I have been asked a few questions about nickelodeons from various
members of MMD and some onlookers.  Glad to have the questions and
onlookers.  I have around 35 nickelodeon pianos all American made.
"Where did you find them?" is a commonly asked question.

Well, today, if I had to find one, I guess I would search the Antique
Trader with my own want ads, as well as call on every nickelodeon piano
that came up for sale.  Even when the price is high I wait a couple of
weeks and call back.  Often a high-price ad gets no attention and you
can get a lower price several weeks later.  Of course if the price is
right the first time you had better be there with money in hand.  You
can also just 'bite the bullet' and buy from a dealer.

Right now the best bargain going is the Seeburg KT that Marty Roenigk
has for sale.  It is also the only one being advertised on a regular
basis for several months, which brings up the question, "Is it worth
it?"  Only your pocketbook knows for sure.  I would buy it if Marty
would take a couple of Ampicos on trade.

Why do some coin pianos with the same instrumentation bring more money,
such as a cabinet model Seeburg K versus the Seeburg E which has a
keyboard?  I would guess supply and demand.  It is a lot easier to find
a space in the home for a K (cabinet model) than the E.  The E does
have advantages of watching the keys move, and it also plays the music
in the correct key.

Both of these pianos come up for sale on an almost-regular basis.
I have seen ads for the E asking from $6500 to $12,000 in the past
year, and only suspect that condition and owner are the determining
factors.

Activity on nickelodeons on a nationwide basis is pretty slow, with
most changing hands privately compared to the days of Hathaway and
Bowers Inc.  and G. W. MacKennon, when their advertising prices pretty
much dictated what pianos would sell for.  Today's collector can only
go by auction prices which sometimes are not a good indicator for
poorly attended auctions.

Two Coinola X models have come up for auction the past year and both
brought bids at around $12,000, one of which was expertly restored by
Art Reblitz and the other needing attention.

Does restoring a Nickelodeon make it worth more?  Sometimes it does and
sometimes it doesn't.  I looked at a Seeburg C cabinet model this past
week that was restored by a guy in central Louisiana.  It had a vacuum
pump added, it was missing the xylophone, and missing the art glass.
That took away the value instead of adding to the value.

I have also seen original nickelodeons that had been "improved" by the
addition of adjusting screws to the drum beaters, and other so-called
improvements.  These restorations are not value-adding restorations.
The major collectors will only accept nickelodeons restored by their
favorite restorer or well-respected restorers.  That's the difference
between an improver and a true restorationist.

How do you date a nickelodeon?  This is a true trick, and we are still
hoping that you who have nickelodeons will send me your serial numbers
and motor numbers with a description of the piano.  Sticker numbers on
the coin accumulator are also helpful, as well as the number on the
stack.  Please.

Don Teach, Shreveport Music Co
1610 E. Bert Kouns Shreveport,  LA  71105