from purchasing the first piano He then served the citizens of Chicago
owned by David Ramey Sr., a Cre-by joining the Chicago Police Depart-
It is with heavy heart that I share mona A roll, to acquiring a Seeburg ment. He retired from the 3rd District
the news of the passing of John ÒJackÓ G from the original building that had Grand Crossing after serving both the
Lemmer. been in a fire, to his picture in the ÒPut 22nd District Morgan Park and Area 2

Jack was a longtime member of the Another Nickel InÓ book in front of his Task Force.
local Chicago music organizations and Wurlitzer DX. Our thoughts go out to his wife Mary
known by many. John was a United States Army Ellen and the entire family.

Our condolences

MBSI wishes to extend its most Masayuki Yoshida, a former chair-Bob Lemmon, Sr., a mechanical
sincere condolences to the friends man of the Japanese International music restorer living near Sacremento,
and families of the following members Chapter, died in November 2018. CA, died in April 2018. His wife, Sonya,
who have recently passed away. passed away several years before.

54 MECHANICAL MUSIC July/August 2018

In Memoriam In Memoriam
Richard James Howe, PhD

Richard James Howe, retired president
and chief operating officer of
Pennzoil Company, died peacefully
at his Watercolor home in Santa Rosa
Beach, FL, on Mar. 20, 2018, at the
age of 89. He was born Oct. 15, 1928,
in Minneapolis, MN, to Mildred and
Chauncey Howe.

Howe graduated with honors from
Breck School, St. Paul, MN, and
entered the University of Minnesota
where he earned his B.S., M.S. and
Ph.D. with distinction in mechanical
engineering in 1953. His doctoral
thesis dealt with the dynamics of oil
well pumping systems. In 1965, he
was selected as a Sloan Fellow at
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
where he earned an added M.S. degree
in industrial management.

He joined Shell Oil Company as
a mechanical engineer followed by
service as a lieutenant in the U.S. Air
Force where he worked on projects
involving nuclear bomb blasts, aircraft
landing gear vibrations and high
temperature effects on supersonic
aircraft. After returning to Shell, he
designed and installed offshore production
platforms and became one of
the early authorities on the design and
operation of offshore mobile drilling
units. He later became a founding
director of the Offshore Technology
Conference, which is now the largest
oil and gas trade show in the world
hosting 100,000 attendees.

After joining Exxon in Tulsa, OK,
he became head of drilling research
followed by a year in Lake Maracaibo,
Venezuela where he was the production
superintendent responsible for
producing 1 million barrels of oil per
day. His final assignment was public
relations manager during the nationÕs
first energy crisis.

In 1978, he joined Pennzoil Company

as vice president of corporate communications
and became president and
chief operating officer in May 1985.
During his time at Pennzoil, the iconic
Pennzoil vs Texaco trial began, culminating
in the $3 billion settlement to
Pennzoil in 1998.

Following his retirement, Howe was
treated successfully for prostate cancer
and subsequently became one of
the nationÕs leading lay authorities on
the disease. He served on 15 national
committees and consulted with thousands
of his Òpatients.Ó His illustrious
business career gave weight to his
voice in building the early prostate
cancer community of survivors and
increased research funding. Among
his many accomplishments in the
field, he was published in the Journal
of Urology and received numerous
awards, including the Presidential
Award from the American Foundation
of Urologic Disease in 1996.

Howe was also an avid collector of
mechanical musical instruments and
associated literature. His collection
included music boxes, player pianos,
calliopes, violinas and nickelodeons.
After assembling the worldÕs most
comprehensive collection of literature
on mechanical musical instruments,
he donated the collection to Stanford
University where it is a significant
source of musical research. He also
authored many articles and two definitive
books on mechanical musical
instruments and was active in the
Musical Box Society International to
which he donated the only private
collection of every U.S. patent gazette
ever printed, a six-ton acquisition.

He married Charlotte Ellen Relf in
1951 and had three sons Ð Richard
James Howe, Jr, Dwight William Howe
and Roger Relf Howe and a daughter,
Emily Jane Howe (who died in 1965 at

age five days).

After CharlotteÕs
passing,
he wed Desiree
Heflin Lyon in
1997. Together
they engaged in
numerous cancer
advocacy
efforts, including
a speaking tour on prostate cancer
in over 100 major hospitals across the
country and providing their home to
cancer patients in need.

