Volume 69, No. 6 November/December 2023

Volume 69, No. 6 November/December 2023

Devoted to All Automatic Musical Instruments

Journal of the Musical Box Society International

Volume 69, No. 6 November/December 2023

5 PresidentÕs Message
7 EditorÕs Notes
8 Annual trusteesÕ meeting minutes
12 Annual financial reports
15 Annual business meeting minutes
29 Annual award presentations
56 In Memoriam

MBSI News

On the Cover
A Limonaire Frres in the Bill and Stacy Nunn Collection lit by carnival lights plays a tune for attendees of the 2023 MBSI Annual Meeting. See Page 17. Photo by Edward Cooley.

Mechanical music is a fascinating hobby! It appeals to the artist, historian, craftsman, and musician all at the same time. Play an automatic musical instrument in a room full of people and all else will stop as the machine enraptures the audience with the sparkling melodies of yesteryear!
Mechanical music instruments are any sort of auto.matically-played machine that produces melodic sound including discs and cylinder music boxes that pluck a steel comb; orchestrions and organs that engage many instru.ments at once using vacuum and air pressure; player and reproducing pianos that use variable vacuum to strike piano wires; 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.
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 six issues of the journal, Mechanical Music, which also contains advertising space for members who wish to buy, sell, and restore mechanical musical instruments and related items. Members also receive the biennial MBSI Directory of Members, Muse.ums, and Dealers.
The only requirements for membership are an interest in automatic music machines and the desire to share infor.mation about them. And youÕll take pride in knowing you are contributing to the preservation of these marvelous examples of bygone craftsmanship.
More information online at www.MBSI.org, or
Call: (417) 576-4280, or
Email: jbeeman.mbsi@att.net

By Matthew Jaro
MBSI President
During the Labor Day weekend of 2023 in St. Paul, MN, I became your newest president. This is a tremen.dous honor for me and one which I never expected. I joined MBSI in 1992. I would have joined earlier, but I didnÕt know the organization existed. Immediately, I was struck with how welcoming everyone was. Over the years, I have made many friends whom I still see independently of MBSI meetings.
I succeed David Corkrum as president after two years of being vice president. David has been a real inspiration and I hope I am worthy to follow in his footsteps.
One of the great attributes of MBSI is its excellent organizational governance. The society is managed by a board of trustees. Everyone on the board contributes a great deal, and the combined body not only gets along well but is extremely effective in making decisions. Meetings are semi-annual with extra meetings added if necessary. The day-to-day management is handled by a set of standing committees. One would think that this would be cumbersome, but the system works very smoothly. The committees know what they need to do and very little direction is required.
Our support staff includes treasurer Ed Kozak, who is a CPA, editor/publisher Russell Kasselman, admin.istrator Jacque Beeman, recording secretary Linda Birkitt and accoun.tant Cinda Rodgers, who is also a CPA. We have an audit committee and an auditing CPA acting independently of Cinda and Ed. From this, you should be able to see that we take the soci.etyÕs finances very seriously. MBSI is a 501(c)(3) organization chartered in the state of New York. We have a set of bylaws and a Policies and Procedures Manual that we update as necessary.
The membership consists of chap.ters, each serving a specific region. Each chapter has its own officers. The chapters are responsible for hosting annual meetings. There is a Meetings Manual to help chapters understand the process and obligations of hosting a meeting. The MBSI annual meet.ings are always a lot of fun and an opportunity to visit other members. The meetings have tours of membersÕ collections, educational workshops, entertainment, a marketplace for buying and selling instruments and accessories, a business meeting and a banquet.
We are heavily dependent on volunteers to serve on our standing committees, the chapter functions and the annual meetings. Recently, people have been reluctant to volunteer. I can never understand why. ItÕs a lot of fun participating in the group and the work is never that hard. Without volunteers, it is becoming increasingly difficult to conduct the business of the society. Please consider lending a bit of your time to help. Other volunteers can easily show you the ropes.
To end on a brighter note, I would like to say our most recent annual meeting, hosted by the Snowbelt Chapter, was a roaring success from beginning to end. The tour of Kiven and Cheryl LukesÕ collection was wonderful. Not only did we see a great set of instruments but also demon.strations of modern food production techniques. This included visiting a hog and a cow. Additionally, we got to see what new farm machinery is like with opportunities to drive large tractors and to see modern combine machines and planting machines. This was all topped off with a great lunch.
Next, we went to see Bill and Stacy NunnÕs Sky Rock farm. We saw a fabulous collection of organs and carousel memorabilia, including 89-key and 57-key Gavioli organs. We were treated to rides on a miniature railroad and to a horsemanship show that included jumping. Again, a great lunch was served.
We visited Tom and Hongyan KuehnÕs collection of music boxes, orchestrions and organs. This includes a workshop where Tom does his restoration work. Highlights included several Lšesche orchestrions and a Wurlitzer 104 band organ.
Friday morning there was a series of educational and fun workshops. A presentation by Nate Otto included an American Fotoplayer. There were presentations by Fred Dahlinger, John Miller and Nancy Fratti. The afternoon featured a Ògangster tourÓ which visited sites frequented by the St. Paul gangster community during the depression era.
Then, of course, there was a showing of classic comedy movies. We had an ice-cream social and a chicken dinner picnic at the CafesjianÕs carousel. This was all topped off by a business meeting, an awards luncheon and a banquet with a wonderful magician providing entertainment. See Page XX in this issue to read more details.
Many thanks go to Tracy Tolzmann and Tom Kuehn who served as co-chairs for the meeting organization committee and Bill Nunn who was the registrar. I found this to be an absolutely riveting meeting, and the organizers are to be commended for a truly first-class job.

Mechanical Music

51 Lake Michigan Chapter

Pietschmann Part IV
Reflections on the use of Wonder.lamps and other engaging displays used by music box makers to sell more instruments. Page 39.

MECHANICAL MUSIC

Journal of the Musical Box Society International

Devoted to All Automatic Musical Instruments

Editor/Publisher
Russell Kasselman
(253) 228-1634
editor@mbsi.org
MBSI Editorial Office:
Iron Dog Media
130 Coral Court
Pismo Beach, CA 93449
editor@mbsi.org
Publications Chair
Bob Caletti
All manuscripts will be subject to editorial review. Articles submitted for publication may be edited or rejected at the discretion of the Publications Committee and the Editorial Staff. The article will not be published with significant changes without the authorÕs approval. All articles are considered to be the authorÕs personal opinion. The author may be asked to substantiate his/her statements.
Mechanical Music (ISSN 1045-795X) is published by the Musical Box Society International, 130 Coral Court, Pismo Beach, CA 93449 six times per year. A Direc.tory of Members, Museums, and Dealers is published biennially. Domestic subscription rate, $60. Periodicals postage paid at San Luis Obispo, CA and additional mailing offices.
Copyright 2023. The Musical Box Society Inter.national, all rights reserved. Mechanical Music cannot be copied, reproduced or transmitted in whole or in part in any form whatsoever without written consent of the Editor and the Executive Committee.
MEMBERS: SEND ADDRESS CORRECTIONS TO:
MBSI, PO Box 10196,
Springfield, MO 65808-0196
Or, make corrections on the website at www.mbsi.org.
POSTMASTER: SEND ADDRESS CHANGES TO
MBSI, PO Box 10196,
Springfield, MO 65808-0196

Features

17 Annual Meeting recap
30 Nickel Notes
39 Pietschmann Part IV

Chapter Reports

MBSI has replanted 251 trees so far as part of the Print ReLeaf program.

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EditorÕs Notes

MAILING ADDRESS
MBSI Editorial / Advertising
130 Coral Court
Pismo Beach, CA 93449
EMAIL ADDRESS
editor@mbsi.org
PHONE
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By Russell Kasselman
MBSI Editor/Publisher
Welcome to the holiday season, the season of giving, the season of traveling to see family and friends and the season of eating far more than we probably should!
I encourage you to take a little time to say hello to our new MBSI President, Matthew (Matt) Jaro, who received the gavel from David Corkrum at the most recent annual meeting in St. Paul, MN. Matt, who many of you are familiar with as the author of the Nickel Notes column that has appeared for the last few years in Mechanical Music, is energetic and committed to sharing our hobby with any and all who will listen. He and his wife, Beni, open their home for local chapter meetings and they have helped in planning several annual conventions for MBSI as part of the National Capital Chapter. In his commitment to the society, Matt is much like each of the MBSI presidents I have had the pleasure to work with since becoming the editor in 2014.
That said, however, Matt canÕt run this society all by himself. He does have a small core of dedicated committee volunteers doing work to keep the finances of the society organized, recruiting members to serve as officers and on the board of trustees, as well as reviewing this publication and maintaining the societyÕs instrument collection. The Special Exhibits Committee and the Marketing Committee are both hard at work trying to promote the society to people who may never have heard of it.
The Membership Committee is the one place Matt and our whole soci.ety could really use some help. The committee chair position is currently vacant and it has been for some time. It seems to me, this is a critical position for an organization like ours. We need someone who helps current members get their questions answered, concerns addressed and takes notice if a member decides not to continue being a member.
New members need a point of first contact to guide them in connecting with other members through regional chapters as well as helping them understand the benefits of attending the annual meeting.
The Membership Committee is made up of a representative from each regional chapter, which means calling a meeting of the committee members is like putting your finger on the pulse of this organization. The feedback available to the Membership Commit.tee chair is invaluable to keeping our society on the right track.
As you give gifts to family and friends this season, consider giving a gift to MBSI as well. Volunteer to lead the Membership Committee.

Upcoming Deadlines

ADVERTISING
Advertisements for the January/February 2024 issue of Mechanical Music need to be submitted by Dec. 1, 2023.
Advertisements for the March/April 2024 issue of Mechanical Music need to be submitted by Feb. 1, 2024.

EDITORIAL
Articles and photos for the January/February 2024 issue of Mechanical Music should be submitted by Nov. 25, 2023.
Articles and photos for the March/April 2024 issue of Mechanical Music should be submitted by Jan. 25, 2024.

Welcome new members!

August 2023
Robert Davis
Lexington, TN
Kurt Kresmery & Gretchen Broberg
Elgin, IL
George Perez
Minooka, IL
John Schimmel & Sally Wright
Rancho Santa Fe, CA
September 2023
Donald & Janie Higgins
Morrilton, AR
Elizabeth Ho & Bruce Jia
Eden Prairie, MN
Dante Lombardo
Houston, TX
Mark & Barbara Weyna
Des Plaines, IL
Raymond Mialki
Creighton, PA
Jim Bumgardner
Shadow Hills, CA
Erin Deitzel & Isaac Ishee
Blacksburg, VA
Glenn & E. Reed
Spartanburg, SC

Minutes of the 2023 MBSI Board of TrusteesÕ meeting

The MBSI Board of Trustees. From left, back row: Richard Dutton, Bob Caletti, President David Corkrum, David Calendine, Edward Cooley, Rich Poppe. Front row: Tom Kuehn, Recording Secretary Linda Birkitt, Mary Ellen Myers, Vice President Matt Jaro.

Aug. 29, 2023
These Annual TrusteesÕ Meeting Minutes from Aug. 29, 2023, will become official when approved and voted upon during the Mid-Year TrusteesÕ Meeting in 2024. The meeting was called to order by Pres.ident David Corkrum at 9:23 a.m. The following trustees were present: Dave Calendine, Bob Caletti, Ed Cooley, Richard Dutton, Tom Kuehn, Mary Ellen Myers, and Rich Poppe. The officers of MBSI in attendance were President Corkrum, Vice President Matt Jaro, Treasurer Ed Kozak and Recording Secretary Linda Birkitt. Additionally, editor/publisher Russell Kasselman joined the group via Zoom, and Marketing Committee member Judy Caletti briefly addressed the group. Nine of nine trustees were present to render a quorum.
The recording secretary asked for additions, deletions, or corrections to the submitted Mid-Year TrusteesÕ Meeting Minutes of March 2023. A motion was made to approve the Mid-Year TrusteesÕ Meeting Minutes by Trustee Dutton and seconded by Trustee Myers. Motion carried.
Pending Board Actions
Marketing Committee member Judy Caletti stated that the second board action item on the agenda under marketing could be deleted as it has become standard protocol for this committee. This action described the protocol for contacting new MBSI members who joined via the website. Trustee Bob Caletti indicated that the Publications Committee board action for purchase of a translation program to help reprint articles from non-En.glish musical box society journals could be deleted as it is completed.
Vice President
Vice President Jaro oversees the annual awards selection process, which has been completed. Addition.ally, the vice president files the annual report from MBSI to the Board of Regents of the University of New York by the July 1 deadline each year. MBSI updates to the IRS are also under the purview of the vice president. The vice president provides guidance for and advice to chapters of MBSI, stays informed of committee activities, and reviews and recommends revisions to the Policy and Procedures Manual as well as the MBSI bylaws. Report received.
Endowment Committee
Treasurer Ed Kozak indicated that the Endowment Fund balance, as of Dec. 31, 2022, was $162,460. This was an increase of $610 (from donations) from the previous year. This fund is made up of three certificates of deposit totaling $161,000, and a money market account of $1,000. With the approval of the MBSI Board of Trust.ees, the Endowment Committee may distribute funds in the form of loans or grants, or for preservation of auto.matic musical instruments. The Dec. 31, 2022, compilation report showed a balance of $43,741 in the Endowment Interest Earned Fund. Two thirds of this figure ($29,161) is available for the above-listed distribution options.
An ongoing concern is the decrease in the number of MBSI members. Report received.
Finance Committee
Treasurer Kozak stated that the MBSI fund balance had decreased by $16,277. Net assets totaled $733,718 as of Dec. 31, 2022. The main items of revenue and expense were:
Income:
¥
Dues revenue $63,909.

¥
Advertising $17,902.

¥
Donations $15,249, with $10,000 of this amount coming from the Piedmont Chapter

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Interest $6,623.

Expense:
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Publishing $80,378.

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Accounting, tax preparation and Administration $40,216.

Interest income should increase next year, due to increased interest rates. The societyÕs investments consist of certificates of deposit and money market accounts. Maturing certificates of deposit are reinvested to continue the societyÕs investment laddering philosophy. On Dec. 31, 2022, the society had operating invest.ments totaling $383,351 and restricted investments totaling $318,668 with cash of $69,189.
Trustee Calendine moved and Trustee Poppe seconded a motion to purchase a safety deposit box only when needed. Motion carried. Trustee Calendine moved to amend the Policy and Procedures Manual regarding the safety deposit box. The motion was seconded by Trustee Poppe. Motion carried.
The proposed 2024 society budget is now being submitted to the trustees for their approval.
Treasurer Kozak will get back to Trustee Caletti regarding the schedule of activities in the CPAÕs report. Trustee Caletti stated that the society is paying $4,000 per year in credit card fees. He suggested that MBSI members pay for society items via personal check instead of using PayPal, Venmo or credit cards.
Trustee Calendine asked the board to consider covering the credit card processing fee by including an extra charge on the convention registration form.
Trustee Calendine moved and Pres.ident Corkrum seconded a motion to add a 5 percent processing fee to the annual meeting registration cost if paid by credit card. Motion carried.
Trustee Dutton moved that society dues payments and purchases made using a credit card will be subject to a 5 percent processing fee. This motion was seconded by Trustee Calendine. Motion carried.
Trustee Calendine moved and President Corkrum seconded that the new membership and membership renewal forms should contain a box indicating that a 5 percent processing fee will be charged for using a credit card. Motion carried. Report received.
AdministratorÕs Report
President Corkrum presented Administrator Jacque BeemanÕs report. The MBSI membership count as of Jun. 30, 2022, was 1,043. On Jun. 30, 2023, the membership count was 991. Forty new memberships were received between Jan. 1, 2023, and Jun. 30, 2023. Of these 40 new members, 30 of them joined via the website (75 percent). MBSI received 51 orders totaling 62 items, of which 44 were website orders (86 percent).
President Corkrum added that the sponsor and the gift/sponsor program continue. The current $15 off program is discontinued and replaced with a 50 percent off for new members program. The voucher program is eliminated. Report received.
Audit Committee
Audit Committee Chair Cooley indicated that Trustees Caletti and Calendine are now Audit Committee members. The MBSI net membership revenues for an average of 1,042 members during the period from January through September 2022 was $63,849. Using 2022 membership data, 90.07 percent of members are from the USA, 1.60 percent are from Canada, and other international members make up 8.33 percent of the membership. The total estimated revenue given these assumptions would be $63,420. The $429 difference in actual revenue amounts to a posi.tive 0.68 percent variance meaning the estimated revenue is extremely close to the actual membership revenue. This is the first time that this report has revealed the society received more dues revenue than the analysis projected. Report received.
Meetings Committee
Meetings Committee Chair Jaro introduced the MBSI Annual Meetings schedule as follows:
¥
2024 MBSI/AMICA joint meeting with AMICA taking the lead in Los Angeles, CA, with half day tour of Reagan Library and half day tour of the Nethercutt Museum.

