[ Larry Lobel wrote that he's considering buying this style organ. ]
I bought an unrestored black Aeolian style 1500 player reed organ
for $750 from Bill Edgerton about 10 years ago. (The 1500 was the
predecessor to the larger Aeolian Grand and Orchestrelle and made
in the 1880s).
It had 6 rolls with it and, yes, those 46-note rolls are hard to find.
For this reason, they cost more than Aeolian Grand rolls (used for the
more popular Orchestrelle and Grand models). The tune selection is
therefore less varied, also.
The $1,000 figure seems fair (I sold mine for $1500 restored) if
you do your own repairs, but if you want the maximum musical value,
I'd get an Orchestrelle.
Philip Jamison
West Chester, PA USA
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