For years I have been thinking of trying to find a National Piano
Company coin-operated piano, the one with eight coin slots and the
8-roll changer that re-rolls like a released spring-roller shade!

This was the first player piano that I ever saw when I got uncontrollably
stung by the player piano bug.  I had to have been six or seven years
old at the time.  The piano was in Knott's Berry Farm in the early
1950s, when Disneyland was still orange groves.  (It is featured in
Player Piano Treasury, page 122, the same style.)

My question is this:  Restored, what is an average price for a National
Piano?  And second, are the rolls relatively available?  Are any rolls
being re-cut or previously re-cut?

I've been collecting 78/45 RPM jukeboxes for quite a while.  I guess
it's the coin drop thing.  I'm up to six of those 1940/1950 musical
monsters now, but that's for a different forum.  If anyone has any
National Piano information, I am starting to collect information for
a future purchase.  This piano would fit right in.

Thanks,
Tim L'Amoureux
timlamour@aol.com.geentroep [delete ".geentroep" to reply]

 [ Made in Grand Rapids, Michigan, by the National Automatic Music
 [ Company, later known as the National Piano Manufacturing Company.
 [ The single-tune music rolls were produced by National and also
 [ by Clark.  Ref. Bowers' "Encyclopedia" page 527.  Recut rolls are
 [ listed at http://www.maesto.com/Resources/National.pdf  -- Robbie