[ Ref. Andrew Barrett in 120626 MMDigest ]

Whoa!  Wait a minute!  Since my name and Dana Johnson's was mentioned
in the post about the Nelson-Wiggen then I offer the following for its
worth.  That piano that was on eBay has been on and off for a long time.
The only part that several of us think might be original is the roll
frame that plays 6-to-the-inch style rolls and in this case those would
be style G or 4X rolls.

The drums are old but we cannot tell from the photographs if they are
original drums from a piano.  The beaters are _not_ from any well known
coin piano manufacturer nor are the brackets.  Look closely and you
will see they are not Coinola.  The xylophone is most likely from a
coin piano of some make; a xylophone with 28 bars would most likely be
a Nelson-Wiggen.

Without looking at this piano in person, it would be difficult to
ascertain its true identity judging from the photographs.  A gutted
piano is always hard to restore, especially a coin-operated piano.
There are a lot of coin pianos out there that have been resurrected
from a gutted case.

I am currently restoring a Coinola X that has seen some pretty tough
times.  In the 'sixties, when it was first located by a collector, it
was thought to be complete.  By 2011 it was in pieces and had been in
several owners' hands.   I have three original Coinola X's here to look
at and not a one of them is exactly like this X.

Over the years some coin piano manufacturers made slight changes in
design and placement of components.  Some used different vendors to
make the actual pianos.  Some cabinet pianos have 54 piano notes and
the next one you find may have 58 piano notes.  There are just a lot
of details that one needs to look at if they are forging or replicating
an old original piece.

Don Teach - Shreveport Music Co.
Shreveport, Louisiana