Here is a report from a friend who went to check out Doyle Lane's
warehouse in Middletown Springs, Vermont, yesterday.  The person wants
to remain anonymous, but consented to my publishing this report.

"Well, we just got home from Vermont.  The weather was fine,
travelling was easy, it took 3.5 hours each way.  There wasn't much
left, unless you're looking for piano rolls and player piano actions.
Jim G. told me that he had 'first dibs' on anything there, so I didn't
even look at piano stuff (like the rolls).

"I got a few phono things (nothing exciting); a junker 11-7/8"
Symphonion motor/bedplate, a gazillion screws (most of which are for
pianos and not suitable for music boxes; a few organette discs; an
incomplete small phonograph (nice paint/graphics); some 18-note
movements and a snuff box movement; some miscellaneous phonograph
reproducer parts; 2 pieces of leather.  A few ornamental pieces of
iron (shelf brackets), too.

"There are a few bins of new organ reeds there (about 6-8 notes, single
reed as far as I saw).  There are a few pianos left, but Jim didn't
know exactly which ones were being sold.  The piano rolls left are
mostly 88-noters, with a few Duo-Arts and Ampicos.  He says about one
third of them are in very good shape.  There were player piano actions
in the attic.

"The place wasn't heated, it was 45 degrees in there, and we spend
about two hours taking the screws out of the little plastic drawers and
putting them into zip-lock bags, as the owner wanted the little plastic
drawers.  Grrrrrrr!  Our fingertips literally were numb.   When we were
up in the attic, the floor was soft in some places and downright
dangerous in others.  I couldn't help but think of being on a segment
of American Pickers at that point (not to mention all the dust and
mouse droppings... <shiver> ).

"The owner of the place was very nice.  But many of the architectural
things we wanted she didn't want to sell.  Her boyfriend likes doing
woodworking, so she wasn't going to sell any of the hardwood or
woodworking tools 'til he could see them.   My spouse was really
disappointed by that, because that's one of the things we were hoping
to bring home.

"So, was it worth going?   Not from a monetary point of view.   But
from a "gotta see what's there" point of view, it was interesting."

Matthew Caulfield
Irondequoit, New York