¥
2025 MBSI/AMICA joint meeting with MBSI taking the lead in Chicago, IL, for the 76th Anniver.sary of MBSI.

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2026 MBSI/AMICA joint meeting with AMICA taking the lead in Princeton, NJ. The East Coast chapter must be contacted.

Report received.
Marketing Committee
Marketing Committee member Judy Caletti noted that current members of the committee are herself, Don Caine, Ed Cooley, and committee chair Bob Smith. The Marketing Committee meets monthly by phone. This committee has announced a half-price offer for new members on six mechan.ical music related Facebook group pages as well as in the Mechanical Music Digest. A donation was made to Mechanical Music Radio, which is now making an announcement daily about the societyÕs half-price offer and the benefits of membership. A banner has been placed on the society website announcing the half-price offer. A promotional program for restorers/dealers and antique dealers to acquire new members, which includes a list of 155 names has been developed. Adver.tising swaps with COAA, NAWCC, AMICA, ATOS and MBSGB have been initiated.
Two additional testimonial videos have been produced and are awaiting uploading to the website. Report received.
Museum Committee
President Corkrum presented a written report from Museum Commit.tee Chair Sally Craig. The majority of the MBSI instrument collection is still located at the American Treasure Tour (ATT) museum in Oaks, PA. There were no new acquisitions in 2023. The committee continues to monitor the collection and the music boxes on display at ATT. Other locations continue to maintain loaned items. No new loans were requested or granted. Robert Pollock oversees the MBSI Ohio collection of loaned instruments.
Currently, the Policy and Procedures Manual section XVII Museum, b2 says, ÒThe proceeds from the sale of collec.tion items shall be used to acquire other items for the collection or for the restoration of items currently in the collection.Ó
Vice President Jaro made a motion to change the Policy and Procedure Manual to read, ÒThe proceeds from instrument sales could be used for the Museum Committee expenses, including insurance, advertising sales or shipping of instruments for sale or display and database maintenance.Ó
Trustee Caletti seconded the motion. Motion carried. Report received.
Nominating Committee
Nominating Committee Chair Judy Caletti indicated that the current members of the Nominating Commit.tee are herself, Tom Kuehn, Bob Caletti, Mary Ellen Myers, Tracy Tolzman, Rob Pollock, and Mark Pichla. After the conclusion of the 2023 MBSI Annual Meeting, Tom Kuehn will be replaced by Dave Corkrum.
The Nominating Committee submitted the following slate of offi.cers for approval at the 2023 Mid-Year TrusteesÕ Meeting and for confirma.tion by the membership at the 2023 MBSI Annual Meeting.
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President: Matt Jaro to serve a two-year term;

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

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Treasurer: Ed Kozak to serve another one-year term;

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Recording Secretary: Linda Birkitt to serve another one-year term.

Rich Poppe and Rick Swaney have been approved by the board to be added to the slate of trustees. Both will be serving four-year terms.
Bob Caletti, Matt Jaro, and Dave Corkrum have been added to the slate to serve as trustees for another four-year term.
The Nominating Committee has selected its nominee for the Darlene Mirijanian Award and will be present.ing the award at the 2023 MBSI Annual Meeting. Report received.
Special Exhibits Committee
Special Exhibits Committee Chair Mary Ellen Myers said she would like more people to get involved in the committee. There has been an increase in the number of exhibits currently, some sponsored by people not on the Special Exhibits Commit.tee. This is very positive, Myers said. Work continues to encourage a local opera house to get a music box located in the lobby to be played prior to an opera being performed.
Trustee Calendine indicated that he is working with the Michigan Opera Theater in Detroit, MI, to display and play a music box with the pertinent music in their lobby when an operetta is performed. Report received.
Publications Committee
Publications Committee Chair Bob Caletti said a special subcommittee shall be formed to study the question of publication costs.
Trustee Poppe noted that the society needs to be sure no one can download the journal from the website. Report received.
Editor/Publisher Report
Editor/Publisher Russell Kassel.man joined the meeting via Zoom. From November-December 2022 to September-October 2023, 30 authors contributed articles, columns, chapter reports or in-memoriam tributes to the journal. Additional contributors will be needed to keep the quality and size of the journal the same, going forward. Thirteen different photographers contributed images which enhanced the journalÕs layout. The editor thanked all authors and photographers who contributed to this effort which keeps the journal interesting and engaging. Articles of interest that might be reprinted from other mechanical music societies from around the world are continuously sought. Articles from the Automatic Musical Instrument CollectorsÕ Asso.ciation, Carousel Organ Association of America, and the Gesellschaft fŸr Selbstspielende Musikinstrumente have been reprinted recently.
Advertising percentages were down slightly from last year, filling on average 15.26 percent of journal pages compared to 18.75 percent last year. The editor thanked Nancy Fratti, Marty Persky, Steve Stanton, Porter Music Boxes, Bob Caletti, Renais.sance Antiques, Breker Auctions and Morphy Auctions for their support this year. Efforts to find the right market.ing approaches to attract new and consistent advertising will continue.
Printing costs for each 68-page issue in 2023 are as follows:
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Jan-Feb: $4,762.44 for 1,081 copies;

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Mar-Apr.: $4,721.85 for 1,051 copies;

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May-Jun.: $4,501.93 for 1,045 copies

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Jul-Aug: $4,705.35 for 1,041 copies.

Several options are available to reduce costs. These include printing fewer pages, delivering fewer printed copies (with an increase in digital copies), and/or using lesser quality paper. There is an approximate cost of $4,520 to print 1,000 copies of the journal. The use of other, lower-cost printing companies is also an option.
As website editor/manager, the editor has continued to keep the websiteÕs core code (WordPress) and all plugins that provide additional functionality (like language trans.lation) up to date with each major release so that site security is as tight as possible. A few minor logic flaws affecting the functionality of the membership management tools used by the administrator were corrected by the editor. Report received.
Website Subcommittee
Website Subcommittee Chair Rick Swaney noted that it is not possible to give an estimate on when the new website design will be rolled out, as several issues have delayed it. Soon more storage will be needed than is available with the 60 GB website hosting plan MBSI is currently using. The current service is $330 per year. The next upgrade is 120 GB of storage costing $560 per year. Other options for hosting the website are being considered, including using a cloud-storage service for journal archives and other large files.
A banner for the half-off member.ship price is on the front page of the website.
The exponential growth of the MBSI Facebook Forum has finally tapered off. Since the mid-year meeting, the forum has gained 155 members which now total 1,781. In the last month there were 440 posts and 12,600 views on the forum. Five to 10 spam posts are removed every day by the Website Subscommittee chair.
The MBSI websiteÕs stats remain consistent with approximately 3,000 visits per month, corresponding to approximately 1,000 people per year. The all time view count is up to 290,854. Report received.
Old Business
President Corkrum said that regarding the ATT collection, the society should choose one example of a music box and sell the duplicates. Additionally, a new database which accurately reflects the contents of the ATT museum needs to be created. The Museum Committee chair needs to send all the catalogue numbers to Dave Calendine, who will create the database. This cost of the new database can come from the Museum Committee budget.
A motion to adjourn the meeting was made by Trustee Calendine and seconded by Trustee Dutton. The meeting was adjourned at 3:14 p.m.
New Business
President Corkrum stated that there was no New Business.
Respectfully submitted,
Linda Birkitt
MBSI Recording Secretary

The board of trustees working session with in-person and remote attendees prior to the 2023 MBSI Annual Meeting. (Photo by Edward Cooley)

MBSI 74th Annual Business Meeting Minutes

Sept. 2, 2023 Ñ St. Paul, MN
President Corkrum called the 2023 MBSI Annual Business Meeting to order. He welcomed all MBSI members in attendance. He announced, as per the MBSI bylaws, that a quorum for this meeting was reached. The quorum consists of the number of members present plus the number of proxy votes received from members not present.
In keeping with MBSI tradition, President Corkrum presented the list of members and friends who passed away since the last annual meeting. They are: Rex Burgett, Ray Dickey, William ÒBillÓ Endlein, Lydia Levy, Russell Nery, Ruth E. Ramey, Wayne Wolf, Robert Lloyd, Michael Richard Perry, Donald Wayne Edmonston, Peg Herman, Richard Hales, Roberta Maxim, William Schutz, and Chet Ramsey. He then asked if he had forgotten anyone. A moment of silence was observed in remembrance of those who have passed.
President Corkrum extended whole.hearted gratitude to Tracy Tolzmann and Tom Kuehn, as well as the Meetings Committee of the Snowbelt Chapter, for the tireless work invested into creating a top-notch convention.
MBSI officers and trustees were then introduced. Officers included:
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Vice President Matt Jaro

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Recording Secretary Linda Birkitt

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Treasurer Ed Kozak

Trustees, in order of length of service, included:
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Tom Kuehn

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Mary Ellen Myers

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Edward Cooley

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Bob Caletti

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David Corkrum

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Matt Jaro

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Dave Calendine

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Richard Dutton

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Rich Poppe

President Corkrum acknowledged the MBSI past presidents and trustees, members who are attending an annual meeting for the first time, and distinguished guests from sister organizations. Sister organization guests included:
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Arlette Baud and Michel Bourgoz of MusŽe Baud, LÕAuberson, Switzerland

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Peter Both, president of the Swiss Friends of Mechanical Music

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Michel Tremouille, vice president and redactor, and Jean-Marc Lebout, vice president and redactor of the Association of Friends of Instruments and Mechanical Music, AAIMM

Officer Reports
Vice President Matt Jaro noted that the duties of the vice president include presenting awards, obtaining chapter reports, updating the IRS and collecting chapter information. Report received.
Treasurer Ed KozakÕs report docu.mented the following financial status for MBSI:
1.
Current total assets, $780,444.

2.
Current total liabilities, $46,726.

3.
Total net assets, composed of restricted donor assets ($321,818) and unrestricted donor assets ($411,900). Added together these equal $733,718.

4.
Total liabilities and net assets are $780,444.

Report received.
Committee Reports
Administrator: President Corkrum presented the AdministratorÕs report. MBSI membership as of Jun. 30, 2022, was 1,043. Membership as of Jun. 30, 2023, was 991. Forty new member.ships were received between Jan. 1, 2023, and Jun. 30, 2023. Of these new members, 30 joined via the website (75 percent). MBSI received 51 orders totaling 62 items, of which 44 were website orders (86 percent).
The sponsor and the gift sponsorship programs continue as is. The $15 discount for new members has been replaced by a 50% discount for new members. The voucher program is eliminated.
Report received.
Audit Committee: The Audit Commit.tee report was not presented at the annual business meeting, but it was presented at the annual trusteesÕ meet.ing where the report was received.
Endowment Committee: Chair Ed Kozak reported that the Endowment Fund balance, as of Dec. 31, 2022, was $162,460. This is an increase of $610 from the previous year. This fund is made up of three certificates of deposit totaling $161,000, and a money market account of $1,000. With the approval of the MBSI Board of Trustees, the Endowment Committee may distrib.ute funds in the form of loans, grants, or for the preservation of automatic musical instruments. As of Dec. 31, 2022, the compilation report shows a balance of $43,741 in the Endowment Interest Earned Fund. Two thirds of this figure ($29,161) is available for the above-named distribution options.
An ongoing concern is the decrease in the number of MBSI members. Report received.
Finance Committee: Chair Ed Kozak reported that the MBSI fund balance decreased by $16,277. Net assets totaled $733,718 as of Dec. 31, 2022. The main items of revenue and expenses are listed below.
Income:
¥
Dues revenue $63,909

¥
Advertising $17,902

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Donations $15,249 ($10,000 of this was from the Piedmont Chapter closure)

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Interest $6,623

Expenses:
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Publishing $80,378

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Accounting, tax preparation and Administration $40,216

On Dec. 31, 2022 the society had operating investments of $383,351 and restricted investments of $318,668 with cash of $69,189. Report received.
Marketing Committee: Marketing Committee member Judy Caletti (standing in for chair Bob Smith) informed the group that the current members of the committee are Don Caine, Edward Cooley, Bob Smith and herself. This committee has promoted the new 50 percent discount offer for new members on six mechanical music-related Facebook group pages as well as in the Mechanical Music Digest. A donation was made to Mechanical Music Radio, which is now making an announcement daily about the half-price offer and the benefits of membership. Report received.
Meetings Committee: Chair Jaro intro.duced the upcoming annual meetings schedule as follows:
1. 2024 MBSI/AMICA joint meeting with AMICA taking the lead in Los Angeles, CA

2. 2025 MBSI/AMICA joint meeting with MBSI taking the lead in Chicago, IL, for the 76th Anniver.sary Meeting of MBSI

3. 2026 MBSI/AMICA joint meeting with AMICA taking the lead in Princeton, NJ.

Report received.

