Miller & Miller's Online-only Music Machines, Toys & Advertising Auction Will Be Held On March 19th

By Author: Ethan Miller
Total Articles: 762
Comment this article

A rare, circa 1890 battery-driven Edison Class M cylinder phonograph, an equally scarce early 20th century J. & E. Stevens North Pole mechanical bank, a replica of the iconic 1946 Wurlitzer Model 1015 “One More Time” jukebox and a 1960 Rock-Ola Tempo II Model 1478 “Windshield” jukebox are a few of the highlights in Miller & Miller Auctions, Ltd.’s online Music Machines, Toys & Advertising sale slated for Saturday, March 19.

The 541-lot auction has a start time of 9 am Eastern time, with Internet bidding available on the Miller & Miller website (www.MillerandMillerAuctions.com), as well as LiveAuctioneers.com. Telephone and absentee bids will also be accepted. The categories include gramophones, toys, banks, clocks, pocket watches, tools, music machines, vintage radios and railroad memorabilia.

“This sale features four old-world collections with one common thread: each is mechanical in nature,” said Ethan Miller of Miller & Miller Auctions, Ltd. “The Weggler and Peel collections include some of Canada’s best, oldest music machines and gramophones from the Edison era.”

Miller ...
... added, “The Tanenbaum collection is a collection of Lehmann toys and mechanical banks that was fifty years in the making. The Loveday collection boasts a choice lineup of Pequegnat Clocks and cash registers. These collections are ‘all things mechanical’ and are market fresh.”

The Edison Class M cylinder phonograph was initially intended for business dictation but in time entertainment became its primary role. It comes with a "Standard" reproducer and one listening tube (but no battery). The phonograph was sold by Holland Bros., Ottawa, sole importer for Canada and was made in America. It’s expected to hit $10,000-$15,000.

All estimates in this report are in Canadian dollars.

The J. & E. Stevens mechanical bank is exceedingly rare and depicts reliefs of Robert E. Peary’s 1909 expedition to reach the North Pole. Users push the flag down, insert a coin into the slot and press forward. The painted cast iron bank shows very little wear and is in good working order. It was made in the U.S. and was patented on July 26, 1910. It carries an estimate of $6,500-$9,000.

The Wurlitzer Model 1015 jukebox (known as the “One More Time” or “OMT” jukebox) is a replica, not an original. It was made in Germany around 1990 and has been updated to play 45 rpm records (up to 50 can be stored). Boasting multi-color lights, bubble tubes and gleaming chrome on the nostalgic exterior, the jukebox is expected to hammer for $4,000-$6,000.

The Rock-Ola Tempo II Model 1478 jukebox is indeed original (made in America circa 1960) and should finish at $3,500-$5,000. It’s nicknamed the “Windshield” because it was designed to look like the cars of the era, with big fins and a windshield. The jukebox is in good working order (mono only) and plays up to 120 selections of 45 rpm records.

The Edison Class M cylinder phonograph is just one of many highly collectible rare and early phonographs and gramophones in the auction. Some others include the following:

- A circa 1911 Edison Opera cylinder phonograph, Edison’s top-of-the-line model, renowned for its smooth-running motor and self-supporting horn. A rich mahogany finish on the case and bronze tiger striping add to its quality (est. $3,000-$4,000).

- An Amet Echophone cylinder phonograph, made in America 1896, a short-lived and rare cylinder phonograph with unique features designed to avoid Columbia and Edison patents, but patent litigation is what did them in (est. $2,000-$4,000).

- A Columbia Type AS coin-op cylinder phonograph, made in America circa 1898 and an early example of a phonograph intended as an entertainment device (in a restaurant, waiting room or arcade); with horn and all keys (est. $1,500-$2,500).

- A circa 1897 Berliner “Trademark” model disc gramophone, the American version of the iconic Berliner gramophone, known to collectors as the “Trademark” but originally marketed as the Berliner “Improved” gramophone (est. $1,500-$2,500).

A Canadian single-sided lithographed tin sign for the Edison Diamond Disc phonograph, marked for the merchant M. B. Cosby (Smithville, Ontario) is expected to sell for $1,500-$2,500. The 11 ½ inch tall embossed sign was made in the 1920s. The Diamond Disc was acoustically superior.

Clocks are another stacked category, with many fine examples, such as the rare, complete and untouched Canada Clock Company (City of Victoria) clock, which appeared on the cover of The Canada & Hamilton Clock Companies (1986), a rare variant and working (est. $2,000-$2,500).

An Austrian court cabinet clock from the 1870s, an imposing corner court cabinet with an integral clock feature and a case boasting numerous cast brass embellishments, plus an inside containing silverware drawers, should realize $3,000-$4,000; while a Canadian Pequegnat “Regulator #1” office clock from the 1910s, Pequegnat’s most accurate timekeeper, with an 8-day weight-driven movement and a quarter sawn oak case, has an estimate of $2,500-$3,500.

A rare, 1930s-era Pequegnat “Beaver 2nd Issue” wall clock, mechanically functioning and featuring an 8-day spring-driven time and strike movement and quarter sawn oak case, and marked on the dial, should finish at $2,000-$3,000; as should a Pequegnat “Alberta 1st Issue” hall clock, also hard to find, made around 191 and featuring an 8-day weight-driven time and strike movement and quarter sawn oak case. The clock is marked on the movement and is functional.

A J. & E. Stevens painted cast iron magician mechanical bank designed by Charles A. Bailey, the harder-to-find version with the pink stairs, made in America with a patent date of Jan. 22, 1901, is estimated to ring up $3,000-$3,500; while a Mechanical Novelty Works painted cast iron second degree mechanical bank with a goat and frog mechanism, made in America (New Britain, Conn., patented Sept. 28, 1880), in good working order, should fetch $2,000-$3,500.

While this is an Internet-only auction, with no in-person event to attend, bidders can tune in to the live webcast on March 19th, to watch the lots close in real time. Here is a link to the sale: https://live.millerandmillerauctions.com/auctions/4-4H8S0R/music-machines-toys-advertising.

To learn more about Miller & Miller Auctions, Ltd. and the auction on March 19th, please visit www.millerandmillerauctions.com.