Dear MMD's,  An auction of about 200 items of mechanical music
instruments, automatas, phonos, coin-operated and gambling machines
will take place in Chartres (one hour west of Paris, France, by car or
by train) on December 10th, starting at 2 p.m.  On the previous day,
Saturday, there will be a large auction of circa 500 dolls).

Amidst the most interesting items, you will find :

- several good books (a copy of Chapuis, Histoire de la Boite a
musique, 1955),

- a very fine early musical clock base (22,6 cm four tunes cylinder,
teeth by groups of 4),

- a good 20 inches 3/4 disc Regina music box (cupola cover)

- a rare and large Kalliston Pankalon organette (see Bowers p 749)

- many other organettes

- Several portable barrel organs, some old, some from contemporary
makers such as Andre Odin

- Several mechanical pianos, amidst them a very interesting vertical
portable Amelotti in almost original condition

- two singing bird cages, and a three singing birds bush by Bontems

- many automatas by Vichy, Lambert, Decamps, Jaf, one of them being the
famous "Peasant feeding his pig", by Vichy.

Although time is now very short till December 10th, catalogues (price
50 FF each) may be ordered directly at the Galerie de Chartres auction
house at email address <galeriedechartres@wanadoo.fr>

As I act as consultant for mechanical music instruments in this
auction, you may e-mail me for complementary information (but not for
catalogues!) to <rouille@cnam.fr>.

Thanks to the fine contributions of Joyce Brite and Robbie Rhodes
(many thanks and congratulations to them for their beautiful work!),
the whole catalogue may be seen (in French and English) on the MMD
web site.

Best regards from France,

Philippe Rouille  (Paris, France)
http://www.cnam.fr/museum/musica_mecanica/

 [ The French text, with an introduction in English and links to the
 [ photo images, is already posted.  I hope to finish the English text
 [ with imbedded photos tomorrow.
 [
 [ The files are temporarily at http://mmd.foxtail.com/Events/  but
 [ they will soon be moved to  http://mmd.foxtail.com/Auctions/
 [
 [ As in previous years, after the auction Philippe will provide a
 [ list of the prices paid; this is an important valuation source
 [ for MMDers.  Merci beaucoup, Philippe!  :-)
 [
 [ -- Robbie