I was quite interested to see that a single original letter from The
Autophone Co., well known for manufacturing Roller Organs, just sold on
eBay for over $100.00 (eBay item #2520706381).  Although the letter does
have nice instrument illustrations, it is not unusual -- it's simply an
order for reeds from the Hammond Reed Co., dated 1910, and similar to
others that I personally own.

Now, I'm not particularly upset about the high dollar amount, as this
sale only proves that I already own a priceless collection <grin>.
But I am concerned about the future of historic documents, as it
appears to me that only those with deep pockets will afford such items.
And I'm afraid that existing documents will be spread to the far edges
of the globe as collectors buy single documents for their collections.

So perhaps the Internet auctions, which I thought were an aid to
historic research, will turn out to be a detriment, spreading
significant documents to the wind.  What do you all think?  Am I just
too cheap?

For those who are interested, there were basically 4 bidders: myself
(dropping out early), two phonograph collectors who also have an interest
in roller organs, and a collector of items of Ithaca Calendar Clock Co.
(a sister company of The Autophone Co.).

Any comments about this trend?  Any suggestions?

Todd Augsburger - Roller Organs
http://www.rollerorgans.com/

 [ Richard J. Howe ultimately donated his fine collection of
 [ historical mechanical music documents to the Performing Arts
 [ Library of University of Maryland.  See
 [ http://www.lib.umd.edu/PAL/howededication.html
 [
 [ I guess the main problem is if a historian can gain access to
 [ old documents, whether privately held or at an institution.
 [ -- Robbie