As to the situation with the hoard of Violano rolls, this kind of
behavior is found in any field of collecting.  We have all seen
people who have hoarded things, because they could, so that nobody else
could own them, only to have those items rot, decay and or disappear.
As a result of negligence, improper storage, the item was totally
destroyed.

There is someone who is always so worried that somehow, someone is
going to make a dollar somewhere.  It is like the person who discovers
an old box of piano rolls in an attic and they are planning on putting
their kids through college with the proceeds.  This is unfortunate when
items are truly rare but unfortunately, it can be too often the case.

I firmly believe that in life we are stewards of things.  When we are
fortunate enough to own nice collections of items, it is our duty to
take care of those items and best preserve them as we can.  Eventually,
it all belongs to someone else one way or the other.

I have no idea as to the number or demand for MIDI files but the demand
for the number of recut Violano rolls is definitely not going to be a
gold mine to anyone.  How many working machines are really still out
there and how many of those have owners who will want everything ever
produced by Mills?  It would seem to me that the idea is to save as
much of the library as is possible.  Time is not on anyone's side with
any kind of old paper.  In the above case, one hungry mouse, one leaking
roof, one fire, and maybe even one play through a machine and it is
gone forever.

I would think that the original people who invested their time and
energy in producing music for any of these machines would be happy that
someone really cared enough to preserve their work so that it is not
lost to the ravages of time.

One can only hope that these people come to their senses but often
they do not.

Randy Hammond