Museum Committee: Chair Sally CraigÕs report was read by President Corkrum. The majority of the MBSI musical collection is still located at the American Treasure Tour (ATT) museum in Oaks, PA. There were no new acquisitions during 2023. The committee continues to monitor the collection and the music boxes on display at ATT. Other locations displaying loaned items continue. No new loans were requested or granted. Robert Pollock oversees the MBSI Ohio collection of loaned instruments. Report received.
Publications Committee: Chair Bob Caletti noted that a special subcom.mittee will be formed to study the questions of publication costs. Report received.
Editor/publisher Report: Editor/publisher Russell KasselmanÕs report was read by President Corkrum. From November-December 2022 to September-October 2023, 30 authors contributed articles, columns, chapter reports or in-memoriam tributes to the Mechanical Music journal. Addi.tional contributors will be needed to keep the quality and size of the journal the same, going forward. Thirteen photographers produced images which enhanced the journalÕs layout. The editor gratefully thanked all those who made contributions. Articles of interest that might be reprinted from other mechanical music societies from around the world are continuously being sought. Articles from the Auto.matic Musical Instrument CollectorsÕ Association, Carousel Organ Associa.tion of America, and the Gesellschaft fŸr Selbstspielende Musikinstruments have been reprinted currently.
Advertising percentages were down from last year, filling an average of 15.26 percent of journal pages, compared to 18.75 percent from last year. Printing costs have escalated. Report received.
Website Subcommittee: Chair Rick Swaney stated that it is not possible to give an estimate on when the new website design will be rolled out, as several issues have delayed the rollout. Added storage will be needed for the website. This issue will be investigated as to how best to obtain more storage capacity.
The exponential growth of the MBSI Facebook Forum has finally tapered off. Since the mid-year trusteesÕ meet.ing, the forum gained 155 members for a total of 1,781. In the last month there were 440 posts made and 12,600 views on the forum. Report received.
Special Exhibits Committee: Chair Mary Ellen Myers requested that more people get involved with the Special Exhibits Committee. There has been an increase in the number of exhibits lately, some sponsored by people not on the Special Exhibits Committee. This is a very positive occurrence, Myers said. Report received.
Old Business
President Corkrum noted that regarding the societyÕs instrument collection, one example of a music box should be chosen while duplicates are sold. Additionally, the database of information about the contents of the collection needs to be updated.
Nominating Committee: Chair Judy Caletti noted that besides herself, her committee includes Tom Kuehn, Bob Caletti, Mary Ellen Myers, Tracy Tolzmann, Rob Pollock and Mark Pichla. After the conclusion of the 2023 annual business meeting, Tom Kuehn will be replaced by David Corkrum on this committee.
The Nominating Committee submit.ted the following slate of Officers for approval:
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President Matt Jaro to serve a two-year term

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Vice President Bob Caletti to serve the first year of a two-year term

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Treasurer Ed Kozak to serve an additional one-year term

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Recording Secretary Linda Birkitt to serve an additional one-year term

New Trustees nominated to the Board were Rich Poppe and Rick Swaney. David Corkrum, Bob Caletti and Matt Jaro were nominated for a second four-year term. It was moved and seconded to approve the proposed slate.
Members present and proxy votes approved the new slate of officers and trustees. Report received.
Installation of the President
Vice President Jaro was given the official MBSI Presidential Medallion and gavel by Immediate Past Presi.dent David Corkrum to inaugurate JaroÕs presidency. Newly-confirmed President Jaro gave the MBSI Past PresidentÕs pin to David Corkrum.
New Business
President Jaro indicated that there was no New Business to report.
A motion to adjourn the meeting was made by Trustee Dave Calendine and seconded by Trustee Richard Dutton. The meeting was adjourned.
Respectfully submitted,
Linda Birkitt
MBSI Recording Secretary

2023 MBSI Annual Meeting recap

A Wurlitzer pianino next to an Lšesche flute and violin solo piano that is prominently featured in the music room at Kiven and Cheryl LukesÕ farm.

By Tom Kuehn and Tracy Tolzmann
More than 80 members and guests, including 13 from outside the U.S., gathered in St. Paul, MN, for the 74th Annual Meeting of MBSI. For some reason, gatherings in St. Paul seem to be accompanied by events outside the plannersÕ control that make these meetings especially memorable. This year was no exception. As Minnesota is known for having two seasons, winter and road repair, the city of St. Paul made sure that the attendees knew it was NOT WINTER by tearing up the street in front of the hotel the week before the meeting. This posed challenges for accessing the parking ramp and loading the buses. However, some creative thinking resolved these issues satisfactorily.
Attendees who took the first optional tour found themselves visit.ing Kiven and Cheryl LukesÕ farm in southern Minnesota near the Iowa border. Guests were introduced to a variety of livestock before entering a magnificent music room that contains a Weber Unika, a Lšesche flute and violin solo piano (a.k.a. Lazarus), a Steinway concert grand piano, a band organ and several other instruments. Kiven and Cheryl use the space for fundraising events and other commu.nity activities where many people are introduced to mechanical music. After enjoying a delicious home cooked meal, the MBSI group boarded a bus for a trip to a nearby farm where Kiven exhibited his latest equipment purchase and provided an opportunity for a few lucky souls to drive one of the largest farm tractors in the area. Upon returning to the hotel, everyone was invited to attend a welcome dinner that included traditional Minnesota fare such as Walleye, Swedish meat balls, pot roast and wild rice soup.
A second optional tour included both the Bill and Stacy NunnÕs collec.tion of organs at Skyrock Farm and the Tom and Hongyan Kuehn collec.tion. The Nunn collection focuses on large European dance and fair organs, all restored to impeccable condition. Manufacturers include Gavioli, Limonaire, Mortier, Marenghi, Hooghuys, and the only known Mahauden organ. A recent addition to the collection is a Ruth & Sohn style 38 organ. Visitors could see the work Bill and Stacy are doing to restore the faade while the organ is at Dick LokemonÕs shop in Wisconsin. The Kuehn collection includes various examples of mechanical music with an emphasis on pneumatic instruments. Tom has done much of the restoration work himself following completion of a Wurlitzer 105 band organ replica he built from scratch 30 years ago. Recent work has focused on several Lšesche instruments with the current project being a keyboardless Lšesche orchestrion with six ranks of pipes, xylophone and percussion.
That evening, all attendees were taken by bus to nearby Como Park for carousel rides and a picnic supper. The carousel is PTC #33, built in 1914 and is one of only two in existence with its wooden horses in their original paint. Mike Merrick was on hand to operate the Wurlitzer 153 band organ that he restored. The original band organ was lost in a fire at the carousel in 1939 and its identity unknown. Fred Dahlinger presented his research and his best idea of what the original organ might have been. Ice cream sundaes topped off the evening with a sweet note.
Saturday was workshop day. Work.shops are usually provided in morning and afternoon parallel sessions. This year the format was changed to four workshops presented sequentially in the morning and an optional tour in the afternoon following the awards luncheon. The first speaker was Fred Dahlinger who presented his research on Ruth organs that he is incorporat.ing into a new book. He was followed by John Miller who gave his view of mechanical music from a young collec.torÕs point of view. John made several suggestions for reaching a wider and younger audience. Nate Otto gave a highly-entertaining performance on his American Style 15 Fotoplayer by providing musical accompaniment to a live comedic performance by Neal Skoy, a former clown with Ringling Bros. and Barnum and Bailey Circus. The fourth workshop was presented by Nancy Fratti who discussed options for dispersing a mechanical music collection.
Most of the attendees opted to go on the Gangster Tour in the afternoon. It is known that the St. Paul city mayor and police chief were taking bribes during Prohibition, so the city of St. Paul became quite the safe haven for gangsters between jobs. The tour included stops at several locations where notorious gangsters hid out. Visitors also got to see the man-made caves across the river from St. Paul where bootleg liquor flowed freely. Professional actors in period costume led the group through a realistic, entertaining setting.
The evening was devoted to classic comedy movies provided by Tracy Tolzmann. After a few shorts, the silent Buster Keaton film, ÒOne Week,Ó was shown with musical accompa.niment provided by Nate Otto on his American Style 15 Fotoplayer. NateÕs performance was outstanding and exhibited the skills he achieved by practicing this routine at least a dozen times beforehand. The remainder of the evening was filled with sound comedy movies from a bygone era.
The breakfast MBSI general busi.ness meeting was held the following morning where the societyÕs finances, committee reports and a review of chapter activities were presented. The slate of officers up for election was presented to the membership for a vote and approved unanimously. Congratulations were offered to Matt Jaro, the new society president, Bob Caletti, the new vice president, and Rick Swaney, a new trustee on the MBSI Board of Trustees.
A flurry of activity followed the conclusion of the business meeting when various items for sale were moved into the room that held the mart. The mart is one of the highlights of the annual meeting when members can view items for sale, ask questions and make offers on items of interest. Several new treasures were purchased and left the mart with different owners than with whom they had arrived.
The meeting formally ended with a banquet, as is the custom for these gatherings. A cash bar provided liba.tions for those so inclined including bottles of table wine. Entertainment was provided by world-famous magi.cian Frederick Baisch, who delighted the crowd with his sleight of hand and astonishing feats of legerdemain. Rick Swaney lent a $10 bill for one of the acts. He finally got his 25 cents back by the end of the show.
A treat for those who wished to engage was spending an extra day visiting various open houses that were not on any of the collection tours. Armed with maps, addresses, phone numbers and sign-up sheets made available in the hospitality room, anyone who wished to visit one or more of the collections was able to do so, often by sharing rides.
In summary, the meeting this year was another memorable one, not for tornadoes and floods, but for the hard work by members of the Snowbelt Chapter and the camaraderie of all those who attended. The meeting next year will be over the 4th of July weekend in Los Angeles, CA, hosted by the Automatic Musical Instrument CollectorsÕ Association as another joint meeting between AMICA and MBSI.

A Seeburg KT nickelodeon, Regina Dragonfront changer and Wurlitzer pianino in the LukesÕ collection. (Photos by Edward Cooley)

A Weber Unika Piano orchestrion in the LukesÕ home. (Photos by Edward Cooley)

A Mermod Frres cylinder box is artfully displayed in the LukesÕ home.

Jean Lequy, Michel Tremouille, Cotton Morlock and Jean-Marc Cerutti play a competitive game of fooseball.

This calf was one of many farm animals that were part of the optional tour to Cheryl and Kiven LukesÕ farm.

A view inside the 1929 Steinway Concert Grand showcases its beautiful craftsmanship.

Cheryl and Kiven Lukes with their 1929 Steinway Concert Grand Piano.

MBSI Trustee Rich Poppe waves from the cockpit of one of the largest farm machines in the area.

Kiven Lukes talks about his Seeburg KT nickelodeon featuring the eagle glass front.

Guests were invited to pick corn on the tour of the Lukes farm.

Michel Tremouille, Dorothy Smith, Jean-Marc Cerutti and Trustee Dave Calendine look on as Jacqueline Both plays an arcade game on the Lukes tour.

Bill Nunn, center with hands clasped, leads guests on a tour of his music hall during the visit to Skyrock Farms. (Photo by B Bronson)

A demonstration of horse jumping was held during the Skyrock Farms tour. (Photo by B Bronson)

Guests could take a ride on a scale-model passenger train during the Skyrock Farms tour. (Photo by B Bronson)

The Ruth style 38 dance organ faade in the Nunn collection. (Photo by Edward Cooley)

The 62-keyless Wilhelm Bruder dance organ is attractively lit from above. (Photo by Edward Cooley)

The 89-key Gavioli organÕs impressive faade never fails to impress visitors to the Nunn collection. (Photo by B Bronson)

Members enjoy a tune played by the Hooghuys dance organ after a satisfying lunch served by the Nunns. (Photo by Edward Cooley)

The faade that came with the Ruth & Sohn style 38 fairground organ is a relatively new addition to the Nunn collection. (Photo by B Bronson)

A Mortier dance organ in the Nunn collection features carved figurines of horses, dancers and angels. (Photo by Edward Cooley)

A Limonaire Frres amid carnival lights at Skyrock Farm. (Photo by Edward Cooley)

Stacy Nunn describes the painting techniques she uses in the restoration of the Ruth faade while Bill Nunn looks on. (Photo by Edward Cooley)

The Nunns collect mechanical music but also miniature car.ousels that they display on shelves in their music barn. (Photo by Edward Cooley)

Members watch as carved carousel animals parade by at Skyrock Farm. (Photo by Edward Cooley)

Backlit art glass makes an attractive presentation as the Seeburg style B piano plays a tune at the Kuehn home. (Photo by Edward Cooley)

A North Tonawanda style 146 band organ in the music room at the Kuehn home. (Photo by Edward Cooley)

The Popper Konzertist piano with covers and doors removed is a fascinating maze of tubing, belts and pulleys. (Photo by Edward Cooley)

Carved figurines represent fashionable clothing styles of yesteryear while the 52-key Gasparini carousel organ plays a tune. (Photo by Edward Cooley)

Tom Kuehn talks with members about the restoration work performed in his shop. (Photo by Edward Cooley)

Members browse a collection of cylinder music boxes in the Kuehn home. (Photo by Edward Cooley)

Hyongan and Tom Kuehn with their 7-foot Mason & Hamlin Ampico B reproducing piano. (Photo by Edward Cooley)

Tom Kuehn talks with guests about his Wurlitzer 105 band organ. (Photo by Edward Cooley)

Members listen as Tom Chase operates the Lšesche violin solo piano the Kuehn home. (Photo by Edward Cooley)

Tom Kuehn and Bob Caletti discuss the Lšesche model 9 orchestrion being restored in TomÕs shop. (Photo by B Bronson)

Jean-Marc Cerutti holds the reins of his carousel horse while Michel Tremouille waves to friends. (Photo by Edward Cooley)

Marty Persky enjoys a ride on the carousel.

Lyle Merrithew rides a spirited carousel horse.

Dick Hack and Lyle Merrithew ride behind Cheryl Hack and Sandy Swirsky in a carousel car.

One of the more fanciful carousel horse designs.

International members gathered for a photo during the annual evening banquet at the annual meeting.

Ted Fivian and Steve Unland pose with Maria and B Bronson prior to dinner. (Photos by Edward Cooley)

Larry Gustafson talks with Bob Yates during the social hour before the evening banquet.

Marilou VanZanten, Marti and Dan Wilson and Martin VanZanten enjoy visiting before the evening banquet.

Bob Smith and Jeff Ingebrigtson examine music boxes at the popular mart during the annual meeting.

Linda Gray-Moin listens as Jeff Ingebrigtson talks with Marty Persky at MartyÕs mart table.

Larry Rink talks with David Corkrum about a cylinder box for sale at the mart.

Jeff Ingebrigtson talks with Rich Poppe about a cylinder music box for sale at the mart.

Jeremy Stevens talks with Bear Schultz in front of a display of disc music boxes at the mart. (Photos by Edward Cooley)

Nate Otto plays his American Style 15 Fotoplayer while Neal Skoy, a former clown with Ringling Bros. and Barnum and Bailey Circus, performs a comedy routine.

Richard Dutton talks with Nancy Fratti during the mart.

More photos on the way!
This issue isnÕt big enough to hold all the fantastic images taken at this yearÕs convention. Look for addi.tional photos from the 2023 MBSI Annual Meeting in our next issue.

MBSI 74th Annual Meeting AWARDS

Sept. 1, 2023 Ñ St. Paul MN
There was a great slate of awards issued at the annual meeting.
Darlene Mirijanian Award
The Darlene Mirijanian Award for creativity in the field of mechanical music to stimulate and encourage interest in new mechanical music areas was presented to Wayne Finger.ÊÊ
Wayne created a unique music production using MIDI files to format a duet featuring an Automatic ÒFingerÓ Banjo that he both designed and built and a Violano performing a portion of the Turkish March from MozartÕs Sonata No. 8. As duets go, the two instruments do not play much in harmony or unison but literally ÒtalkÓ to each other throughout the presen.tation. Wayne has accomplished this effectively using an unusual instrumental threesome for this composition.Ê A brilliant idea!
A video titled ÒRondo Alla TurcaÓ can be seen on YouTube under the ÒHappytque Channel.Ó
Q. David Bowers Literary Award
The MBSI Publications Committee has awarded the Q. David Bowers Award for outstanding literary achievements in the field of automatic music to Paul Bellamy for his new book entitled ÒThe Cylinder Musical Box Ð Tune Sheets- Makers Ð Agents & Dates.ÓÊ The new book is compre.hensive, containing information on a wide variety of music box makers and the tune cards they used. It is an excellent reference book and source for determining the date cylinder music boxes were made. The book is self-indexing and each chapter is headed by the names of makers and agents. There are 28 chapters which have dating charts with relevant tune sheet examples collated accordingly. Chapter 29 deals with makers and agents for whom there are no dating charts. Chapter 30 collates tune sheets that have not been attributed to a maker or agent.
The Roehl Ambassador Award
The MBSI Nomi.nating Committee gave the Roehl Ambassador Award for consis.tently endeavoring to introduce people to the field of mechanical music to Arnold Chase.Ê He has opened his home to many organizations and individuals over the span of many years and his wonderful collection of mechanical music certainly has encouraged and educated many people to fondly recall the era of mechanical music. This yearÕs nomination for the award was made by Robin Biggins.
Lifetime Service Award
MBSI Immediate Past President David Corkrum conferred the Lifetime Service Award, which is given for a lifetime of service to the ideals and goals of MBSI, to Robin Biggins.
ÒIt is very difficult to select one member for this award without offending others,Ó Corkrum said. ÒThis member is well known throughout musical box collectors. He has written more than 25 articles for the societyÕs journal since the first submission in 1998. I know this because I went through every magazine since 1965.Ó
He has served on many committees and has been the chair of one of them. He received the Trustees Award in 2007 and the PresidentÕs Award in 2016. He was a trustee and has been the chair of his chapter many times. He has also helped with the organiza.tion of several annual meetings.
ÒThis member is also an excellent restorer of musical boxes,Ó Corkrum continued. ÒI know this because I have used his services many times as have many others. He is liked or loved by most everyone, and I cannot think of anyone else who would deserve this award. Therefore, I am privileged to grant the Lifetime Service Award to Robin Biggins.Ó
Nancy Fratti also nominated Robin for this award.

