$9,500
Sold
sold
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Description
80"(203 cm.) h. x 30w. x 15"d. Housed in a Teutonic-style
walnut cabinet with decorative gallery and finials,the theatrical
arcade-style piece features a Mermod,six-tune,Sublime
Harmonie style movement with two combs of 36 notes apiece
with accompaniment provided by three,colorful Mandarins
striking on six bells,and front glass pane with gilded name
"Fidelio". Condition: excellent playing condition with wonderful
sound,beautifully preserved cabinet,glass pane and lettered
name is replaced. Comments: Fidelio Musikwerck of Berlin
imported unencased high-quality cylinder musical movements
from Mermod Freres of Ste-Croix,Switzerland and then encased
them into fine German-built cabinets fitted with a coin-
operating mechanism. The purpose was a revenue-maker in
public places. Max Levy,founder of Fidelio,shortly moved onto
fitting out smaller disc music boxes and phonographs in the
same manner,making this Mermod cylinder unit a rare and
short-lived example from the history of coin-drop instruments.
Circa 1907. Value Points: splendid cabinet with fine sound and
accompanying Mandarins and bells.