Friends and family speak of his character
as a moral compass; his humor as
the Òking of one liners;Ó his happiness
as contagious; and his friendship and
love as all encompassing. Howe was a
complex man of great intellect, yet he
took joy in the simplest things in life.
He was a righteous man.

He was preceded in death by his
wife, Charlotte and his sons, Richard,
Jr. and Dwight. He is survived by his
wife, Desiree Lyon Howe and son,
Roger.

A memorial service was held in
Houston, TX, on Apr. 21, 2018.

After the Memorial Service, Alan
Bies and Steve Boehck hosted a light
luncheon for 85 attendees at their
Victorian home.

Everyone had a good time reminiscing
with sometime serious and
sometime funny stories about Howe.
To add to this enjoyment a variety
of music on a variety of antique
mechanical music instruments was
demonstrated for the guests, most of
whom had never seen or heard them
before.

Howe was a truly great person and
we were privileged to have known
him for many years. His humor and
knowledge will be greatly missed by
all who knew him.

July/August 2018 MECHANICAL MUSIC 55

15 .Ó REGINA
CHANGER CREST
Quality carving in Oak or Mahogany
Unfinished – ready to stain – $900.00
Price includes postage within the U.S.
Nancy Fratti Music Boxes
315-684-9977
musicbox@frontiernet.net
BenÕs Player Piano Service
Repair and restoration of air powered mechanical music
devices of all description.
Player pianos
Reproduing pianos
Dance organs
Fairground organs
Nickelodeon pianos
Original historically
Correct techniques
And materials used
Throughout in the
Rebuilding process.
Benjamin R Gottfried
464 Dugan Road, Richfield Springs NY 13439
Bensplayerservice.com 315-858-2164
SAMPLE Restorations, LLC.
Joe Smith
Email: mbsi@irondogmedia.com to place your ad here!
This could be your ad right here!
56 MECHANICAL MUSIC July/August 2018
Throughout its history, MBSI has fostered an interest in and preservation of
automatic musical instruments. Your gift to the Endowment Fund will
support programs that will help future generations appreciate these
achievements of manÕs creative genius. Visit www.mbsi.org to learn more.
In order for anything
once alive to have
meaning, its effect
must remain alive in
eternity in some way
Ð Ernest Becker, Philosopher
A Lasting Legacy
The Musical Box Society International
is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization.
All donations to the Endowment
Fund are tax deductible.
A gift of any size is welcome.

Chet Ramsay
Antiques

Complete Restoration
Services Available.

Specializing in Music Boxes

Ð
Bought ¥
Sold ¥
Repaired

¥
Outside Horn Phonographs
¥
Music Boxes
Come visit our Victorian
showroom and workshop

East Fallowfield Twp.
2460 Strasburg Road
Coatesville, PA 19320

2 miles south of Coatesville

610-384-0514

Showroom open by appointment

Advertise in The Mart

Have some spare parts or extra rolls taking up the space
where you should be installing your next acquisition?
Ready to trade up, but need to sell one of your current
pieces first? Get the word out to other collectors in The
Mart, an effective advertising tool at an inexpensive
price. Copy or cut out the form below and mail it in to get
started. Or, go to www.mbsi.org and place your ad online!

Name Phone

Text of ad

58 MECHANICAL MUSIC July/August 2018

PLAN AHEAD

ACT NOW

Reserve your advertising space now
for the 2018-2019 Mechanical Music
Directory of Members, Museums and
Dealers.

Placing your advertisement in an
MBSI directory means your companyÕs
name and contact information will be
a permanent part of this collectorÕs
reference book for the next two
years. Plus, your ad earns you a placeon the MBSI website where people
searching for your services can find
and click directly through to reach you
via email or phone.

Mailed directly to more than 1,300
member households, and given out toeach new member that joins the
society, it means your ad could be
seen several hundred times in the
next two years.

Call (253) 228-1634 or emaileditor@mbsi.org to reserve your
advertising space now.

MECHANICAL
MUSIC
DIRECTORY
MEMBERS,
MUSEUMS,
& DEALERS
2016 Ð 2017
ADVERTISING DIMENSIONS & COSTS

Dimensions Cost

Make an impact! Full Page 7.25Ó x 9.75Ó $290

Get a full page Half Page 7.25Ó x 4.5Ó $160
ad that costs you Quarter Page 3.5Ó x 4.5Ó $90

less than $12.25 Eighth Page 3.5Ó x 2.125Ó $50
per month

Non-members pay a 10% surcharge on the above rates

60 MECHANICAL MUSIC July/August 2018

New in Stock!

