[ Lee Rothrock wrote in 121124 MMDigest:

> Who wants to see intact seals?  No one who listens to piano rolls!

I take a slightly different view of saving roll seals than Lee
Rothrock.  I do not buy rolls as an investment, and not too long ago
I spent far more than I could ever get back having my Mason and Hamlin
Model A Ampico restored to like new condition.

Many years ago, on a roll hunt excursion, I acquired amongst a lot of
forty Ampico rolls two of which retained what I believe were the intact
original seals.  With the left end flange removed I could see that they
had never been played.

I had never seen an Ampico roll with seal intact and didn't even know
that they were packaged that way.  So I have kept them intact as I have
found them and enjoy showing them to folks that seem to enjoy hearing
the piano and any relevant history.

I don't keep the seal on new re-cuts, which I think is a very nice
touch, but I do remove them carefully and leave them in the box for
whoever next becomes custodian of my wonderful Ampico and roll
collection.  I'll try the trick of sliding the seal off -- "good idea!"

Cecil Dover