Dear MMD's,  An auction of about 300 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 Sunday, December 9th, 2001, beginning at 1:30 PM,
in the "Galerie de Chartres", 300 yards from the Chartres cathedral.

Amidst the most interesting items, you will find :

* Automatas by Vichy, Lambert, Phalibois, Renou, Roullet-Decamps,
  Bontems, etc. ;
* Many fine cylinder and disc musical boxes, with some rarities such
  as a large box by A. Soualle, and a two-tunes per disc New Century
  music box;
* Numerous organettes and chamber barrel organs, a Black Forest clock,
  barrel- and pneumatic-pianos, and an Ampico A Gaveau grand piano;
* Gramophones, Phonographs, coin-operated or gambling machines, and
  fairground artifacts;
* Documentation (books, engravings) on mechanical music.

If you are interested in dolls, there is a large specialized auction
(and a catalogue in French) on Saturday December 8th, with several
hundred lots offered.

Although time is now very short till December 9th, 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 MMD the whole catalogue may be seen (in French and English)
on the MMD web site

  http://mmd.foxtail.com/Auctions/
  http://mmd.foxtail.com/Auctions/Chartres0112/

Best regards from France,

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

 [ The English text with photos is already posted, and the French
 [ text will be posted in a few days.
 [
 [ As in previous years, after the auction Philippe will provide to
 [ MMD a list of the prices paid; this is an important valuation source
 [ for MMDers.  Merci beaucoup, Philippe!  :-)
 [
 [ -- Robbie