Arnold Chase

Robin Biggins accepts the Lifetime Service Award from Immediate Past President David Corkrum.

Nickel Notes

By Matthew Jaro

This is Part Two of a series on music roll perforating machines. I am covering three types of machines: home machines for making single rolls manually, industrial machines for mass roll production and modern machines made by producers of recut rolls. By far, the most popular home machine was the Leabarjan Perforator. This machine was heavily advertised and had a long life.
Home Machines
The Leabarjan Perforator
On Oct. 7, 1911, the formation of the Leabarjan Manufacturing Company of Hamilton, OH, was announced. The name was derived from parts of each of the foundersÕ names. They were John C. Lease (LEA), Carl Bartels (BAR) and Franz Jansen (JAN). The capitalization was a whopping $1,500 (paltry even for that day). By Dec. 9, 1911, things got rolling and the Music Trade Review (MTR) announced that Leabarjan Òhas begun the manufacture of a special punch for cutting play.er-piano rolls, the invention of Franz Jansen, and which it is claimed, will permit the owner of the player-piano to make his own rolls at home.Ó The company built a new building specif.ically for this purpose and received a patent. By September 1912 Leabarjan was advertising in MTR.
The machine sold for $30. It included paper, spools and supplies. It could cut from one to eight rolls at a time. MTR published a whole column explaining the machine. They wrote: ÒThe machine is not a toy, put on the market to create business, but the direct development of a music-loving mind, to promote a higher standard of the player-piano.Ó
In 1913, Leabarjan announced an attachment with which a 65-note roll could be copied to an 88-note roll and vice-versa. This was important since many people exchanged 65-note for 88-note player pianos. Leabarjan started a special service to cut rolls on demand (for people who did not own a Leabarjan machine themselves). The cost of this service was $2 per roll. Also in 1913, Leabarjan presented an exhibit at the Butler County Fair in its home city of Hamilton, OH. A big banner over their display said, ÒMake Your Own Music Rolls.Ó
In March 1914 Leabarjan announced a new model that simplified the cutting process but broadened its capabilities. The article did not elab.orate how this was done. Throughout 1913 and 1914 Leabarjan ran ads in MTR every month. They were usually display ads which typically cost more than just a text ad. Could this account for the sumptuous editorial coverage received by the company in MTRÕs pages? Come 1914 to 1916, however, there were no more ads for the company (and no coverage, either).
In 1917, Leabarjan began discussing a model that could cut 16 copies of a roll. The company was also excited by the possibility of using its machines to cut rolls for film (photo) players. New rolls could be cut for each film being shown. Leabarjan officials stated at one point that their original model could only output one roll (but that contradicted photos from earlier advertisements where the machine is shown with eight paper spools mean.ing it could cut multiple rolls at once).
In 1918 the company once again placed ads in MTR and the editorial coverage by the magazine suddenly increased! In 1919 J. Lawrence Cook bought a style 5 Leabarjan perforator that he used to make initial copies of his rolls. This increased the companyÕs status.
In 1920 the company seemed to be interested in marketing its machines to music schools and students. That same year Dr. Edward Schaaf created original compositions by punching a roll first (without first writing down the music in the traditional fashion). This tidbit received an entire column in MTR, entitled ÒComposing with the Leabarjan.Ó MTR also reported that the company incorporated ÒThe Leabarjan Sales Corporation,Ó but there was no additional comment on what this new venture was or how it was different than the original company.
In August 1920 Leabarjan announced its model 8 (or industrial model perfo.rator) that could make up to 16 copies of a roll and had the capability to copy master rolls. Despite this innovation, the copying of master rolls was by no means automatic since the punches still had to be located with a stylus. The style 8 cost $150 and the electric Style 8 cost $295.
In March 1921 Leabarjan opened a sales office in Japan. The company moved its New York sales office and set up demonstration stations in many music stores. The article talks about how large the crowds attending these demonstrations were. By 1922 the companyÕs advertisements in MTR became very small. They continued like this for the entire year.
Then an article in Presto magazine on Mar. 5, 1927, reported that the company had been sold to two indi.viduals. The article states:
An effort was made to market the machine to the public, with little effort to interest the music dealers. And the public is not interested in directly making music rolls.
The retail music dealers might have handled the perforator to advantage, but not a large proportion of them knew that it existed. Nevertheless, the machine was so well made and so ingeniously adapted to the work, that it proved a success and has remained an object of musical interest.
It is understood that the new owners of the business will continue to make the perforators in connection with other articles.
Leo F. Bartels wrote an extensive manual on using the Leabarjan perforator and transcribing music to piano rolls. This included encoding various rhythms and note durations. The manual can now be found on the website of the Automatic Musical Instrument CollectorsÕ Association (AMICA) in the members-only section. Find it in the original literature under ÒPlayer Pianos.Ó The Vestal Press also reprinted the manual. L. Douglas HendersonÕs former Musical Wonder House, in Wiscasset, ME, once had a collection of Leabarjan perforators but now there are only pictures on its website under Artcraft music rolls at this website address http://wiscasset.net/artcraft/. Douglas wrote an article on the subject in the November-De.cember 1986 issue of the AMICA Bulletin. He has made many rolls himself on a Leabarjan perforator.
As late as the 1940s, Frank Emenaker, a former employee of Lebarjan, continued to make parts and assemble perforators.
The Star Perforator
The Star Perforator was a much more advanced machine than the Leabarjan but it received no attention in the music trade press while it was in production. My thanks go to Ed Gaida for making me aware of this machine and for sharing his photographs of it. In the May 1975 AMICA bulletin Bob Baker wrote a comprehensive article about this machine. This section of my column consists largely of infor.mation from his article. The amazing thing about this machine is that it can punch 88 notes at one time!
Albert Suchy, Jr. was a mechanical engineer and an inventor. After World War I, Suchy and Ernest Hopper began developing a hand-operated machine for punching piano rolls. They were granted a patent in 1922 and proceeded to have a number of roll frames cast and a larger number of the smaller parts machined. On a very limited basis, they had many 88-note punch and die assemblies made. They sold their small perforator on a custom-order basis. Despite being displayed in the John Wannamaker Department Store in Philadelphia, PA, sales were very limited. Production of the Star perforator came to a final close with AlbertÕs death in 1935. The unassembled perforator parts were stored in the basement of the Suchy home from 1935 to 1960, when they were moved to his sonÕs house.
Ernest Hopper died in 1964 and his widow sold the machine that Hopper used plus two other completed models to Carl Barker. The machines had three types of paper advance Ð one for making slots, one for making chain perforations and one to advance the paper without punching. Poised above each of the 88 punches is a small rotat.able lever. All the 88 levers sit on top of the punch ram bar. When any lever is pulled forward, its bottom projec.tion pushes its own punch through the paper roll when the ram bar is pressed down. Punching advances the paper to the next position. You can move as many levers forward as there are holes to punch at one time. It was quite superior to the Leabarjan, which could only punch one hole at a time. The levers looked like a miniature keyboard (painted black or white). There was also a sheet with the scale and the keyboard notes near the levers to make the operation easier. Unlike most other production perfora.tors, say the Acme machine, the Star Perforator unit is not much wider than the paper itself. See the illustrations to get an idea about how the perforator worked.
In October 2007, Paul Manganero wrote in Mechanical Music Digest (https://www.mmdigest.com/) that he had obtained several machines from the Robert Barnes estate. Barnes acquired the machines from Ed Freyer (the maker of recut nickelodeon rolls). Ed Gaida acquired his Star Perforator from Paul Manganero.
Modern Machines
Ed Gaida was a real force in the roll recutting industry for many years. I had an extremely interesting conver.sation with this very intelligent and energetic man. I asked how he got started in mechanical music. He said he first got interested in player pianos. His folks bought a player piano when he was 12 years old. One hundred fifty rolls came with the piano. Ed said he and his brother did their very best to try to play all 150 rolls the first day.
In the 1960s Ed worked for a man (David Griffin) who owned a store that repaired player pianos. They had nickelodeons and coin pianos as well. They found them all over San Antonio, TX, in barns, bars and wherever else they happened to be. The first rolls they got were from J. Lawrence Cook. The rolls had a lot of mistakes and there was Scotch tape over holes and the paper wasnÕt the best (usually it was butcher paper). The first buyers of nickelodeons wanted modern music. So, David contracted with Cook to record ÒBury Me Not on the Lone PrairieÓ and other songs like that.
Ed started his own player piano repair business in June 1976. He rented a store-front building and had a showroom.
In less than six months he had five employees and they were refurbishing player pianos (and selling them) as fast as they could.
Rolls for Busker Organs
Ed first got into perforators when busker organs came into vogue. Every.one was building busker organs and he saw that there would be a demand for the rolls. Ed started punching the rolls out by hand. He did not do any arrang.ing. He paid royalties to the originator of the arrangements. Punching by hand was a very tedious process. In search of a solution to this problem, Ed went to Richardson, TX, to visit the Tonnesens and see their perfora.tor. Ed said, ÒI want to build one of those.Ó Richard Tonnesen replied, ÒI will help you.Ó That was in 1999. The Tonnesens owned the ÒCustom Music Roll Company, LLC.Ó They specialized in high quality Ampico, Duo-Art, Welte and 88-note rolls.
Ed began by buying a milling machine, so he could do his own machining of the perforator parts. He learned machining in his college days. His first perforator only had 20 punches to punch the organ rolls. It was a reciprocating punch and the interposers were activated by solenoids. He used a controller board that was designed by Wayne Stahnke. For the punch files, Ed used StahnkeÕs software suite and then Richard Bran.dleÕs WIND program to edit the rolls and to make them into a file that the perforator could understand. Ed was restoring player pianos at the time and he would run the punch at night.
Nickelodeon Rolls
Sometime around 2001 Ed decided to build a six-to-the-inch perforator, so he could cut nickelodeon (A, G and 4X) rolls. He went back to his shop, built a punch head, then built the frame and all the peripheral parts. Then he needed a way of scanning the rolls. Optical scanning really wasnÕt in much use yet, so Ed built a pneu.matic scanner and Richard Brandle wrote software to run it. It was good software.
The software program allowed the user to enter the desired size of the hole in the paper and the size of the hole in the tracker bar so the scanner could produce accurate readings. When optical scanning was introduced between 2004 and 2005, Canadian Terry Smythe became the main resource of information for people who wanted to build an optical scanner. Ed ordered all the electronic parts from Terry and built a roll trans.port mechanism along with the rest of the machine. This meant that Ed could start producing nickelodeon rolls.
Orchestrelle Rolls
Near that same time period some.one called Ed wanting 58-note Aeolian Orchestrelle rolls. There were several obstacles to producing such rolls. First, the rolls took pin-end flanges. Next, EdÕs punch machine was set up to trim the paper to 11 inches as it punched the music but he needed paper that was exactly 101/8 inches wide. This problem was overcome by locking down two of the punches so that he could get a roll exactly the width he needed. He had a company make the pins for the flanges. He then modified player-piano flanges to accept the pins. Ed sold more Orchestrelle rolls than he did nickelodeon rolls. He sold them all over the world. No one else was making them. Ed sold many to Australia, where there are a lot of Orchestrelles. As business increased, people sent Ed rolls that he could scan. Ed got modern Orchestrelle music from an arranger in the Netherlands (Hiddo van Os). Hiddo was the same arranger that made busker organ files for Ed. Hiddo would send Ed digital MIDI files. Ed asked Hiddo for some medleys. So, Hiddo made Ed a medley using tunes from ÒOklahoma,Ó ÒMy Fair LadyÓ and others.
In September 2010 Ed shut his busi.ness down to take care of his mother who lived 120 miles away. He would still do sporadic work as time permit.ted. Once, someone with a Tangley Calliaphone contacted Ed asking for a roll of the ÒStar Spangled BannerÓ to use in parades. Nobody had ever cut this. Ed arranged it himself and punched it, and as far as Ed knows, it is still being used on the Fourth of July.
Acquiring the Tonnesen operation
In 2013 Ed learned that the Tonnesens were no longer punching rolls because Richard was unable to do the maintenance on the punch. Ed asked Janet Tonnesen if they wanted to sell their business. Richard said to Ed, ÒI want you to have the business.Ó Two days later, Ed flew to Dallas, TX, and stayed with the Tonnesens for five days. He learned how to run the punch and use their scanner. Ed had to clear space in his own shop to accommo.date all this new equipment. He rented a big truck and took everything to San Antonio, TX. ThatÕs when Ed went into 9-to-the-inch roll production business. He would punch Ampico, Duo-Art, Welte, 88-note and Recordo rolls.
Technical Considerations and Software
Richard Tonnesen was a real pioneer. He built his roll reader in 1976, three years before he built the punch. Technical information about the Tonnesen system is provided in the next section of this article. Ed used TonnesenÕs Linux software for about a year and a half, but then Rich.ard Brandle wrote a piece of software that allowed Ed to run TonnesenÕs program from the command prompt on Windows machines. Later, Brandle decided to write a much more flexible software suite. He continued to make updates, which then allowed Ed to punch a file from many sources (MIDI, Tonnesen format and others). Ed had Richard add a feature for O rolls where the tympani would be two punches, the bass drum was three punches and a single tap of the snare drum was one single punch. This greatly improved the accuracy of the percussion.
Richard also took care of problems involving chain perforations. If you look at a Capitol A roll, the sustaining pedal track has no chain bridging. It is just a slot. The soft pedal, the extra instrument and mandolin rails are all chained. All of this can be specified in the RichardÕs WIND program. One drawback to the Tonnesen system was that once a roll was started it could not be stopped, but that seemed a minor inconvenience.
Ed was able to print leaders with a Hewlett-Packard printer that allowed you to feed paper from the back and it would come out the front. Duo-Art rolls required Òsnake biteÓ punches (close together). The Tonnesen perfo.rator did this by punching two holes side-by-side.
The Market for Music Rolls
When Ed first started selling rolls, it was mainly to collectors, and nobody really knew he was doing it. Then he started selling rolls on eBay and every.one knew that Ed was making rolls and they would contact him directly. Then Ed stopped and then he started making rolls again. He completely tore his perforator apart and installed new punch heads, solenoids, etc. Shortly before he quit the business for good, decreased demand had him only punching four copies per roll instead of the eight copies he used to produce. If he sold all four copies and there as a request for more, he would punch another four. At the end of his busi.ness, Ed found the biggest demand were for 4X and late G rolls. He would take orders from the old-timers (like me), but he said he was also getting orders from people unknown to him. Ed had one customer who was only 21 years old. Sometimes, he said he sold rolls so quickly he didnÕt have time to put them on the website. (The website no longer exists.)
The demand for rolls has now built up again since there has not been a lot of production of nickelodeon rolls lately.
Carl Lambie has been making a few rolls for Dave Ramey, Jr., and thatÕs about it. Ed said he thinks that if more people start producing rolls it will generate interest. A collector friend of EdÕs told him once that Ed was saving instruments by punching rolls, but Ed responded with, ÒNo, IÕm saving music.Ó This specific collector told Ed that in 30 years there might be a resurgence of interest and instrument owners would need rolls for their instruments to play. He surmised that none of the current digital formats would be around, so a paper copy would be excellent insurance. Ed called it Òpreserving music by punch.ing holes in paper.Ó
I mentioned to Ed that original nick.elodeon rolls have lasted a long time. He said itÕs because of the excellent paper they were cut from. He believes poor quality paper produces most problems with nickelodeon rolls. Like Bob Billings, Ed used paper from Burrows (now owned by Twin Rivers Paper Company) but he used the paper the company sells for wrapping hamburgers. He said he found it to be extremely stable under varying humidity conditions.
Ampico Rolls
Larry Givens was the first person to buy original Ampico perforators. He sold them to Harold Powell in Cali.fornia. Bill Flynt coded some modern music for Ampico that Harold sold. Bill also transcribed Duo-Art rolls to Ampico. When Ed did a retrospective on Bill FlyntÕs work, he called Bill on the phone and got Bill to sign ÒBest wishes, Bill Flynt.Ó Ed made this into a rubber stamp and put this on the leader of every roll (just like in the old days). Ed purchased about 40 rolls that Bill had coded and some of the transcribed rolls. Since it had been so long since these rolls were available, Ed sold out of them quickly. Richard Groman was next in line to buy the Ampico perforators. Groman once had Play-Rite nickelodeon rolls cut for him by Harold before he got the perforators himself.
Dave Saul was another person who cut Ampico rolls for some time. When Dave quit making rolls, Ed called him to ask what he would do with his perforator. Dave told Ed, ÒIÕm going to keep it because I donÕt want to spend the rest of my life on the telephone doing tech support.Ó
Roll Quality
One thing Ed and I discussed was the issue of quality found in some of the older recut rolls. Ed said he once visited Ed Freyer. What puzzled Ed Gaida (and myself) most was why Ed Freyer used a perforator that punched the holes so small. They were more like nine-to-the-inch holes with six-to-the-inch spacing. Similarly, another former roll recutter, Don Rand, made rolls with punches that were one hole off so that you would have to move an instrumentÕs tracker bar to play a Rand roll.
Richard and Janet Tonnesen
IÕm going to back up a bit here for a moment and talk a little more about Richard and Janet Tonnesen who made high quality rolls for many years. Their technology was really the foundation for all the modern machines that followed. I gratefully acknowledge Mechanical Music Digest (https://www.mmdigest.com/) for granting permission to use their text and photos in this article. I would also like to acknowledge the assistance of Ed Gaida who supplied photographs.
Richard provided this very interest.ing account of his life:
Hello to all…
In keeping with the spirit of this list, I will briefly introduce myself. I already know many of you through AMICA, but this is a good forum to meet others with similar interests.
I joined AMICA in 1972 and bought a Weber Duo-Art grand a few months later. I started to look for a good way to apply computer technology to automatic music, either to preserv.ing the music in machine readable files, or perhaps to operating a piano in real time from computer files. I quickly decided that it would be too much work, too expensive, and too inconvenient to have a minicomputer attached to a piano, so I started to consider building a computer-op.erated roll reader and companion punch. It took several years, but I designed and built a 100-channel roll reader based on pneumatic switches, and a 100-channel roll punch. Both were operated by a 16-bit mini.computer (one at a time) and used punched paper tape as an interme.diate storage mechanism. The roll punch operates at 15 steps per second and punches 45 steps per inch. The reader operates at about two feet per minute. In the reader, the paper is driven by rubber covered capstans which generate a clock signal as they turn to provide equally spaced samples regardless of reading speed. The system was complete in 1979 and used an Interdata 7/16 minicom.puter with 16Kb of core memory that I purchased at a bankruptcy auction. Late in the 80s, I converted the main logic of the reader control program to run on a Macintosh computer and converted the real-time part (scan.ning contacts and synchronizing with paper motion) to run on an Intel 8031 microcomputer. My main goal was to take advantage of disk storage instead of paper tape and to use the on- screen display capability to edit roll images. As the years went by, the Interdata machine failed and was beyond economical repair, so I had to convert the punch program to the Mac. I got a second Mac so I could run the reader and the punch at the same time. I had initially written a primitive editor to run on the Mac, but recently have been using an editing program written by Richard Brandle of Dallas. The new program features conversion of the various reproducing roll data formats to MIDI output by emulation of the reproduc.ing mechanism.
Roll reading is one of my favorite subjects. It seems to be very fashion.able lately but is harder than many seem to realize. What are the require.ments for a transcription quality reader? How many samples per inch is enough? How fast is fast enough? How can you tell when you have a good file short of punching a new copy and comparing the original and copy end-to-end, hole-for-hole?
The roll reader
The reader has a 100-hole tracker bar connected to 100 vacuum-op.erated switches. Paper tension is maintained by separate torque motors on the supply and take-up spools. The paper is advanced by capstan rollers which generate a clock signal each time the paper has advanced the selected distance. This triggers the input circuit to sample the state of the switches. The reader program reads the switch state and generates a perforator control file. The file records a start and stop event for each hole but does not preserve chain bridging or any visual information from the roll.
The music roll in the transcribing assembly is moved by rotating iden.tical capstans above and below the tracker bar. The paper wraps about one-quarter turn around each rubber-coated capstan; a pressure roller is not used. One hundred hoses from the brass tracker bar connect to vacuum operated pneumatic pouches which operate tiny wire switch contacts. A rotating shutter connected to the paper drive system interrupts a light beam at each 0.022 inch of paper travel. This signal causes the elec.tronic commutator circuit to read the state of the pouch switches. The tran.scriber system has been in continuous use since 1979, and it requires no more maintenance than a well-maintained player piano.
Figure 9 shows the right side of the reader. Two AC torque motors are mounted on an aluminum plate. Both apply torque to turn clockwise as seen from this end. The upper motor has a low voltage applied, and supplies pay-out tension to the supply spool as it unwinds against the torque. The lower motor turns the take-up spool clockwise. It is operated at nearly maximum torque because it drives a much larger diameter spool. Driving this spool clockwise increases the angle of wrap around the lower capstan roller and provides an increas.ing angle of wrap as the take-up spool gets full during the reading process. This helps prevent paper slipping on the capstan. The variable transform.ers to the left provide power to the torque motors. The paper is pulled by the capstan rollers. These are driven by the variable speed DC motor at the bottom. It drives the lower capstan by a toothed belt. That capstan drives the upper capstan via a second toothed belt and equal-sized pulleys.
Figure 10 is a close-up of the vari.able speed DC motor showing an optical disk attached to the end of the armature shaft. This disk interrupts the light passing between the arms of the sensor mounted at the bottom. This sensor generates corresponding electronic pulses which are related to the paper motion. The pulses control the sampling of the reader contacts so that the sampling distance is equal to the step advance on the punch. Thus, the paper may be driven at any speed or be stopped and restarted, and still be sampled at exactly the selected spacing.
The wooden contact blocks at the top were the very first part of the whole project to be built. Vacuum is supplied to each block through a manifold at the top. Tubes from the tracker bar enter the front side of the blocks. Red wires from the contacts are routed down the back to the electronic boards. A small single-board computer at the left generates scanning signals to read the state of the contacts. If a change of state is detected, the computer gener.ates an ON or OFF event code for the appropriate channel. These events are queued in the computer until they can be sent to the reader program in the control computer, which eventually writes the output file on disk.
Each tube from the tracker bar is connected to a 1-inch diameter pouch in the lower part of the block. The pouch pushes up on a 1/8-inch wooden dowel which slides up through a brass tube in the top block. A 1/4-inch leather disk is glued to the top of the dowel on the outside. The contact assemblies are mounted on the outside of the pouch boards where the wooden dowel pushes the lower contact up against the upper one. The contacts can be cleaned and adjusted as needed. The lower contact is 3/16-inch phosphor bronze. It provides the restoring force to the pouch. The upper contact is a u-shaped piece of silver wire. When the contacts are closed, the lower part and the upper part have a different radius. This provides a scraping motion at the point of contact, which helps keep them clean. The contacts are operated at 21 volts DC.
The Roll Punch
A bank of 50 solenoids is at each side of the punch assembly. In Figure 17, the end of the main crankshaft can be seen to the left of the main drive motor. Below the motor is the isolation transformer. Richard had to add it to keep the motor starting transient from crashing the computer in the punch. Five or six sheets of paper are pulled by two crown-faced iron pulleys which are held against the paper (and each other) by two screws that mash the bottom pulley against the top one. The 3/4-inch pulley shafts become slightly bowed from the force. Since the paper advance per step is small (.022 inch) it is not necessary to stop the capstan drive while punching Ñ the paper simply stretches slightly.
Wires from the solenoids pull the interposers into the gap between the punches and the oscillating ram. The vertical wires are return springs.
Figure 15 shows the pull wires alternating with the return springs. The interposer bar is shown with centering spring on the left and pull wire on the right. The bar at the top of the interposer bar represents the punch ram that pushes the interposer bars and punches down on the down stroke of the punch cycle. The notch in the interposer is aligned with the head of the punch as it normally is at the start of a non-punching down stroke.
The punch head slips up into the notch on the down stroke, and there.fore does not get pushed down far enough to penetrate the paper.
To punch a hole, the interposer bar is pulled to the right so that the solid part of the bar is over the punch head. This forces the punch down and through the paper on the down stroke. On the up stroke, the whole interposer assembly is lifted. This causes the punch heads to seat in a recess in the interposer support bar. This allows the solenoids or the return springs to move the interposer without having the bar catch on the punch head as it moves to its new position.
There are flat face iron pulleys for flywheels. The square counterweight bar at the bottom, below the crank.shaft, weighs the same as the punch ram in the upper assembly. The coun.terweight is moved the same distance as the ram on each rotation of the crankshaft, but it is 180 degrees out of phase to cancel the vibration. The main shaft turns at 15 revolutions per second.
Conclusion
This concludes the second part of my series on perforators. Some of the information may be a bit technical, but virtually nothing has been written on the subject in more than 20 years and itÕs important to preserve all this information.

