•The invention of the player piano is usually put down to several people in a gradually evolving series of patents of many years. An oversight of the main milestones can be found at the Player Piano Group web site (http://www.pianolasociety.com/) under the History section from the "Early technicalit...

•Hello. I purchased a 65-note push-up here in Hobart, Tasmania, about 25 years ago. I don't really remember what I paid for it; it would have been about U.S. $150. I had no idea what I was buying at the time; it turned out to have Themodist and even had a little adapter that enables one to play 58-n...

•Here is the second part of an article I wrote for the Player Piano Group Bulletin #140 in Autumn 1996 called "Aeolian roll numbering explained (?)". It is written from a London perspective so fully covers the American roll production of Aeolian in Meriden. The London factory at Hayes issued many Am...

•Graeme Parish asked (000828 MMDigest): > I have an Aeolian Vocalion Phonograph in a cabinet, and in good > working order. The name appears to have been transfered onto the > inside of the cabinet lid in scrolled gold writing. There is also > a small badge that has been attached to the lid which say...

•Dear Jody, In reference to Bryan Cather's request for information on the Newark and Orange, New Jersey, roll company labels, here's what I can offer, in the form of an impromptu discourse: Standard Music Roll Co., Central Avenue, Orange NJ ; I am certain this company issued rolls under the followin...

•I am helping Philippe Rouille with reporting the results of the auction at Chartres, France on May 14, 2000. (Refer to his article in MMD 2000.05.16). Philippe was nice enough to have them send me a catalogue for this auction, which contained some very impressive items. He also sent me a list with ...

•Here is the first part of an article I wrote for the Player Piano Group Bulletin #140 in Autumn 1996 called "Aeolian roll numbering explained (?)". It is written from a London perspective so fully covers the American roll production of Aeolian in Meriden. The London factory at Hayes issued many Ame...

•Just a gentle word of warning if you are thinking of going to the Dorset Steam Fair. Parking is in large fields situated all around the main arena, and there are at least a dozen fields, all of which look the same. There has been quite a problem with people losing their cars because everything look...

•Hello MMD readers, While my Independence Day player piano concert at Searsport Shores was well-attended, it was at the expense of the fireworks displays (and free ice cream sundaes) which are a tradition at this picturesque resort for July 4th. Both Searsport Shores and the Town of Searsport synchr...

•Dear MMD members, The next Christie's sale takes place on 30 October 2001 (_not_ the 31st as advertised) at 12 noon. Viewing is from the Sunday 27th through to 11 AM on the morning of the sale. Approximately 170 lots, including: * Two exceptional early changeable key-wind cylinder boxes -- Overture...

•-- non-subscriber, please reply to sender and MMD -- I am wondering if there is a way to determine what year a box was produced. I have one with the original receipt on the way that was my grandmother's, but I have one other working and a non-working one on the way and wanted to figure a date for t...

•-- non-subscriber, please reply to sender and MMD -- I have been working on a list of Thorens AD30 discs. I will be adding more as I find the names. It was suggested that I make you all aware of the list I have created thus far. As of 10-25-05 I have so far located 466 titles. See http://www.thoren...

•I moved to Pennsylvania twenty five years ago after having been born and raised in New Jersey. I've spent my summer vacations every year at the Jersey shore. Last year I walked the Seaside Heights boardwalk a couple of times. There are two carousels on the boardwalk. One is fiberglass, which replac...

•Recent Happenings At the Herschell Carrousel Factory Museum from Douglas Hershberger I met with Rae Proefrock, trustee/President, and Meg Hahin, Executive Director, to lay out the placement of machines in our rebuilt Band Organ Exhibit building. This building replaces the last of the current campus...

•Hope this thread's not too old to add my bit, perhaps looking from another viewpoint: The earliest players were all mechanical - vibrating hammer barrel pianos, kicking-shoe mechanisms, etc. All of these could be electrically-powered simply by addition of a motor and a drive belt. Some later kickin...

•COAA, the Carousel Organ Association of America, will be holding an organ rally, "The Great Wurlitzer Band Organ Recall", on the former Wurlitzer Company Grounds, 908 Niagara Falls Blvd., North Tonawanda, New York, a suburb of Buffalo, New York. Rally times for seeing and hearing the organs are Sat...