¥
Ariophon, book playing disc
box, super rare!

Nancy Fratti Music Boxes
PO Box 400 Ð Canastota NY 13032 USA
315-684-9977
musicbox@frontiernet.net
www.nancyfrattimusicboxes.com

THE MART THE MART
CLASSIFIED ADS

The first two words (or more
at your choice) and the memberÕs
name will be printed in all caps/bold
and charged at 60¢ per word.

Mechanical Music

Mechanical Music is mailed to all
members at the beginning of every
odd month Ñ January, March, May,
July, September and November.

MBSI Advertising Statement

http://www.mechanicalmusicpress.com

1980S AUTOMATIC disc changer coin operated
27Õ Regina Style 8 music box. Interested
please send email. Contact: MARIA HUNT,
(315) 717-5250, mariahunt54@yahoo.com
101 West Main, Strmohawk, New York 12407
United States

PIANORCHESTRA ROLLS Re-cuts. MARK
WEBER, (310) 283-7627, meweber@veri-
zon.net

MUSICAL SPECIALTIES AND MUSICAL
BOX DOCTOR is clearing out its inventory of
musical movements, repair tools/supplies,
birdcages/supplies and musical gifts. Taking
all reasonable bids until August 1st 2018.
Call LUCILLE CIUFFINI at 310-541-3068 for
more information about placing a bid.

LIBELLION BOOK Operated Music Box in
Oak Case. This 100 note instrument was the
largest model manufactured by Richter, in
Germany, Circa 1900.With 6 books. Excellent.
$13,000. ARNOLD LEVIN 847-564-2893

ALL ADS MUST BE PREPAID

We accept VISA/MC and Paypal.

ADVERTISING DEADLINES:

The 1st day of each even month:
Feb., Apr., Jun, Aug., Oct. and Dec.

Display ads may be submitted
camera-ready, as PDF files, or with
text and instructions. File submission
guidelines available on request.

Errors attributable to Mechanical
Music, and of a significant nature, will
be corrected in the following issue
without charge, upon notification.

Add a photo to your ad!

Photos are only $30 extra per issue.

Email editor@mbsi.org or

call (253) 228-1634 for more details.

SUBMIT ADS TO:

MBSI Ads
130 Coral Court
Pismo Beach, CA 93449
(253) 228-1634
Email: editor@mbsi.org

62 MECHANICAL MUSIC July/August 2018

mech999@flash.net

HENRY GAUTSCHI Music Box with 4 cylin

ders, table and box for cylinders. In excellent
condition and working order. Originally
purchased by my great grandfather for $290
in 1886. Moving to AZ and canÕt take it with
us. Contact: WAYNE ONYX, (847) 226-6169,
wayne_onyx@ajg.com 452 Eton Dr. N. Bar-
rington, IL 60010

CARL FREI CONCERT ORGAN, 89 keyless
with over 1,500 meters music, nine carved
figures,priced reduced; MILLS VIOLANO in
rare walnut cabinet. Choice playing condition,
with roll library, $33,500; original GAVIOLI
conductor figure, $2500; ELECTRA keyboard
Nickelodeon by Seeburg, has xylophone and

glockenspiel, $7450. HERB BRABANDT 502425-
4263, johebra3@twc.com

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. $15.95 USD. Free shipping in the
continental U.S. Additional postage charges
apply for other locations.

WANTED
WANTED: ART Case Steinway Duo-Art & Raf-
fin Organ. Contact MARTY PERSKY at (847)
675-6144 or email Marty@MechMusic.com.

SERVICES
REPRODUCTION POLYPHON discs; Catalogs
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.

(310) 534-1557 Email: MBRCU@AOL.COM.
On the Web: www.musicboxrepaircenter.com
Order Extra Copies of the
2016-2017
Mechanical Music Directory

MECHANICAL
MUSIC
DIRECTORY
MEMBERS,
MUSEUMS,
& DEALERS
2016 2017
only $10
ppd

Contact
Jacque Beeman
(417) 886-8839

Advertise in The Mart

Fill out the form below and mail to MBSI at 130 Coral Court, Pismo Beach, CA
93449. Call (253) 228-1634 with questions.

