Huge Player piano sale in Europe
By Brian Chesters
Hello all again.
Its your correspondant in the UK again. One of the largest private collections of player-pianos in Europe could well go up for sale this year. There are two wharehouses full. I would guess that there are seventy or so mainly 88 note pumpers and a few Duo-Arts for good measure. There are a few orchestrelle player organs. All the lot are in a bad state of repair. Most were given to the guy free in the 1940s 50s and 60s. and have been stored in farm buildings since then. I guess that most do not work. There are no less than 28,000 rolls including several thousand 116 note Aeolian pipe organ rolls. These have now been moved to a store house in Wales as they were being affected by damp quite badly.
The old man who collected these is now in a nursing home and will not be comming out, so I am informed. The two sons have sold, possibly the two easiest items to sell, A Steinway Duo-Art Grand and a 65/88 note piano player (Push-up)
In the UK, a none working pumper can be bought for =A3100 without much trouble. However what price will it be when 70 come on the market all at once? I guess they will be giving them away with corn-flakes.
Watch this space, I will keep all informed on developments as they happen.
WANTED...... Roll Monica, Play-a-sax, Triola Zither, Tanzbar and Cabinetto organette. can u help.
Brian Chesters.
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Brian Chesters
brian@pianola.u-net.com -------------------------------------------- |
(Message sent Sun 23 Apr 1995, 12:32:08 GMT, from time zone GMT.) |
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