In the 120723 MMD Susie Gratz expressed her disappointment at finding
that the Deansboro Musical Museum is no more.  Art Reblitz, in his
book "The Golden Age Of Automatic Musical Instruments" (pages 302-304)
gives a short history of the museum, with four pictures.

The museum was opened in 1948 by Hardie Sanders and his son, Art.
It prospered until the mid-1990's.  In 1998 the museum was purchased
by Donald Neilson, Sr., the well-known Norristown, Pennsylvania,
collector (who now has his own museum, "American Treasure Tour";
see http://americantreasuretour.com/ ).  Neilson kept the instruments
he considered special and the remainder of the museum contents, as well
as the real estate, was auctioned off by Brzostek's Auction Service,
Inc.

There were two auctions: the first one on September 12 and 13, 1998,
for the contents of the Sanders' Lamplighter Shop, which was part of
their Deansboro enterprise; the second on September 19 and 20, 1998,
for those contents of the Musical Museum which Donald Neilson did not
keep for his own collection.

You can find much about the auctions and the 1998 events leading up
to them in the MMD Subject Archives under "Deansboro."  In addition,
elsewhere in the MMD archives section dealing with auctions there is
a price list of 1002 items sold, which was transcribed for the MMD by
Jack Breen.

Hardie Sanders, b. September 13, 1896, died October 1, 1981, but I
believe his son, Arthur Sanders, is still alive and well in Deansboro.

Matthew Caulfield
Irondequoit, New York

 [ Ref. http://www.mmdigest.com/Archives/KWIC/D/deansboro.html 
 [ and http://www.mmdigest.com/Gallery/Auctions/deansboro9809.html 
 [ -- Robbie