For sale: Rare bow-front Mills Violano-Virtuoso.  The cabinet is
solid, sound condition, mahogany, never altered.  The plate,
soundboard, electric piano action and coin-op equipment is complete.
Missing items are the entire upper violin and its playing equipment and
the AC/DC converter.

This Mills Violano was found in an old candy and ice cream store in
Philadelphia along with a number of early rectangular Mills wall boxes.
It was said that the missing parts were removed for repair sometime in
the 1950s.  Sadly, they were never returned to the machine and were lost.

I have owned this Violano since the early 1980s and had hoped to find
the necessary missing parts to complete this rare machine.  Over the
years I have been on the trail of at least a dozen un-restored Violanos.
They were bought before I had any chance at buying them.  Many were
very rough parts machines.

I have never been able to find the required parts or a parts donor
Violano since 75+ machines were bought up by one collector and taken
off the collector's market!  This also forced up the price of these
Violanos and their parts beyond a normal average collector's reach.
They were selling for $5000 in the early 1980s.  An unrestored Violano
with the AC/DC converter missing sold for $41,000 +19% "buyer's premium"
on eBay Monday night!

I find it is now time for me to give up on ever getting this great
machine restored myself or owning a complete restored and playing Mills
Violano.  This has been my dream Mechanical Music Machine since first
seeing one play in 1972.  Sadly it is time to give up this dream.

I have been priced-out of this Mills Violano and mechanical music
machine market.  The high costs of taking care of my elderly parents
(Dad is 90 years old!) now prevents me from ever getting a playing
Mills Violano.  It is now time for me to clear-out all of my unfinished
rough incomplete projects and possibly leave this Mechanical Music
Machine hobby!

I have never owned an operational mechanical music machine.  All my
machines are very, very rough and unrestored.  I have been a member
of MBSI and AMICA for 15+ years.  Because I am now discouraged by the
high prices of these mechanical music machines I have not renewed my
memberships for 2008.

This Bow-Front will be sold only to a collector.  No dealers please.

Brad Hunter
Huntingdon Valley, Pennsylvania