Figure 1: Leabarjan 1912 ad – Music Trade Review.

Figure 2: Leabarjan 1920 ad – Music Trade Review.

Figure 3: Leabarjan Style 5 Perforator.

Figure 4: Star Perforator.

Figure 5: Star Perforator – closeup view.

Figure 6: Ed Gaida by his perforator.

Figure 7: Ed GaidaÕs perforator.

Figure 8: The roll reader.

Figure 10. Paper Motion Clock.

Figure 9: Reader paper drive.

Figure 11: Back of roll reader.

Figure 12: Close-up of reader contacts.

Figure 14: The punch assembly.

Figure 13: The perforator assembly.

Figure 15: Close-up of the punch assembly.

Figure 16: Interposer bar detail.

Figure 17: The perforator drive motor and the main crankshaft.

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 2018 issue of The AMICA Bulletin.

The Pietschmann Firm of Berlin

(Part IV)

Reflection at Several Mirrors

By Dr. Albert Lštz

On Aug. 4, 1894, the following report appeared in Musical Instruments Journal:11. Musik-Instrumenten-Zeitung (Berlin, 1893-1894), p. 829.

ÒThe music-shop G. Tschentscher22. G. Tschentscher, music shop, 19 Alte Schšnhauserstr. (Berlin-Center).
in Berlin is exhibiting a surpris.ing novelty in its window. It is a mechanical musical instrument put on the market by the well-known Berlin Musical Instruments Factory (formerly Ch. F. Pietschmann & Sons). The instrument has the shape of an elegant cabinet with built-in niche, and is driven by a motor (gas, petroleum, spirit etc.). The tempo can be regulated faster or slower by an ingenious device, while the dynamics from soft piano to loud forte are played by a swell box. The music sounds quite beautifully, each note is played clearly. An artificial bunch of flowers moving mechanically in the niche fascinates the spectators. The device is designed in such a way that the colours of the individual flowers are refracted in a thousand ways by prismatically arranged mirror plates, and then emitted again.Ó
The high multiplication of the indi.vidual flowers obviously reminded the editor of the effects that are visible in a kaleidoscope because he used the term Òprismatically arranged mirror plates,Ó and these are a characteristic feature of the kaleidoscope invented in 1816. He obviously assumed their presence in the exhibited device. The expression Òthe colours É are refracted in a thousand waysÓ suggests refraction, however this would have imaged the different colour compo.nents of the flowers at different spots in the eyes of the spectator, and thus would have resulted in distorted and blurred images of the flowers. Obvi.ously, refraction was confused with reflection.
Figure 59 shows a kaleidoscope assembled from three mirror plates (aluminium foil on polystyrene plates33. Obtained from Modulor GmbH (Berlin). For a qualitative demonstration of mirror effects, these polystyrene plates of 1 mm thickness, laminated with aluminium foil, can be used quite simply. They can be cut with plate-shears and mirror well, yet do not have such a perfectly smooth surface as mirror glass does. For a first-class kaleidoscope, glass mirrors should be used that have their metal layer upon, not below the glass plate.
) in form of a prisma on the left side. The photo on the right side was taken by a camera whose lens was inserted into one of the two openings of the kaleidoscope while a little artificial rose was lying inside on the paper that served to block the opposite opening. Simultaneously, an LED flashlight held close to the camera illuminated the interior of the prisma. Normally in kaleidoscopes, a chamber with transparent windows containing small multicoloured objects is fixed in front of the closed end, and the chamber is illuminated through this window, while the observer looks through the other opening of the kaleidoscope. In Figure 59, the focus of the camera was set in such a way that only the original rose and a few of its reflections in the neighbourhood were photographed. The original rose appears in the first row with complete triangles from above, and in the third complete triangle from the left, with the rows not running horizontally but inclined clockwise by about 10 degrees. In the next row below, the rose in the first triangle from the left is nearly invisible when the axis of vision is perpendicu.lar to the plane of triangles while the rose appears when this axis deviates from that orientation. The physical cause for this will be given below.
The multiplication of the rose results by reflections of higher order, i.e. mirror images of the original object (reflections of first order) are again reflected (reflections of second order) which can be reflected anew, and so on. The specific circumstances of the case determine how many reflections will be possible. These multiple consecutive reflections of moving objects at two or more mirrors, combined with a cylinder music box, were favourite show pieces of the 19th century delighting eyes and ears (Figure 60).
As early as the middle of the 17th century the director of the papal collections, Athanasius Kircher, had specified the number of reflections at two mirrors forming an angle of 360 degrees divided by n, where n is an integer, and with the position of the mirrored objects on the angle bisector.44. Athanasius Kircher, Ars magna lucis et umbrae (Rome, 1646), p. 890.
The theory of reflection of objects at two mirrors for any case was published first in a French scien.tific journal of 1850,55. M.A.Bertin, Sur les images multiples dÕun objet placŽ entre deux miroirs plans inclinŽs lÕun sur lÕautre [On the Manifold of Images of an Object placed between Two Mirrors forming an Angle], Annales de chimie et de physique, 3e sŽrie, Tome XXIX (Paris, 1850), p. 257.
where the author developed a graphical procedure for the easy determination of the number and position of the mirror images. The scheme of Figure 61 is valid for the case when the two mirrors form an angle of 60 degrees, as is the case in the kaleidoscope of Figure 59. Three real objects appear below the two bold lines indicating the mirrors. The full circles and their inscribed numbers indicate the position and the order of the reflections, the full semicircles their orientation. The circles of zeroth order are real objects. An object and its mirror image are equidistant from the mirror and lie on a straight line perpendicular to the mirror. Let us follow the series of mirror images in one representative case. The object on the angle bisector (blue/yellow, 0) is reflected at the left mirror, and its mirror image of the first order (blue/yellow, 1) appears to stand behind the left mirror. In the next step, this mirror image is reflected at the right mirror, because even an image located sideways in front of a mirror can be reflected. The resulting mirror image of the second order is indicated by the right circle of the two blue/yellow circles with the number 2. In the third step this mirror image is again mirrored at the left mirror creating mirror image 3 on top of the circle with the object and its mirror images. This image cannot be reflected at the right mirror once more because it is located at the back of the right mirror, or expressed differently, this mirror image sees the non-reflecting rear side of the right mirror. This means, the series of reflections is finite. The series of reflections proceeds correspond.ingly when the object is reflected first at the right mirror. The final mirror image of third order is generated exactly at the same place as that of the first series. The reflections of the two other objects (red/green and light blue/violet) can easily be understood according to the same principles.
As a general rule, it can be stated that with 360 degrees divided by n as the angle between the mirrors, and n being integer, the object appears n times, be it as original or mirror image, if n is even or the object located on the angle bisector. Else, the number of appearances of an object can be higher by one or two units, with non-integer n replaced by the next lower integer number.
Certain mirror images may be visible only in a small range of angles of sight. This phenomenon was explained in a publication of 1874 which also derived mathematical formulae for the posi.tions and number of mirror images.66. H. Klein, Ueber die Anzahl der Bilder bei zwei gegeneinander geneigten Planspiegeln [On the Number of Mirror Images at Two Plane Mirrors inclined against each other], Annalen der Physik und Chemie, Bd. 228 (Leipzig, 1874), p. 506.
The range of visibility is given by the two straight lines running through the mirror image and the edges of the mirror that created the mirror image. In Figure 61, these ranges of visibility are indicated in yellow for the image of third order generated by the left mirror. It is clear that this mirror image can only be observed in the left half of the 60 degree angle between the two mirrors, or the right half in the other series starting with reflection at the right mirror. In both cases there is a limit of visibility along the bisector of the 60-degree-angle. If the two mirrors do not fit perfectly, with a non-mirror.ing gap along their line of intersection, the mirror image of third order will not or only partially be visible when observed along the bisector. This is the case in Figure 59. The triangle with the real rose has three neighboured triangles that have only one vertex in common with the triangle of the real rose. In all these neighboured triangles the gaps between the mirrors (adhesive tape) is visible. The rose is not placed exactly on all three bisectors of its triangle, but only on the bisector starting at the common vertex with the left triangle. This left triangle contains the reflection of third order (see Figure 61), and thus the rose (nearly) disappears. When one of the three mirrors of the kaleidoscope is covered with white paper, just six triangles with one common vertex appear, corresponding to the blue/yellow part of Figure 61. When the third mirror is not covered, the image generated by the two other mirrors is reflected at the third mirror, and the reflections thus resulting are reflected again at the two other mirrors etc. so that an infinitely extended plane is generated.
ÒMissingÓ mirror images also exist in the case of the music box of Figure 60. Figure 62 shows the scheme of reflections for a configuration of two mirrors forming an angle of 100 degrees. Thirteen ballerinas are expected from the scheme, but only 11 can be seen in Figure 60 looking along the bisector of the angle, because the limits of visibility of the two blue/yellow mirror images of second order do not enclose the viewing direction. These two ÒmissingÓ mirror images will, however, be visible when the scene is viewed from the right or left corner of the stage with the ballerinas.
Quite a complicated arrangement of mirrors for a miniature ice-rink was presented in the U.S. patent 91437 of 1869 by Cordelia C. Hall (Figure 63). The numerous reflections could be viewed from above through the open arches. The patent specification mentioned that mirror arrangements with moving figures were already quite well known. A high multiplica.tion of figures by multiple reflection may often be desirable for keeping the number of mechanically moved figures as small as possible. Yet the construction of such a complicated system of mirrors as in Figure 63 is disadvantageous. According to the rule above, the number of mirror images (n) should be very high, when two mirrors are nearly parallel. Such an arrangement appears to have been the ÒIllusions-Musik-AutomatÓ exhib.ited by the Leipzig wholesaler Peters at the Leipzig Autumn Fair 1895,77. Zeitschrift fŸr Instrumentenbau (Leipzig, 1894-1895), p. 881.
and depicted in a catalogue of the choco.late factory Stollwerck of Cologne.88. Preisliste der Deutschen Automaten-Ge.sellschaft Stollwerck & Cie Kšln [Price List of the German Society for Slot-Machines, Stollwerck & Cie, Cologne], CD ÒHolzweissig & Zuleger Gro§handelskatalogeÓ [Holzweissig & Zuleger wholesaler catalogues], Musikmu.seum Werner Baus (Helsa-Eschenstruth near Kassel, 2016), p. 89.
According to the catalogue descrip.tion, the device had just two dancing dolls, yet a whole ballet company appeared to be present. The rather small optical show piece with a width of about 13 centimeters and a height of twice the width was incorporated in a large cabinet of 80 centimeters width and 240 centimeters height that was also equipped with a Swiss cylinder music box. Four vertical mirrors were arranged like the letter ÒMÓ with its middle part not drawn down to the bottom line. Between two nearly parallel door wings, opened towards the spectator, and covered inside with mirrors, there were two mirrors in the background inclined by 45 degrees to the door wings. The numerous mirror images of the door wings were reflected to the spectator by the two other mirrors. Just one dancer showed her art in each of the two corners formed by the mirrors.
Yet the ÒPalais des IllusionsÓ by architect E. HŽnard at the 1900 Paris World Exposition, carried it to extremes (Figure 64). The long colonnades are all mirror images except each first arch of the vaults, as the ground plan reveals (Figure 65). The exterior hallway was accessible only to the technical service workers. The interior hall had a diameter of 23 meters and could hold 1,000 people. The walls were completely covered by mirror plates of about 3 meters by 4 meters, 12 of them for each edge of the hexagon. In addition to the numer.ous sources of light in the hall (even the ÒcolumnsÓ could be illuminated from within with different colours), light streamed through six large floor openings bordered by low wooden walls. The performances of 10 minutes duration showed spectacular light effects, and finally a dance of artificial butterflies and dragon-flies with a span of 90 centimeters. This highlight of the exposition was observed by more than 22,000 people per day.99. Alfred Picard, Exposition universelle internationale de 1900 ˆ Paris. Rapport gŽnŽral administratif et technique, Tome troisime (Paris, 1903), p. 56.
A smaller mirror hall of the same kind exists still today in the waxworks MusŽe GrŽvin (Paris).
Athanasius Kircher already had a similar idea when he described and depicted a cabinet housed in Villa Borghese in Rome that was completely covered with mirrors inside (Figure 66). The cabinet was equipped with a barrel whose cross section was a regular polygon instead of a circle. The barrel could be turned so that one of the planes forming its surface was positioned opposite to the mirrors. Various small objects were fixed at these surfaces, and thus a few artificial miniature trees were turned into a wood, a few jewels into a treasury, and a few books into a library. Kircher proposed the princely readers of his book the construction of a room with 6 meter length and 4.50 meter height covered by mirrors that would provide unique apperceptions to persons walking inside.1010. Athanasius Kircher, op.cit., p. 895.

The Flower-Reflector-Manopan
The Flower-Reflector-Manopan was
depicted for the first time in a Musik-Instrumenten-Zeitung article reporting from the Berlin Autumn Fair 1894. This depiction can be found in Part III (Figure 45, right) of this series of articles on the Pietschmann firm of Berlin. A short time later, an adver.tisement appeared in Zeitschrift fŸr Instrumentenbau that also depicted the Flower-Reflector-Manopan (Figure 67, Page 35). The text on the Berlin Autumn Fair said:
3. The Reflector Ð Manopan
The Motor-Orchester just described is also manufactured in a variety called ÔReflektor-ManopanÕ. The accompanying instruments are replaced by a circular prismatic mirror in front of which a bunch of flowers or a coloured object rotates automatically so that a wonderful reflection of colours results. This effect can be doubled by increased exterior illumination, e.g. by placing a gas flame in front of the mirror. The instrument arranged in that style is excellently suited for shop-win.dows, for advertising, generally for attracting the public. The operation of the motor is the same as that of the Motor-Manopan I, and the common Manopan music M.A.B is used for this instrument. The 24 half-double reeds are made from best music steel and produce quite a strong trumpet-like sound, because the instrument is equipped with special resonating cavities. The dimensions are exactly as those of the Motor-Orchestrion.1111. Musik-Instrumenten-Zeitung (Berlin, 1893-1894), p. 948.

According to the above quoted description, the Motor-Orchestrion had a width of 66 centimeters (proba.bly measured at the inferior part of the cabinet). Thus, from the depiction, the diameter of the reflector between the exterior ends of the mirror segments can be estimated at 40 centimeters, and the diameter including the deco.rations of the exterior brim at 46 centimeters.
The text of the advertisement in Zeitschrift fŸr Instrumentenbau in Figure 67 does not give any details on the reflector, while the above quoted text from Musik-Instrumenten-Zei.tung mentions a Òcircular prismaticÓ mirror. This term that is contradictory in itself is not cleared up by the depiction of the reflector. The word ÒprismaticÓ was probably meant as Òkaleidoscope-likeÓ as in the report on the shop window of the Berlin music shop Tschentscher quoted at the beginning of Part IV of this series. In any case, it is clear from the text and the depiction that an artificial bunch of flowers rotated in the center of the reflector. The bunch of flowers could also be replaced by a multico.loured object that caused interesting reflections in the mirror. Because the reflector made the best effect when it was illuminated with a gas flame, neither the bunch of flowers nor the multicoloured object can have emitted light. The text of the utility model that Berlin Musical Instruments Factory was granted for the reflector is not helpful in fully explaining the mechanism:
No. 27980. Mechanical musical instrument with a reflector in whose center a bunch of flowers or something similar is mounted on a rotatable shaft. Berlin Musical Instruments Factory Inc, formerly Ch. F. Pietschmann & Sons in Berlin N., Brunnenstr. 25, 4. July 1894. Ñ B. 3015.1212. DRGM [Imperial German utility model], Zeitschrift fŸr Instrumentenbau (Leipzig, 1893-1894), p. 791.

The 23 segments of the reflector appear to lie in a plane, and to be sepa.rated by radial walls of small height perpendicular to the plane. The profile of each segment perpendicular to the radius of the reflector would thus be a rectangle without upper edge whose width increased with larger radius. In that case, the two radial walls enclos.ing each segment would form an angle of 360 degrees divided by 23. It is clear from the previous discussion of reflec.tion at two mirrors that an object on the angle bisector should appear 23 times by reflection at the two radial walls. Further reflections would result by a mirror on the bottom of each segment. Yet these mirror images would approach the intersection lines of the mirrors with increasing order of reflection. The opposite course from the center of the reflector to the outer end of the segments, as necessary for the flower-reflector, is not possible.
The assumption that the reflector might have had the form of a cone is suggested by the gramophones with the name ÒHeloisophonÓ that were sold by the firm Ludwig Bracker of Hanau (an industrial town 20 kilometers east of Frankfurt) from 1908.1313. Phonographische Zeitschrift (Berlin, 1908), p. 1049.
Their horns were designed like the reflector shown in Figure 68. A comparison of the flower-reflector of Berlin Musical Instruments Factory and of the Heloisophon of the firm Bracker (Figure 69) shows how similarly the segments of the reflectors with their interplay of light and shadow were drawn by the two artists so that an equal principle of construction appears to be present in both cases. In fact, such a device was patented with the name ÒKaleidoscopic LanternÓ by Frederick Hartmann in 1874 (U.S. patent No. 155085, Figure 70 left). The reflector, A, was illuminated by a burn.ing wick, E, and a small reflector, D. The wick was supplied with a combus.tible liquid from the area marked with a C. The parts, F, were coloured glass plates. In 1913, Karl Edison filed a patent for a device that was constructed essentially like the reflec.tor by Bracker but could additionally be rotated about a vertical axis (U.S. patent No. 1071900, Figure 70 right). Karl Edison had been granted a patent with a similar reflector moving back and forth already in 1912 (U.S. patent No. 1014958). While the reflector of the two patents of Karl Edison had single strip-like segments, the segments of the patent from 1874 consisted of several staggered parts, and this facetted design resulted in corre.spondingly more reflections. Each facet reflected the object forward to the spectator, the difference between these reflections being the individual sight of the object by the correspond.ing facet. These reflectors yield only reflections of first order from every segment. Reflections of higher order resulting from adjacent segments can be excluded, because the angles of inclination between the segments are too large. Reflections of higher order by segments on opposite sides of the cone are cut off by the reflected object on the axis of the cone.
Because there was hardly any hope of finding a surviving flower-reflector, a reconstruction was performed from paper, cardboard, the mirror foil on polystyrene plates above mentioned in connection with the kaleidoscope, and small textile roses. The recon.struction is approximately half as large as the historical original and has a diameter of 21 centimeters, the decorative white brim not taken into account (Figure 71, Page 38). The reflector has the form of a conus with an aperture of exactly 90 degrees so that all mirror images lie in one plane perpendicular to the axis of the cone and running through its apex. From the photo, it can therefore practically not be inferred that the reflector is a conus.
Wonder Lamps, Artificial Flames, and Displaying Peacocks
It appears that Berlin Musical Instruments Factory was not the only manufacturer who put an effective optical device of this kind on the market, but it probably was the first one. In 1899, Fabrik Leipziger Musik.werke filed the following model of utility:
No. 127508 Automatically or by other appropriate means driven mechanical musical instrument that images suitably mounted moveable or unmoved objects by a concave mirror. Factory of Leipzig Mechanical Musical Instruments formerly Paul Ehrlich & Co. Inc., Leipzig-Gohlis. 13. 12. 99. Ñ. F. 6291.1414. Zeitschrift fŸr Instrumentenbau (Leipzig, 1899-1900), p. 357.

This firm obviously exhibited a product with this device at the Leipzig Easter Fair 1900:
We first mention an automaton with images in form of a childrenÕs billards as one of the novelties. The objects are reflected at a mirror that is illuminated by a lamp in the evening. The effect is new and inventive.1515. Zeitschrift fŸr Instrumentenbau (Leipzig, 1899-1900), p. 492.

At the Leipzig Easter Fair 1903, the report from the stand of the orches.trion factory Franz Hanke & Co. of Berlin, 82 Chausseestr., said:
The major of the two mechanical musical instruments makes a great show by exhibiting a rich splendour of mirrors, gilding, paintings and electric bulbs. A female figure with a garland of small electric bulbs in the center niche moves to and fro, and is presented quite beautifully by mirror plates covering the walls of the niche, thus reflecting the figure multiply from all sides.1616. Zeitschrift fŸr Instrumentenbau (Leipzig, 1902-1903), p. 473.

The archive of Deutsches Museum in Munich possesses a catalogue of the firm Ludwig Bracker already mentioned above. Ludwig Bracker at Hanau on the river Main, 43 Hospi.talstr., was a factory for devices of illuminated advertising and for special illumination effects. The firm had three departments making Òwonder lampsÓ, gramophones with light effects, and wind-rotated advertising. The catalogue from 1910 with 30 profusely illustrated pages in black-and-white1717. Unfortunately, the text and the figures faded to light violet, probably by a treatment against mildew a few years ago. This could be brought back to near the original state by digital treatment of scans. An enclosed page of smaller dimension has been preserved in perfect state.
writes about the wonder lamps that corresponded to the flower-reflector, but had coloured light sources of their own:
It must be appreciated that the inventor of the Òcolour-reflecting wonder lampÓ has managed to combine the four basic principles for effective advertising, namely auto.matic mechanical movement, light, change of colours, and mirroring in quite an effective and perfect way. The resulting device is exceedingly impressive, and because its mecha.nism is an absolute enigma for the spectator, the advertising effect is further increased. It is simply impos.sible for the passer-by to not stop at a shop-window presenting a wonder lamp.1818. Ludwig Bracker, Hanau a. Main, Fabrik fŸr Lichtreklame-Apparate und Effektbeleuchtung [Factory for illuminated advertising and special illumination effects], catalogue (c. 1910), Archive of the Deutsches Museum, Munich, p. I.

