Recently the Volo Auto Museum in Volo, Illinois added a new building featuring a beautiful carousel surrounded by vintage penny arcade machines and mechanical music machines. This is the first public display to be organized in many years. I am the main consultant on this project. The music machines are on loan from me. Most are operated by tokens. To many visitors, this is their favorite building!
There is a beautiful 1908 Stein & Goldstein carousel that resides in Central Park in New York City. In the historic carousel resides an A. Ruth & Sohn Style 33 carousel band organ made in Waldkirch, Germany. The carousel organ is a prime example of MECHANICAL MUSIC! Years ago the Lenox Lyceum Skating Rink which was just off Central Park featured a 110 key Gavioli which provided music for the [...]
Cremona Coin Piano with Xylophone Beautiful Cremona Coin Piano with Xylophone. Cremona made some of the prettiest coin pianos and this is one of them! It is in nice playing condition and plays the well arranged “A” rolls which are easy to get. The art glass on this piano is especially nice. The xylophone was a later addition and is very well made. All in all this affordable priced [...]
Do you own a tourism location? You do have a perfect location for a music machine especially a coin operated coin piano or orchestrion! On a recent trip I visited various western themed gift shops, restaurants, ice cream parlors, etc. and informed them about vintage coin pianos for their location. Nearly all had no idea that such instruments exist! They were excited to learn about mechanical music and the profitable potential [...]
Stop! Before you buy a violin playing music machine, have you ever heard a beautifully restored Hupfeld Phonoliszt Violina? Your answer is probably no. This is especially true for many coin-op collectors. Other violin playing machines are mere novelties when compared to the Phonoliszt Violina. The Hupfeld Violina is known for beautiful and well arranged music. The piano has a much broader range and plays with reproducing piano expression. The violins [...]
It pays to have advice before you buy at an Auction especially if you are new to these items. I am here to educate you. It is so easy to get caught up in the auction atmosphere. Let my years of experience and encyclopedic knowledge work for you on these items. Shorten your learning curve by consulting with me first before you buy so that you do not make a costly [...]
Many enthusiasts, appraisers, and museums regularly seek my advise on mechanical musical instruments. You need advice especially if the item is expensive or unique. Take the time to contact me. All consultation is confidential. Do your due diligence!
Announcing a GREAT Source for New Coin Piano and Orchestrion Rolls! John Motto-Ros is known by many mechanical music enthusiasts as the affable President of the Automatic Musical Instrument Collector's Association or AMICA. He has a passion for coin pianos. An extension of the passion is his desire to have fine orchestrion and coin piano rolls recut. They are cut on a state of the art perforator which literally makes them [...]
No! What is most important is knowledge of the item, its history, and its condition. Not every dealer has a firm foundation in the mechanics and history of a piece of mechanical music or has worked in a prominent restoration shop as I have. Their lack of expertise will result in you making a bad purchase decision. Not every dealer understands music and is a trained musician as I am. I [...]
To most people mechanical music is an unknown. Exposure and education are key to generating interest. A person can literally go their whole lifetime without being exposed to mechanical music. As many of you know, I have put on display at restoration locations, public festivals, libraries, and conventions instruments that give a three dimensional experience of representative examples of mechanical music which creates demand for the instruments I sell. Nothing excites [...]