Name Phone

Text of ad

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2 Renaissance Antiques
56 Bob Caletti Music Box
Restorations
56 BenÕs Player Piano Service
56 Nancy Fratti Music Boxes
57 Mid-America Chapter, MBSI
58 Chet Ramsay Antiques
58 Cottone Auctions
58 Dirk Soulis Auctions
59 McAlister Collection
60 StantonÕs Auctioneers & Realtors
61 Nancy Fratti Music Boxes
66 Marty Persky
67 Morphy Auctions
68 Auction Team Breker

Our advertisers help make this publication
possible. Please visit them soon!

July/August 2018 MECHANICAL MUSIC 63

OFFICERS, TRUSTEES & COMMITTEES of the
MUSICAL BOX SOCIETY INTERNATIONAL¨

OFFICERS
President

Clay Witt
820 Del Rio Way Unit 303
Merritt Island, FL 32953
floridaclay@floridaclay.net

Vice President

Tom Kuehn
4 Williams Woods
Mahtomedi, MN 55115
kuehn001@umn.edu

Recording Secretary

David Corkrum
5826 Roberts Avenue
Oakland, CA 94605
musikwerke@att.net

Treasurer

Edward Kozak
3615 North Campbell Avenue
Chicago, IL 60618
kozak@seldenfox.com

TRUSTEES

John Bryant
Judy Caletti
Ed Cooley
Sally Craig
Wayne Finger
Tom Kuehn
Mary Ellen Myers
Mary Pollock
Clay Witt

BOARD ADVISER

Junichi Natori,
International Adviser

MBSI FUNDS

COMMITTEES
Audit Committee

Edward Cooley, Chair, Trustee
Mary Pollock, Trustee

G.Wayne Finger, Trustee
Endowment Committee

Edward Kozak, Treasurer, Chair
Mary Pollock, Trustee
B Bronson

Executive Committee

Clay Witt, Chair, President
Tom Kuehn, Vice President
Mary Pollock, Trustee
Judy Caletti, Immediate Past Pres.
John Bryant, Trustee

Finance Committee

Edward Kozak, Chair
Tom Kuehn, Vice President
Wayne Wolf, Vice Chair
B Bronson
Peter Both

Marketing Committee

Rob Pollock, Chair
John Bryant, Trustee
Wayne Finger, Trustee
Bob Smith

Meetings Committee

Tom Kuehn, Chair, Vice President
Mary Pollock, Trustee
Matt Jaro
Don Henry
Marty Persky
Rich Poppe

Membership Committee

Rob Pollock, Chair
Judy Caletti, Immediate Past Pres.
Tom Chase, Snowbelt
Mary Grace, Sunbelt
Linda Birkitt, Southern California
Florie Hirsch, National Capital
Julie Hughes, Golden Gate
Gerald Yorioka, Northwest IntÕl
Julie Morlock, Southeast
Dan Wilson, Piedmont

Museum Committee

Sally Craig, Chair, Trustee
John Bryant, Trustee
Ken Envall, Southern California
Julian Grace, Sunbelt
Wayne Myers, Southeast
Ray Parkinson, Northwest IntÕl
Bill Wineburgh, East Coast
Ron Yancy, East Coast

Museum Sub-Committees

Ohio Operations
Emery Prior

Nominating Committee

Dan Wilson, Chair
Mary Pollock, Trustee
Judy Caletti, Immediate Past Pres.
Carol Beck
Steve Boehck
Ray Dickey
Vernon Gantt

Publications Committee

Bob Caletti, Chair
Tom Kuehn, Trustee
Steve Boehck
Dave Corkrum
Christian Eric
Kathleen Eric
Terry Smythe

Publications
Sub-Committee

Website Committee
Rick Swaney, Chair
Wayne Finger, Trustee
Julian Grace
B Bronson
Don Henry
Knowles Little, Web Secretary

Special Exhibits Committee

Wayne Myers, Chair

John Bryant, Trustee

David Corkrum, Golden Gate

Robert Ebert, Mid-America

Jack Hostetler, Southeast

Judy Miller, Piedmont

Mary Ellen Myers, Southeast

Rick Swaney, Northwest IntÕl

Bill Wineburgh, East Coast

SPECIAL ACTIVITIES
Publications Back Issues:

Jacque Beeman

Regina Certificates:

Bob Yates

MBSI Pins and Seals:

Jacque Beeman

Librarian:

Jerry Maler

Historian:

Bob Yates

MBSI Editorial Office:

Iron Dog Media
130 Coral Court
Pismo Beach, CA 93449
editor@mbsi.org

64 MECHANICAL MUSIC July/August 2018

CALENDAR OF EVENTS

Date Event Location Sponsor
Jul 14, 2018 East Coast Chapter Picnic Succasunna, NJ Bill & Carolee Wineburgh
Jul 21, 2018 California Historical Radio Society Display Alameda, CA David Corkrum
Jul. 21-22, 2018 Mid-America Band Organ Rally Dayton, OH Mike and Liz Barnhart
Jul 29, 2018 National Capital Chapter Meeting Reston, VA Donna and Gene Borrelli
Aug. 28-Sept. 1, 2018 2018 MBSI Annual Meeting Detroit, MI Mid-America Chapter

Please send dates for the Calendar of Events to Russell Kasselman (editor@mbsi.org)

CONTACTS

CHAPTERS

East Coast

Chair: Bill Wineburgh
(973) 927-0484
Dues $10 to Geoffrey Wilson
804 Appleton Way
Whippany, NJ 07981

Golden Gate

Chair: Jonathan Hoyt
(408) 214-9313
Dues $5 to Dave Corkrum
5826 Roberts Ave.
Oakland, CA 94605

Japanese International

Chair: Tomiju Endo x
+81-42-339-9099
Dues Japanese yen 4,000 to
Sadahiko Sakauchi
5-2-41 Nigawa-cho
Nishinomiya-shi
662-0811 Japan

Lake Michigan

Chair: Marty Nevel
(312) 613-8500
Dues $5 to James Huffer
7930 N. Kildare
Skokie, Illinois 60076

Mid-America

Chair: Dave Calendine
(810) 449-8037
Dues $10 to Harold Wade
4616 Boneta Road
Medina, OH 44256

National Capital

Chair: Matthew Jaro
(301) 482-2008
Dues $5 to Florie Hirsch
8917 Wooden Bridge Road
Potomac, MD 20854

Northwest International

Chair: Dale Tyvand
(425) 774-7230
Dues $7.50/person to Kathy Baer
8210 Comox Road
Blaine, WA 98230

Piedmont

Chair: Vernon Gantt
(919) 264-2222
vgjr123@yahoo.com
Dues $10 to Vernon Gantt
PO Box 20238
Raleigh, NC 27619

Traveling MBSI Display
Bill Endlein
21547 NW 154th Pl.
High Springs, FL 32643-4519
Phone (386) 454-8359
sembsi@yahoo.com

Regina Certificates: Cost $5.
B Bronson
Box 154
Dundee, MI 48131
Phone (734) 529-2087
art@d-pcomm.net

Advertising for Mechanical Music
Russell Kasselman
Iron Dog Media
130 Coral Court
Pismo Beach, CA 93449
Phone (253) 228-1634
editor@mbsi.org

CHAPTERS

Snowbelt

Chair: Tracy Tolzmann
(651) 674-5149
Dues $10 to Gary Goldsmith
17160 – 245th Avenue
Big Lake, MN 55309

Southeast

Chair: Judy Miller
(828) 513-7007
Dues $5 to Julie Morlock
780 Cherry Grove Road
Orange Park, FL 32073

Museum Donations
Sally Craig,
2720 Old Orchard Road
Lancaster, PA 17601
Phone (717) 295-9188
rosebud441@juno.com

MBSI website
Rick Swaney,
4302 209th Avenue NE
Sammamish, WA 98074
Phone (425) 836-3586
r_swaney@msn.com

Web Secretary
Knowles Little
9109 Scott Dr.
Rockville, MD 20850
Phone (301) 762-6253
kglittle@verizon.net

Southern California

Chair: Robin Biggins
(310) 377-1472
Dues $10 to Bob Lloyd
1201 Edgeview Drive
Cowan Hgts, CA 92705

Sunbelt

Chair: Ray Dickey
(713) 467-0349
Dues $10 to Mary Grace
13431 Grand Masterpiece
Houston, TX 77041

July/August 2018 MECHANICAL MUSIC 65

MARTY PERSKY

AUTOMATIC MUSICAL INSTRUMENT SPECIALIST
SERVING COLLECTORS WORLDWIDE

Instrument Brokering & Locating
Appraisals / Inspections / Free Consultation

Popper Felix Mortier 84 key CafŽ Wurlitzer MPO 33A Welte 4 Concert

Bow front Violano Weber Grandezza Violina Orchestra Weber Maesto

Holl 43-Key 2 Barrels Knabe AMPICO 5Õ8Ó Louis XV Wall Box Collection Niemuth 45-Key Bacigalupo

Wanted: Art Case Steinway Duo-Art & Raffin Organ.