The catalogue quotes from journals:
Now he looks up, and is dumb.founded with delight seeing this view that is beautiful beyond every imagination. On the reflector, there is a stream of vivid and multicoloured fire that spreads as in a kaleidoscope, always returns, and shows new beauty again. (Hamburg Trade and Export Journal) A phantastic play of colours is generated on the reflector, like in a kaleidoscope, that rolls by as if it were a stream of fire. (The Department Store, Berlin).1919. Ludwig Bracker, op.cit., p. II.

The firm delivered wonder lamps with rotation of the coloured lamp shade about a horizontal axis for electric bulbs, and with rotation of a ring-like shade around a vertically burning flame supplied with gas, petroleum, or acetylene. The heated gases from the flame turned the shade by means of a screw wheel. A gramo.phone with a shade of the latter kind is on exhibit in Deutsches Phonomu.seum St. Georgen in the Black Forest. The Bracker catalogue said that many thousand wonder lamps had already been delivered to all countries on earth in the course of the years. The reflectors had diameters from 15 to 64 centimeters, and cost from 33 to 115 Mark. One wonder lamp with a reflector of 18 centimeters diameter and illumination by flame was offered as Òtravel modelÓ.2020. Ludwig Bracker, op.cit., ÒModell 7Ó on an inserted smaller page.
Various models of shades were offered, mostly set with coloured glass chunks, but also painted with flowers, or made from blossom-like glass pieces mounted on a wire support. Figure 72 shows the wonder lamp of an orchestrion with blossoms directly painted onto the electric bulb.
Another light effect offered by Bracker was an artificial flame. A vertical glass cylinder was painted with the colours of fire, and rotated directly underneath a flat, irregularly indented, and horizontal glass star of fourfold diameter. A polished metal screen formed like a flame and of smaller diameter than the star was mounted above the latter. The flick.ering light movement in the glass star was reflected at this screen.
A special highlight of the Bracker series of products was depicted in the catalogue in front and side view and described in the following way:
One of the most beautiful light effect devices which is excellently suited for decoration of mechanical musical instruments consists of the body of a peacock, cast from zinc and painted in natural colours. The rear part of the peacock body cannot be seen from outside. It is an artistically painted glass shade in the form of a truncated cone. Illuminated from inside, its light is reflected by 17 radially arranged mirror facettes, thus presenting as many of the well-known wonderful feathers from the peacockÕs fan, the most beautiful and proudest feature of all birds. In a similar way as with the so-called orchestrion wonder lamps, the lamp shade is turned by a belt and pulley hidden behind the mounting board, thus moving the image on the reflec.tor (peacockÕs fan), and imitating the vibration of the feathers of the real peacock. Diameter of the reflector (peacockÕs fan) c. 50 cm, price 100 Mark.2121. Ludwig Bracker, op.cit., p. 6 (new page numbering in the chapter ÒWunderlampen fŸr MusikwerkeÓ).

Figure 73 shows such a peacock in an orchestrion of the firm Philipps. On the photo, the painted truncated cone of the lamp shade, which projects the peacockÕs feathers onto the reflector, can clearly be seen behind the front part of the peacockÕs body. It appears that a mechanical musical instrument with such a peacock was exhibited for the first time at the Leipzig Autumn Fair 1903 by the wholesaler Holzweissig:
In view of our preliminary report from the fair, we can wave a listing of the items exhibited. Instead, we would like to point out to just one extraordinary specialty of the firm, something exceedingly charming and new, that has been set up behind a locked door, withdrawn from the eyes of common people, in a specially arranged ground floor room. It is a large orchestrion, called ÒMusicaÓ which has been equipped with really charming light effects fascinating the spectator to such a degree that he would not like to turn away his eyes. É Ahead, at the front side, a black corrugated glass pane can be seen. When the instrument has been set in motion (electric drive and accumula.tor), suddenly a peacock in wonderful iridescent colours appears behind the black glass pane. The peacock moves and displays, then folds up his feathers again, and finally vanishes completely.2222. Zeitschrift fŸr Instrumentenbau (Leipzig, 1902-1903), p. 977.

Figure 74 shows the instrument, on the left image before the peacock appears, on the right during the peacockÕs appearance. This device could also be purchased as a pediment for automatic pianos in 1906.2323. Fabrik aller Arten Musikwaaren [Factory of Musical Merchandise of all Kind], Ernst Holzweissig Nachfolger, catalogue (Leipzig, 1906-1907), p. 31.
The English and French descriptions of the peacock in the Holzweissig cata.logue speak of reflection of colours, while the Spanish text describes it as a Òreal peacockÓ so that the peacock must have been present as a three-di.mensional object, not as an image. As the black and corrugated glass pane at the front side must have impaired the brilliance of the colours and presented blurred contours of the displaying peacock, the glass pane obviously had a certain important purpose, according to the conjecture of the author as the support of a one-way mirror (in German ÒVenetian mirrorÓ) functioning as an optical switch. By that device, a sudden change could be made between the view of the black glass plane and of the magnificent peacock, and thus an effect of surprise be brought about. A one-way mirror has a very thin layer of metal so that the incident light is partly reflected and partly transmitted. At the side of the mirror with the brighter light of the environment, the reflected light surpasses the light transmitted from the darker side in splendour so that just a reflecting plane can be seen. On the darker side, the opposite is true, i.e. on that side the objects present on the brighter side can be seen. At the locations of orchestrions in pubs, the light during the day was somewhat darker than outside, else the rooms were lightened by lamps. With the thin layer of metal on the inner side of the glass pane, the reflected light from outside had to cross the black glass pane twice. Thus, if a reduction of light to half its intensity is assumed by one crossing of the pane, the total reduction of the mirrored light is one quarter, whereas the light transmitted from inside is only reduced to half which thus surpassed the outside light in splendour. In September 1902, one year before the Leipzig Fair at which the peacock orchestrion was shown for the first time, the U.S. patent No. 720877 was filed. It described the simple preparation of a one-way mirror with a reflecting tin layer for window advertising. The advertise.ment mounted inside behind the mirror was made visible at the outside by switching on lamps present inside. As a much later further development of the black and corrugated glass pane, the U.S. patent No. 3280701 of 1966 described a one-way mirror, both sides of which were covered by a material whose transparency could be switched at will. Thus, an auto mirror for the windscreen could be created that could be switched either as window forward or as rear mirror for all lighting conditions.
The firm Philipps of Frankfurt sold the model 47 of their Pianella orches.trions with the light effect device ÒPeacockÓ without a black glass pane.2424. Philipps Pianella-Orchestrions, elektrische Klaviere, Reproductions-Klaviere, Pianetta-Walzen.werke, catalogue of the firm Philipps (Frankfurt am Main, after 1910), p. 36.
It might be possible that the orchestrion ÒMusicaÓ originated from Philipps as an early model, because the firm was not present at the Leipzig Fair, neither in autumn 1903 nor at Easter 1904 when the orchestrion was offered by the wholesaler Holzweissig according to the reports in Zeitschrift fŸr Instrumentenbau. In addition, the firm Philipps filed a utility model in 1904 that could have described the peacock or a similar device:
DRGM 228092. Mechanical musical instrument with projection device mounted in the rear, by which mechanically moved images are projected onto an appropriate area of the front side of the instrument. J. D. Philipps, Frankfurt a/M., Solmsstr. 9. 24/5 04. Ð P. 9082.2525. Patentblatt (Berlin, 1904), p. 998.

Because a large part of the produc.tion of Philipps was sold by the firm Wurlitzer in the United States, several surviving orchestrions with the peacock can be found there in collec.tions today. In most cases the peacock devices were missing when the instru.ments were bought by responsible merchants or collectors for the first time. In one case, however, the painted lamp shade was essentially preserved allowing the device to be recon.structed for instruments where it was missing (Figure 73). This particular instrument is the only one presently in the U.S. that was originally located in Europe (Belgium). Cases, electric components, and percussion instru.ments were made by Wurlitzer in the USA except during the initial period of importation from Germany.2626. Terry Hathaway, The Philipps Pianella and The Wurlitzer PianOrchestra, <> read on 5 August 2018.
The light effect ÒPeacockÓ with the black glass pane was also available from Holzweissig for 300 Mark as pediment for electric pianos.2727. Fabrik aller Arten Musikwaaren, Ernst Holzweissig Nachfolger, historical catalogue, (Leipzig, 1906-1907), p. 32.
Because approx.imately the tenfold sum would be the price in Euro today, Philipps offered a cheaper version of the peacock device with their Pianella model No. 41. A lamp in the interior illuminated small openings in the wooden feathers of a peacock in changing colours2828. Philipps Pianella-Orchestrions, elektrische Klaviere, Reproductions-Klaviere, Pianetta-Walzen.werke, catalogue of the firm Philipps (Frankfurt, after 1910), p. 28.
(Figure 75). Figure 76 shows the more elabo.rate version of the displaying peacock in the model 47.
Acknowledgments
The Author is much obliged to the two collectors B. Bronson (USA) and R. HŠfele (Austria) for their kind interest and photos that were made especially for this article. The merchants and restorers James Free.man (London), and D. C. Ramey (USA) obligingly permitted the free use of photos already published on the inter.net. The Author is indebted to Werner Baus in Helsa near Kassel, founding member of the German Society for Automatic Musical Instruments, for images from historical catalogues by Holzweissig and Stollwerck that are stored on a CD sold by him. Two images and further useful information originate from Bibliothque nationale de France Ð Gallica (Paris), and one image from Max Planck Institute for the History of Science (Berlin). The State Library of Berlin Ð Foundation Prussian Cultural Possessions, Music Department with Mendelssohn Archive permitted the free use of mate.rial from Musik-Instrumenten-Zeitung for this article. The State Library of Berlin also has digitized the Berlin Stock Exchange Journal, the Berliner Tageblatt (Berlin Daily), both search.able (OCR) from the online library Europeana, and the Phonographische Zeitschrift. In addition to historical lists of patents and utility models, a variety of literature could be viewed at the library of Deutsches Museum in Munich. The patent specifications are accessible in the data bank Depatisnet of the German Patent Office (Munich). Above all, thanks go to the Staatliches Institut fŸr Musikforschung (State Institute for Music Research) in Berlin Ð Foundation Prussian Cultural Possessions, the Munich Digitization Center at the Bavarian State Library, and the German Research Council for the online issue of Zeitschrift fŸr Instrumentenbau, from which numerous images were reproduced (license CC BY-NC-SA 4.0, https://simpk.de/zeitschrift_fuer_instrumen.tenbau_818.html).

Figure 59 Left: A kaleidoscope made from three mirror plates (6 centimeters by 32 centimeters). Right: the image as it appears through one opening of the kaleido.scope while a small artificial rose made of satin lies on the paper that closes off the other end. Only the reflections near to the original rose are photographed with an appropriate focus. The complete pattern generated by the kaleidoscope is an infinitely extended plane seamlessly composed by triangles. The sides of the tri.angles were digitally redrawn on the photo for emphasis. (Photos: Author. Rose: ÒDeko-StreuÓ of the drugstore chain Rossmann, made in China).

Figure 60: Historical cylinder music box with ballet dancers, copyright Vincent Freeman Antiques, specialist in 19th Century Music Boxes, 354 Upper Street, London N1 0PD, with kind permission. Photo digitally edited by the author. The curtain is not a part of the instrument and just served for hiding the camera and the
photographer. Further images and a video at https://www.vincentfreemanantiques.com/cylinder-music-box/conchon-0.

Figure 62: The limits of visibility of the second-order reflections (blue/yellow, 2) of an object (blue/yellow, 0) on the bisector of a 100 degree angle formed by the two mirrors.

Figure 61: Scheme for the determination of the mirror images with two mirrors forming an angle of 60 degrees (Drawing by the author).

Figure 63 From the U.S. Patent No. 91437 (1869) for a miniature ice-rink covered inside with mirrors.

Figure 64: Contemporary photograph of the Palais des Illusions at the Paris World Exposition 190011. Maurice Baschet and Neurdein frres, Le Panorama: Exposition universelle 1900 (Paris, 1900), no page numbers, Le palais des illusions, https://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/btv1b53023926s/f220.item.
(Bibliothque nationale de France Ñ Gallica).

Figure 65: Ground plan of the Palais des Illusions11. Le GŽnie civil, vol. XXXVII, no. 14 (Paris, 1900), p. 251.
(Bibliothque nationale de France Ñ Gallica).

Figure 67: The Flower-Reflector-Manopan in an autumn 1894 advertisement of Zeitschrift fŸr Instrumentenbau.11 Zeitschrift fŸr Instrumentenbau (Leipzig, 1894-1895), p. 128.
The text says: ÒSensational Novelty! Patented Motor Manopan, self-playing, by safe hot air motor. Plays for unlimited time, no wind.ing-up necessary as with musical boxes and orchestrions, ready to play by simple lighting of the flame. No smell, no soot, no smoking. Loud music, replacement for orchestrion and dance band. Most rugged construction. The reeds of the instrument are made from steel, the bearings from metal, bellows without cardboard. Our com.mon Manopan music is used. Each instrument can also be played without motor by a crank. The Motor-Manopan in the automaton variety only plays after insertion of a coin (patent pending) for a certain predetermined time. The Motor-Manopan is deliv.ered as Concert-Motor, Motor-Orchester with drum, bass drum, and bell, piece of effect! Ð Flower-Reflector Ð piece of effect!, and as Organ-Motor with genuine organ pipes. Demand prospects and price list from Berlin Musical Instruments Factory, formerly Ch. F. Pietschmann & Sons, Berlin, Brunnenstr. 25. Biggest and oldest fac.tory of accordeons and mechanical musical instruments. Permanent exhibition and specimen storage at Ritterstra§e 84, ground floor.Ó

Figure 66: The ÒTheatrum catoptri.cumÓ described by Athanasius Kircher11. Athanasius Kircher, op.cit., Iconismus XXXII Ð Folio 892.
(Library of the Max-Planck-Institute for the History of Science, Berlin, http://echo.mpiwg-berlin.mpg.de/MPIWG:9WZNM3XV, licence CC-BY-SA).

Figure 68: Left, gramophone ÒParlophonÓ with horn in form of a reflector. Right, reflector and rotating lamp shade with multicoloured glass openings at daylight (© R. HŠfele, Austria, with kind permission).

Figure 69: Left, flower-reflector of Berlin Musical Instruments Factory11. Musik-Instrumenten-Zeitung (Berlin, 1893-1894), p. 947.
(with kind per.mission: State Library of Berlin Ð Prussian Cultural Possessions, Music Department with Mendelssohn Archive). Right, section from an advertisement of the firm Ludwig Bracker of Hanau22. Phonographische Zeitschrift (Berlin, 1909), p. 287.
(State Library of Berlin Ð Prussian Cultural Possessions, www.dig.itale-sammlungen.de/index.html?c=sammlung&projekt=1386147579&l=en&l=de, licence CC BY-NC-SA 4.0).

Figure 70: Left, U.S. patent No. 155085 (1874) by Frederick Hartmann. For the mean.ing of the letters see text. Right, U.S. patent No. 1071900 (1913) by Karl Edison.

Figure 71: Left, reconstruction of the flower-reflector by the author. Right, bunch of flowers on the axis of the reflector cone. (Photos: Author). See also the video accompanied by ÒRoses from the SouthÓ by Johann Strauss in an arrangement for organ by the author (music recorded from Midi with Winamp and Microsoft GS Wavetable). Visit https://youtu.be/SNSbGPzTLZ8 to watch the video.

