I purchased a Winter & Co. 88-note player piano in 1981.  It was from
a truckload of players brought in from the US.  I started work with
the piano action, then on to the player double-valve player action.
The valves and pouches were in excellent condition, almost new looking.

A friend mentioned that I could put neatsfoot oil on the pouch leather,
which I did, and on one of the valve stacks I found someone had written
in pencil "December 18th, 1918."   I gather this was the production
date.  So, 32 years later, the player action on my now 'converted to
an "O" roll orchestrion' still works perfectly.

Old bills were found suggesting the piano spent some of its life in St.
Louis, and due to the wear on the sustaining pedal it must have been
played a lot by hand.

Steve Bentley -- SB-"O" Rolls
Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada