The Entertainment is Free and You Might Hit the Jackpot at Morphy's Oct. 17-19 Coin-Op & Antique Advertising Auction

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Oct 08, 2024, 08:38 ET

Featured: Hupfeld Phonoliszt-Violina Model A music machine, $250K-$500K, 1904 Caille Bros. 5¢ floor-model Roulette slot machine, $150K-$300K, fortune tellers, arcade machines, 825 advertising signs

LAS VEGAS, Oct. 8, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- There will be no shortage of accomplished entertainers at Morphy's Oct. 17-19 Coin-Op & Antique Advertising Auction in Las Vegas. A world-class lineup of European antique music machines is waiting in the wings to thrill auction guests with bravo-worthy performances rivaling famed orchestras and musicians of a century ago. Those who cannot attend the event in person are invited to bid absentee, by phone or live online through Morphy's bidding platform.

Circa-1912 Hupfeld Phonoliszt-Violina Model 'A,' regarded as the most successful automatic violin and piano-playing machine ever made and one of the most spectacular of all music machines. Complex mechanisms reproduce violin expression, bowing, vibrato, staccato, etc., as well as piano expression, replicating the playing of accomplished pianists. Estimate: $250,000-$500,000

Circa-1904 Caille Bros. Roulette 5¢ floor-model slot machine with 7-way roulette wheel payout. Housed in rare Honduran mahogany cabinet with copper-flashed and plated iron castings. Fully restored and one of the finest examples Morphy's antique coin-op experts have ever seen. Held in a private collection since the 1990s. Estimate: $150,000-$300,000

Leading the A-list lineup is a circa-1912 Hupfeld Phonoliszt-Violina Model "A," which is regarded as the most successful automatic violin and piano-playing machine ever made and one of the most spectacular of all music machines. Its complex mechanisms reproduce violin expression, bowing, vibrato, staccato, etc., as well as piano expression, replicating the technique of highly accomplished pianists. Restored in 1986 and again in 2014, it was acquired in 2012 by its present owner from Sanfilippo Place de la Musique in Barrington, Illinois. Jasper Sanfilippo obtained the unit in 1983 from a restaurant in France. Auction estimate: $250,000-$500,000.

Another musical wonder, a Coinola Model SO Super Orchestrion plays 10-tune "O" rolls and is one of approximately 50 manufactured circa 1920 by the Operators Piano Company of Chicago. Its "orchestra" includes an 88-note piano (78 notes play automatically), a mandolin, violin and flute pipes; drums, a cymbal and other smaller percussion instruments. Marketed at the start of the Prohibition Era, its original owner is reputed to have been a Chicago mobster. Restored twice, in 1986 and again in 2015, it is estimated at $100,000-$200,000.

Also poised for the spotlight is a circa-1920 Mills Deluxe Violano-Virtuoso comprised of two violins that play elegantly and simultaneously. Housed in a Brazilian mahogany cabinet, this exceptional machine underwent a scrupulous 36-month restoration. The U S Government designated the Violano-Virtuoso as "one of the greatest scientific inventions of the age," and this fine example is a functional testament to that distinction. Estimate: $40,000-$70,000

Extremely rare and sought after, a circa-1895 Symphonion No. 38B Eroica 3-disc music box with clock was made by Symphonion Musikwerke of Leipzig, Germany. Housed in a Lenzkirch oak hall-clock case, it plays 14-inch discs in sets of three across six individual combs. Estimate: $40,000-$70,000

Front and center amongst the 145 rare slot machines is a circa-1904 Caille Bros. Roulette 5¢ floor-model slot with a 7-way roulette wheel payout. Housed in a rare Honduran mahogany cabinet with ornate copper-flashed and plated iron castings, this fully-restored machine is one of the finest examples Morphy's antique coin-op experts have ever seen. Since the 1990s, it has been held in a private collection. Estimate: $150,000-$300,000

Bidders wondering if it will be their lucky day at the auction might want to consult a circa-1891 Roover Bros. Donkey Wonder floor-model fortune teller machine. One of only three or four original machines of its type known to exist, the auction example operates by clockwork and has an illuminating cabinet. Estimate: $40,000-$70,000.

An attractive circa-1880 carved and painted Native American cigar store figure attributed to Samuel Robb is estimated at $20,000-$40,000, as is a circa-1910 Royal #5 coffee roaster restored in a Planters Peanut roaster motif.

View complete auction information online at www.morphyauctions.com. Bid in person at the auction, absentee, by phone (please reserve line in advance), or live online through Morphy Live.

Media Contact:
Dan Morphy
877-968-8880, [email protected]

SOURCE Morphy Auctions