[ Re query from Dan Armstrong in 990721 MMDigest ]

Seeburg made several different cabinet pianos (pianos without key-
boards), the smallest being the style L with piano and mandolin rail.

It is hard to pinpoint a value on these, as I just bought one from eBay
auction for $4100, mint unrestored with an unusual art glass.  I paid
more than I would have wanted to pay for one in this condition because
of the art glass.  I had only heard of this model and never seen one.
I bought another one in good playing condition last year for $4,000.

There is another L for sale on the web for around $8,000, in playing
condition but not a full restoration, with some minor flaws.  A pristine
restored one was sold several years ago for $8,000 and it was like
factory-new.  There seems to be quite a range on these.

The next model up from the L would be the Seeburg K with one extra
instrument and, judging from your serial number, this most likely would
have had pipe organ pipes as an extra instrument.  These machines seem
to sell in the $7k to $10k range depending on condition.

Most of these had an 'Eagle' art glass.  Some of the rarer art glass
designs, such as a 'Swan' or 'Drunk Monk' would bring more money.
I have a picture of a rare 'Dancing Girl' glass model with three girls
in the glass.  There seems to be three of these known and one of them
had the art glass added recently.  These were all Seeburg model K's with
pipes.  One of these has been changed into a KT model by a restorer in
Chicago.

There are many K models around the country that restorers have changed
into KT models, making it hard today to accurately pinpoint when Seeburg
introduced the KT.  The KT is a K with the addition of a tambourine,
triangle, and castanets.  A few of these have been found with a snare
drum or a wood block in them.

The next cabinet model was the KT special.  All of these would have
6-digit serial numbers, so your piano is not one of these.  Most
collectors would not consider the L, K, or KT an orchestrion.  When
drums are with a machine then most collectors would call that model
an orchestrion.

One of the changes many restorers did not have access to was the plate
in a Seeburg that tells what kind of roll it played.  The reproduction
plates have the roll type (A or G) in black print, whereas the original
plates had the letter stamped into the plate with a die.  Some of the
conversions can not be identified because so many parts used in these
conversions were original parts found in the 1960s and '70s.

If I were to guess just on serial number, I would say Mr. Armstrong has
a model L made in 1923, give or take a year.  The first L would have
a Seeburg Phono grand cabinet with one big piece of art glass in the
center.  The next model had only two doors on the cabinet, with little
figures at the top of both sides on the front and a "grasshopper" pump
(known as an "alligator" pump in the South).  The next version would
have had two doors and a box pump.  The last version of the model L had
four doors and a box pump.

All this information is from Art Reblitz.

Don Teach
1610 E. Bert Kouns, Shreveport,  LA  71105
318 798 6000

 [ Art has contributed much Seeburg data to Terry Hathaway's web site,
 [   http://www.hathaworld.com/music/  -- Robbie