Dear MMDs,  The very large specialized auction for automata and
mechanical music which was held in Chartres (France) on December 2nd
was a success, especially for mechanical music, some instruments
selling for high prices, especially those coming from the Claude
Marchal collection.

More than 400 lots were for sale, with the presence of French but
also many international buyers.  (To convert in dollars the total
hammer price in euros plus the premium, just add ca 70 per cent).

From the Marchal collection :

- The exceptional parlour manivelle organ illustrated on the cover
of the catalogue, with its 7 cylinders, on 32 keys and 5 stops, sold
for 50,000 euros.

- A very good Viennese organ clock, with a 2 stops organ, sold
for 23,000 euros.

- Another organ from the end of the XVIIIth c., 14 keys, and
a very rich base of the same period, sold to the same collector
for 19,000 euros.

- An exceptional musical picture with three good musical movements,
Angelus, echo, imitation of bell ringing, etc., for 11,000 euros.

- A good Czech 8-tunes cylinder street barrel organ, for 8,500 euros.

- Two very good musical snuffboxes sold: one by Martinet et Benoît
for 3600 euros, and another one by F. Lecoultre for 3200 euros.

- An LF Nardin musical base, with fusee and teeth one by one, for
only 3200 euros, while another one in V shape fetched 5400 euros.
These are reasonable prices considering the rarity of such items.

- Claude and Solange Marchal had an exceptional collection of
postcards about the barrel organ.  They sold well, one exceptional
lot of almost 200 cards about fairground feasts in Germany fetched 4200
euros. Another lot with ca. 80 cards about monkeys sold for 420 euros.

There were many lots from other sellers.  Many good automatas :

- A very curious Phalibois advertising automaton with a man at the
telephone (ca 1900/1910), sold for 70.000 euros, and another for
a "Nivosine" powder for 27,000 euros.

- Two acrobatic clowns by Roullet Decamps sold for 36,000 euros,
and a fine ormulu clock with three acrobats, from mid XIXth c.,
for 46,000 euros.

- A good musical animated picture with a harbour and ships,
from the Charliat collection (see Chapuis, 1947, p 160) was sold
for 31,000 euros.

- A Jacques Bruguier singing bird snuffbox, for 17,000 euros.

Amidst other instruments:

- A Ducommun Girod Forte Piano, 8 tunes (2 per turn) from ca 1846,
2600 euros.

- A Rzebitchek 3-tunes, 13.7 cm cylinder musical box, in original case,
for 2200 euros.

- A large Black Forest overcarved musical clock, with a small flute
player appearing instead of the usual bird, for 14,000 euros.

- A Hohner Magic Organa with drums, for 7,000 euros.

There were also many other musical instruments and musical novelties
for much more affordable prices, and more than 150 items in the
category Phonographs and Related Items.

I was surprised by the reasonable price of some very early boxes,
since they are rare and usually play very good music.  15 or 20 years
ago these were much more sought after...  Does this mean that the
collectors' taste is changing to more spectacular instruments?

The next auction in Chartres will be held in May 2008.

The English and French catalogues, with or without images (as well as
catalogues of previous auctions) and the prices fetched are posted on
the MMD web site at  http://mmd.foxtail.com/Gallery/Auctions

Thanks again to Robbie, Joyce and Jody.

Kind regards from France,
Philippe Rouillé (Paris, France)
http://www.musicamecanica.org/