Figure 72: Wonder lamp of the orches.trion Imhof & Mukle Badenia II (© D. C. Ramey Piano Company, Restorers and Manufacturers of Automatic Musical Instruments, Marysville OH 43040, USA, http://dcramey.com/index.html, with kind permission).

Figure 73: Peacock of a Pianella orchestrion of the firm Philipps, Frankfurt on the Main (© B. Bronson, Dundee, MI, with kind permission).

Figure 74: Orchestrion ÒMusicaÓ of the firm Holzweissig (1903),11. Fabrik aller Arten Musikwerke und Musik-Automaten, Ernst Holzweissig Nachfolger (Leipzig, 1903-1904), CD ÒHolzweissig & Zuleger Gro§han.delskatalogeÓ, Musikmuseum Werner Baus (Helsa-Eschenstruth, 2016), p. 47 und 48.
left without, right with illumination of the peacock in the niche behind the black corrugated glass pane.

Figure 75: Top, the Pianella model 47 with peacock and two wonder lamps. Bottom, the Pianella model 41 with simplified construction of the peacock by holes in the feathers that were illuminated with changing colours from within. From a historical catalogue of the firm Philipps of Frankfurt (Germany).

Figure 76: Displaying peacock of a Pianella orchestrion from the firm Philipps (© B. Bronson, Dundee (MI), USA, with kind permission).

This article previously appeared in Das Mechanische Musikinstrument, vol. 135 (August 2019), p. 9-18. It is reprinted here with the kind permission of the author and the German Society for Self-Playing Musical Instruments.

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?
Answer these questions and you will have the perfect story for ÒThe HuntÓ column in Mechanical Music.
Editing help is available if you have a story, but you are not sure how to organize it or present it. The important thing is to write it down and pass it on for the enjoyment of others.
Email your story to editor Russell Kasselman at
editor@mbsi.org or mail a copy to:
MBSI Editorial Offices
130 Coral Court
Pismo Beach, CA 93449

The Hunt

Lake Michigan Chapter

Chapter Chair: Mark Pichla
Reporter: Marty Persky
Photographers: Aaron Muller
and Sandy Persky
Sept. 30, 2023 Ð Chicago, Lincolnwood, Park Ridge & Des Plaines, IL
All Lake Michigan Chapter meetings since December 2020 were held at the Sanfilippo Estate, meaning our chapter has not visited other member collections in quite some time. So, we decided to catch up using what we called a ÒWhirlwind Tour and luncheon meeting.Ó It was an 18-mile sweep starting on the north side of Chicago, IL, and ending in the northwest suburbs. The schedule afforded only 50 minutes at each of four member collections. This enabled hosts to join the tour when they were not showing their collection.
Touring started at the beautiful.ly-renovated home of James Huffer. Spread over two stories, his collection primarily focuses on coin pianos
and orchestrions. A Stickley cased Farrand Cecillian piano with LX player system looks quite proper in the living room. Among the other instruments are a Mills Violano, Seeburg KT with dancing girl art glass and a Cremona G with flute pipes, music boxes and phonographs. His collection also includes a Rockola jukebox.
Next was the Persky home where a Regina changer with clock was set to play a new disc every half hour and the 14-bell Regina hall clock played a tune before striking the hour. The first member through the door was music box restorer Alan Godier from London. He was in the United States to work on Margaret Bisberg and Richard VanMetreÕs collection. Alan headed directly to the back room for a hands-on inspection of Charles PaillardÕs 1874 U.S. Patent model for Sublime Harmony.
Most of the guests walked with Marty through the house as Sandy greeted later arrivals. Three hand-cranked instruments with automata and a music box with singing bird were played.
How quickly 50 minutes passes! After playing only two of the cylinder music boxes in the dining room, time was up and the group never made it to the second floor to see the instru.ments there. Not to worry, though, there will be opportunities for return visits to each of the collections at future chapter meetings.
Our third stop was at the original location of Lou MalnatiÕs, a Chica.go-style pizza mainstay for more than 50 years. Two hours were scheduled for lunch and business meeting. The menu included beverages and Malna.tiÕs signature salad followed by three deep-dish and one thin crust pizza varieties. After we finished the meal, there was plenty of pizza to be boxed up for the hosts as well as a few happy members.
Chapter chair Mark Pichla called the meeting to order. The primary business at the meeting was plan.ning for the 2025 joint MBSI/AMICA convention which will be held over Labor Day weekend. We are fortunate in that there is significant overlap between our chapter and the Chica.go-area AMICA chapter membership. A key player in the upcoming planning will be one of our tour hosts, Marga.ret Bisberg, who is president of the AMICA chapter.
Following lunch, we visited Marga.ret and RichardÕs home. In their living room is a 1926 Steinway XR Duo-Art and a variety of music boxes including an exquisite four-overture forte piano with 161/2-inch by 31/2-inch diameter cylinder, an Orphenion and a 203/4-inch Regina Dragonfront changer. Music boxes occupy most rooms in the house. The kitchen is where MargaretÕs motherÕs serpentine 151/2-inch Regina resides. An 181/2-inch New Century Shifter is in the dining room, an 181/2-inch Empress is on the third level and various fine cylinder boxes are seen throughout the house.
The last home on the tour was that of Mark and Barbara Weyna and their son, Nick. Coin pianos and orchestri.ons include a Wurlitzer BX, a Pianino with flute and violin pipes, Wurlitzer 103 and Wurlitzer 104 band organs, a Western Electric Mascot and a Mills Violano. Downstairs is an amazing arcade of coin-ops and pinball machines dating from the 1930s through the present day. Both Mark and Nick are experts in the restoration and history of these machines as well as the design of new machines. This being the last tour, the Weynas invited members to stay, which some happily accepted.

Host James Huffer with Carol Veome by the Stickley Farrand.

Members discuss James HufferÕs Seeburg KT and Mills Violano.

Chapter Chair Mark Pichla and Chapter Secretary Beverly Chatfield pose with the Stickley Farrand.

Marty Persky demonstrates the Regina 335 Autochanger.

Chapter members discuss the 2025 MBSI/AMICA joint convention before lunch is served at Lou MalnatiÕs.

A 241/2-inch Polyphon and Regina Hall Chime Clock with the Persky dining room table set for the day.

The usual suspects plus a few rarities in the Persky library.

Margaret Bisberg playing the four-overture Forte Piano cylin.der box.

Margaret Bisberg Playing the Regina 203/4-inch Dragonfront changer.

Mel Septon and Alan Godier pose by the four-overture Forte Piano.

Richard VanMetre at the Orphenion.

Far left: Mark Weyna opening the Pianino.
Middle: Mark Weyna in his pinball arcade.
Above: Ken Carlson checking out MargaretÕs Regina 27-inch as Mark Pichla watches from afar.

Mary Jo Bopp

Mary Jo Bopp, wife of Ron Bopp, passed away on the morning of Sept. 6, 2023, after a prolonged neurological illness following cardiac surgery in May 2022. She is survived by her husband of 43 years, Ron (Jon Ronald Bopp, M.D.), as well as three daughters: Kelly Williams Goldin and her husband Mark, Kimberely Bopp Tiregol, Kristi Bopp Harper, and a son, Jason Bopp and his wife, Amy. Additionally, there are nine grandchildren.
She retired to Florida in 2008 previously working as an obstetrical/office nurse. Mary Jo was active with the Sara.sota Shell Club, as membership secretary; as secretary of the Carousel Organ Association of America; she was active in the Grand Lake Sail and Power Squadron, acting as Bridge Officer; she was a past member of ESA sorority; and a member of the All Angels Episcopal Church in Longboat Key, FL.
She loved outdoor activities with her husband, including kayaking and going RVing with friends. She was a crafter, especially with seashells, and participated in the yearly Sarasota Shell Show. As a result of her interest in seashells, she won several top awards at shell shows, including the coveted Conchologists of America Award, and the du Pont Trophy. She loved to travel and along with her husband, Ron, made multiple tri-annual trips to Europe to see and listen to mechanical music. Prior to her illness, she partic.ipated in several organ rallies each year, many of which were out-of-state. She and Ron were awarded the MBSI TrusteesÕ Award in 1996 for outstanding contributions to the field of automatic music.
She loved animals and was a foster mother to several dogs and cats including Gracie, a Golden Retriever, and Jamie and Cyndy, two house cats. The family asks those who wish honor Mary Jo to donate to the Wounded Warrior Project or the Sarasota Shell Club.

Ron and Mary Jo Bopp at the 2021 MBSI Annual Meeting pro.moting a Bumbling Bruder tour.

Mary Jo Bopp shows guests how to crank the Verbeeck organ during a Southeast Chapter meeting in 2017.

Our Condolences
MBSI has learned that the following members have passed away:
Richard and Nancy Hales of Vacaville, CA

FOR SALE
RESTORED MUSICAL BOXES Offering a variety of antique musical boxes, discs, orphan cylinders, reproducing piano rolls & out of print books about mechanical music. BILL WINEBURGH 973-927-0484 Web: antiquemusicbox.us
THE GOLDEN AGE of AUTOMATIC MUSI.CAL INSTRUMENTS By ART REBLITZ. Award-winning classic that brings historical, musical, and technical information to life with hundreds of large, vivid color photos. We guarantee youÕll find it to be one of the most interesting, inspiring, informative books you have in your libraryÐor your money back. Everyone has been delighted, and some readers have ordered several copies. Get your copy today for $99 plus S/H. MECHANI.CAL MUSIC PRESS-M, 70 Wild Ammonoosuc Rd., Woodsville, NH 03785. (603) 747-2636.
http://www.mechanicalmusicpress.com
PAILLARD INTERCHANGEABLE CYLINDER BOX with 6 cylinders, 6 tuned bells, fitted on original table. This instrument is in excellent mechanical condition and sounds beautiful. Price: $22,500. Contact JOSEPH SIGMON, at jkentsigmon@gmail.com or 828.381.9048
WURLITZER 104 BAND ORGAN w/drums. Unit came from Playland Park in SpringField Township Ohio. Trailer is 5X8 feet , Honda Generator EU2000. Height is 87 inches, weight is 1400 Lbs. Serial # 3420. Comes with a Battery Powered Motorized Trailer Caddy. Comes with 2 High output bubble machines. Plays Wurlitzer 125 Music, MIDI with SD cards. 2 sets of light weight slide in PVC panels. Price $15,000. BOB STANOSZEK 330-467-8271 or cell 216-217-2860
OTTO ACCORDION build by the Dave Miner Company, cabinet made out of solid cherry wood with Stainglass in the upper and lower parts of cabinet. Machine plays off of a G roll. Instruments are bass drum with 3 beaters, small drum with 2 beaters, wood block, xylophone, a very high quality Accordion. Has a set of swell shutters built into the cabinet. Willing to sell at a great loss for $8000. LARRY REECE (763) 442-6121
MARVELS OF MECHANICAL MUSIC – MBSI Video. Fascinating and beautifully-made film which explains the origins of automatic musical instruments, how they are collected and preserved today, and their historic importance, MBSI members and collections are featured. $20 USD. Free shipping in the continental U.S. Additional postage charges apply for other locations. Purchase now at www.mbsi.org
SERVICES
REPRODUCTION POLYPHON discs; Cata.logs available for 19 5/8Ó, 22 1/8Ó, and 24 1/2Ó. DAVID CORKRUM 5826 Roberts Ave, Oakland, CA 94605-1156, 510-569-3110,
www.polyphonmusic.com
SERVICES
SAVE $Õs on REUGE & THORENS MUSIC BOX REPAIR & RESTORATION Ð MBSI MEMBERS RECEIVE WHOLESALE PRICING. 40 + Years experience servicing all makes & models of cylinder and disc music boxes, bird boxes, bird cages, musical watches, Anri musical figurines, et al. All work guaranteed. WeÕre the only REUGE FACTORY AUTHORIZED Parts & Repair Service Center for all of North America. Contact: DON CAINE – The Music Box Repair Center Unlimited, 24703 Pennsyl.vania Ave., Lomita, CA 90717-1516. Phone: (310) 534-1557 Email: MBRCU@AOL.COM. On the Web: www.musicboxrepaircenter.com

THE MARTTHE MART

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 busi.ness 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 busi.ness dealings with said advertisers.

Photos are only $30 extra per issue. Email editor@mbsi.org or call (253) 228-1634 for more details.

Display Advertisers

2……….Renaissance Antiques
57……..Paul Baker .Ñ Estate of Chet Ramsay
58……..American Treasure Tour
58……..Automata Magazine
58……..NAWCC
59……..Porter Music Box Company
60……..MBSGB
60……..Mechanical Organ and Clock Works
61……..Nancy Fratti Music Boxes
63……..Music Box Restorations
67……..Marty Persky
68……..Breker Auctions

ORDER EXTRA COPIES
The 2022-2023 Directory of Members, Museums and Dealers is only $10 for members. (International shipping is extra)
Call MBSI Administrator Jacque Beeman at (417) 886-8839 or send a check to:
Musical Box Society International
P.O. Box 10196
Springfield, MO 65808-0196

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
$382.50

Full Page
7.25Ó x 9.75Ó
$290
$261
$246.50

Half Page
7.25Ó x 4.5Ó
$160
$144
$136

Quarter Page
3.5Ó x 4.5Ó
$90
$81
$76.50

Eighth Page
3.5Ó x 2.125Ó
$50
$45
$42.50

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

ALL ADS MUST BE PREPAID
We accept VISA/MC and PayPal.
ADVERTISING SPECS:
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.

$10 for members. (International extra) Call (417) 886-8839

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

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

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

MBSI Editorial Office:
Iron Dog Media
130 Coral Court
Pismo Beach, CA 93449
editor@mbsi.org
SUBMIT ADS TO:
MBSI Ads
130 Coral Court
Pismo Beach, CA 93449
(253) 228-1634
Email: editor@mbsi.org
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.

CALENDAR OF EVENTS

Date
Event
Location
Sponsor

July 3-7, 2024
MBSI Annual Meeting
Los Angeles, CA
Southern California Chapter
Joint with AMICA

Send in your information by Dec. 1, 2023, for the January/February 2024 issue.
Ask your questions on our Facebook discussion group Ñ search for the Music Box Society Forum.

Please send dates for the Calendar of Events to 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) 576-4280
jbeeman.mbsi@att.net
Regina Certificates: Cost $10.
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
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

CHAPTERS

East Coast
Chair: Elise Low
(203) 457-9888
Dues $5 to Roger Wiegand
281 Concord Road
Wayland, MA 01778
or pay via PayPal, send to
treasurer.eccmbsi@gmail.com
Golden Gate
Chair: Judy Caletti
jeeperjudy@gmail.com
Dues $5 to Dave Corkrum
5826 Roberts Ave.
Oakland, CA 94605
Japan
Chair: Naoki Shibata
81-72986-1169
naotabibito396amb@salsa.ocn.ne.jp
Treasurer: Makiko Watanabe
makikomakiko62@yahoo.co.jp
Lake Michigan
Chair: Mark Pichla
(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: Ken Gordon
(301) 469-9240
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
Temp Chair: Dan Wilson
(919) 740-6579
musicboxmac@mac.com
Dues $10 to Dan Wilson
4804 Latimer Road
Raleigh, NC. 276099
Snowbelt
Chair: Tracy Tolzmann
(651) 674-5149
Dues $5 to Bill Nunn
2825 Willow Drive
Hamel, MN 55340
Southeast
Chair: Jim Kracht
305-251-6983
Dues $5 to Bob Yates
1973 Crestview Way Unit 147
Naples, FL 34119
Southern California
Chair: Robin Biggins
(310) 377-1472
Dues $10 to Franne Einberg
10524 Blythe Ave
Los Angeles CA 90064
Sunbelt
Chair: Vacant
Dues $10 to Diane Caudill
14015 Spindle Arbor Road
Cypress, TX. 77429

CHAPTERS

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