[ Nate Otto wrote in 190709 MMDigest:

> Hello, I am working on a Coinola Midget Orchestrion that sadly is
> missing its art glass and therefore is quite drafty!

Hi Nate,  On Friday, March 29th, 2019, Donley Auction Services of
Union, Illinois, auctioned this Coinola Midget upper front panel
including the art glass, as part of an auction of instruments, parts,
and other items.  It sold for $100.00 (plus buyer's premium, I think).
Here's the sale listing:

https://www.proxibid.com/Art-Antiques-Collectibles/Glass-Pottery/Antique-Piano-Nickelodean-Art-Glass-Panel/lotInformation/47235608 

I'm also cc'ing MMD on this in the hopes that the buyer of this item
is on MMD and will come forward if they want to sell to you.  I don't
know who this was.

All the other Midgets I've personally seen or heard of still have the
original art glass panel, so either the seller bought this for a "rainy
day" (parts for a future project) and thus could hopefully sell to you
for your project, or perhaps they are working on another unknown-to-me
Midget needing the upper front panel.  Either way, it would be fun to
find out!

I have seen photos of the Midget on which you are working and it's
a very rare early model with the 61-note back, before they started
assigning letter designations to the Midget styles such as "A", "X",
"F", "V", "K", and "O".

I think yours was either called a Midget style "3" or "4" as per an
early Music Trade Review or Presto article about the midget circa
1917-18, similar to this article (still searching for my saved copy
of the article mentioning the early numbered Midget models):

https://mtr.arcade-museum.com/MTR-1917-65-13/49/ 

The first few early Midget models were apparently numbered 1 through
4 (or 5?).  The switch from Midget number to letter designations may
have coincided with the introduction of the later 66-note Midget piano
in the 1920s...  or not, I'm not sure.

I do know the Midget "O" model, as such, wasn't introduced until 1925,
as per this MTR blurb here from March 7, 1925, pg. 32 (Vol. 80, No. 10):

https://mtr.arcade-museum.com/MTR-1925-80-10/34/ 

Andrew Barrett

P.S.: The same buyer(?) also bought a Peerless Elite upper front panel
with glass at the same sale.  There are probably around 10 or more
Elites around and I hope this panel has found its way to a piano needing
it!:

https://www.proxibid.com/Art-Antiques-Collectibles/Glass-Pottery/Antique-Peerless-Elite-Nickelodean-Art-Glass-Panel/lotInformation/47235621 

 [ http://www.mmdigest.com/Attachments/19/07/22/190722_011706_Coinola_Midget_298_1.jpg 
 [ http://www.mmdigest.com/Attachments/19/07/22/190722_011706_Coinola_Midget_298_2.jpg