[ Philippe sent this message on 21 November 2001 but it didn't
 [ arrive until today.  It has additional information beyond the
 [ article in 011129 MMDigest.  -- Robbie

Dear MMDers,  As usual at this period of the year, there will be a
large auction of mechanical music in Chartres (France, 1 hour from
Paris) on Sunday afternoon Dec 9th.

I'll describe the instruments for that auction : there will be more
than 160 lots of mechanical music, plus numerous good automatas,
phonographs, amusement machines and fairground art -- about 300 lots
as a whole.

Here is an idea of what will be available (see end of this message if
you want a catalogue, or contact the auction house).

First, two rarities :

1.  A very rare New Century 47 cm disc music box.  Like the Sirion,
each disc may play 2 tunes (or 1 tune and its variations).  At the end
of the first tune, the center of the disc moves slightly aside, and a
new set of pins (or projections) acts on the combs.

2.  A large 4-tune 212-teeth Alexandre Soualle cylinder music box.
Soualle was, with L'Epee, one of the two main French music box makers
in the XIXth century, and his boxes are usually good.  This one (ca.
1860), beautifully restored, is excellent !

Now the other items :

- There are no large fairground organs this time, but many organettes
(from 14 to 32 keys), and, from the first half of the XIXth century,
various cylinder organs and a serinette (usually needing some attention).
There are organinas Thibouville 16, 24, 36 keys, American orguinettes,
Gem Roller organs, etc.

- Also a Magic Organa from 1931 in perfect restored condition, and a
recent (1980's) Odin 27 keys portable organ using books of music.

- A good Black Forest organ clock : no automatas, but it is the
keyframe which moves to change tunes, and not the cylinder.

- Several fine musical boxes, either cylinder boxes (reeds, bells,
automatas, etc.) or disc boxes (Polyphon, Symphonion, Harmonia, etc.),
and many small items with musical movements.

- Several barrel or pneumatic pianos, amidst them a Gaveau grand with
Ampico A system, and a Piano Melodico by Racca (large 73 keys model).
Also a Melotrope, by Carpentier.

- Many books, even in English ! by Bowers, Buchner, Bulleid, Ord-Hume,
Webb, etc.

The printed catalogue will be available probably end of this week or
beginning of next week, and we shall manage to publish it (at least
the mechanical music portion) on the Internet.

If you want a printed catalogue, just send 50 FF (no cheques, please)
directly to the auction house (not to me !), or fax them a message :

Galerie de Chartres
10, rue Claude Bernard
ZA du Coudray BP 70129
28003 Chartres Cedex
France
Tel.: +33 (0) 2 37 88 28 28
Fax : +33 (0) 2 37 88 28 20
e-mail : galeriedechartres@wanadoo.fr

(They have problems with e-mails, so it is better to send a fax !).

Best regards,

Philippe Rouille  (Paris, France)
http://www.cnam.fr/museum/musica_mecanica/