Visit Mechmusic.com
for more information on these and other fine instruments.

Tel: 847-675-6144 Email: Marty@MechMusic.com

Ð The No. 1 in ÈTechnical AntiquesÇ Ð
P.O. Box 50 11 19, 50971 Koeln/Germany á Tel.: +49/2236/38 43 40 á Fax: +49/2236/38 43 430
Otto-Hahn-Str. 10, 50997 Koeln (Godorf)/Germany á e-mail: Auction@Breker.com á Business hours: Tuesday Ð Friday 9 am Ð 5 pm
PLEASE FEEL FREE TO CONTACT OUR INTERNATIONAL REPRESENTATIVES:
U.S.A.: Andrew Truman, Tel. (207) 485 8343 * AndrewAuctionTeamBreker@gmail.com
Australia & New Zealand: P. Bardenheier, (NZ), Tel./Fax (+64) (0)9 817 72 68 * dbarden@orcon.net.nz
Japan: Murakami Taizou, Tel./Fax (06) 68 45 86 28 * murakami@ops.dti.ne.jp á China: Jiang Feng, Tel. 138 620 620 75 * jiangfengde@gmail.com
Hong Kong, Taiwan, Singapore: Alex Shih-Chieh Lin, (HK), Tel. (+852) 94 90 41 13 * alexsclin@gmail.com
England: Tel. (0)777 963 7317 * AuctionTeamBrekerUK@outlook.de á France: Pierre J. Bickart, Tel. (01) 43 33 86 71 * AuctionTeamKoln@aol.com
Russia: Polyguide Ltd. Moscow, Tel. (925) 740 66 03, Tel./Fax (985) 999 93 55 * ml.mediaservice@gmail.com
A selection of our recent auction highlights, many consigned by customers
in Britain and America. Achieving record prices for mechanical music instruments
of all forms, whether a single piece or a complete collection.
Closing date for entries: August 20, 2018
Free collection and transport for any major consignment in the U.K.!
Free U.S. or Canada consignment shipping to Germany Ð if delivered or sent to our location
in Garden City Park, NY 11040 (10 miles east of JFK Airport)
For confidential auction estimates and advice, please contact us in Germany
or through an international representative (see below).
Consignments are invited for our
Specialty Auction on November 9 + 10, 2018
Very Rare Symphonion
ÒNon Plus UltraÓ
Disc-Changing Musical Box,
c. 1900
Sold: 44,000 / US$ 51,500
Libellion Musical Box
for Cardboard Book
Music, c. 1900
Sold: 6,550 / US$ 7,600
ÒAubade ˆ la LuneÓ
Automaton by Gustave
Vichy, c. 1890
Sold: 20,150 / US$ 23,500
Bacigalupo Violinopan
Barrel Organ, c. 1910
Sold: 9,450 / US$ 11,000
Nicole Frres Musical Box with Bells and
Chinoiserie Automata, c. 1885
Sold: 11,300 / US$ 13,200
Key-Wind Part-Overture Musical Box
by Lecoultre, c. 1840
Sold: 6,050 / US$ 7,000
ÒStationÓ Musical
Box Chalet by Mermod
Frres, c. 1900
Sold: 27,700 / US$ 32,400
Grand Format
Variations
Musical Box by
Nicole Frres, c. 1865
Sold: 26,300 /
US$ 30,700
Silver-Gilt Musical Snuff Box by F. Nicole, c. 1820
From the collection of Luuk Goldhoorn
Sold: 7,550 / US$ 8,800
Musical Gold Snuff Box by Piquet et Capt, c. 1810
From the collection of Luuk Goldhoorn
Sold: 10,000 / US$ 11,700
Symphonion Musical
Stereoscope, c. 1898
Sold: 17,600 / US$ 20,600
Musical Repeating Silver
Pocket Watch, c. 1820,
From the collection
of Luuk Goldhoorn
Sold: 4,280 / US$ 5,000
Singing Bird Box with Fusee Movement
by Charles Bruguier, c. 1835
Sold: 15,100 / US$ 17,600
Mechanical Music &
Automata