I note John Tuttle recently uploaded a video to YouTube of his piano
roll of "Ching Chong".  Clearly visible before the lyrics start is the
"NY" stenciling, identifying it as a copy produced at QRS's New York
factory.  It's also common to see "SF" denoting San Francisco-issued
rolls.  I wonder if a different master was sent to New York for some
reason?

It would be interesting to know if Richard Groman's copy is marked
as New York, San Francisco or Chicago (which was usually not identified
as such, being the home of QRS at the time).

In later years it's well known that QRS issued new arrangements under
the original serial number, but this also appears to have happened
occasionally in the 'Golden Age' (1910s-20s).  My roll scanning
endeavours have occasionally turned up cases of this.

Two I can recall immediately are the US-Supertone issue of "Smiles",
played by Bertha Wolpa as "Billy Warren".  The version Terry Smythe
scanned has a hot double-time ragtime ending, whereas my version has it
removed.  There is also the case of the QRS 2031, "Parade Of The Wooden
Soldiers", and 995, "Dardanella", which both have two versions with
completely different arrangements, but both appear to be "Golden Age"
issues.

Robert Perry
Auckland, New Zealand