The band played on as Morphy’s Coin-Op & Antique Advertising Auction reaped a $4.2M payday

Top lots: Hupfeld Phonoliszt-Violina Model ‘A’ music machine, $221,400; Caille Bros. Roulette 5¢ floor-model slot with 7-way roulette wheel payout, $135,300; Mills Deluxe Violano-Virtuoso, $49,200

DENVER, Pa. – Antique European and American music, slot and fortune-telling machines took a well-deserved bow at Morphy’s October 17-19 Coin-Op & Antique Advertising Auction, where 1,913 lots cashed out at a robust $4.2 million. As is always the case at the Pennsylvania company’s popular Coin-Op sales, there were plenty of “sleepers” that quietly simmered below the surface prior to auction day, only to end up eclipsing all expectations once the bidding wars began.

The top-10 list was crowned by a superb example of a circa-1912 Hupfeld Phonoliszt-Violina Model “A,” arguably the most successful automatic violin and piano-playing machine ever made. It is also one of the most spectacularly complicated of all music machines, with mechanisms that reproduce violin expression, bowing, vibrato and staccato, as well as piano expression replicating a very high standard of human touch and sensitivity. 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. The business’ owner, Jasper Sanfilippo, obtained the German-made unit in 1983 from a restaurant in France. An undeniable superstar, it sold in the auction’s third session for $221,400. 

Also ready for primetime, a circa-1920 Mills Deluxe Violano-Virtuoso, comprised of two violins that play elegantly and simultaneously, had undergone a scrupulous 36-month restoration. Housed in a Brazilian mahogany cabinet, the sophisticated entertainer achieved a high distinction in its day when the U S Government named it “one of the greatest scientific inventions of the age.” As fine an example as any collector could ever hope to own, it sold within estimate for $49,200. 

An enticing selection of 145 rare slot machines was led by a circa-1904 Caille Bros (Detroit) Roulette 5¢ floor-model slot with a 7-way roulette wheel payout. Resplendent in its rare Honduran mahogany cabinet with ornate copper-flashed and plated iron castings, this desirable machine was fully restored and described by Morphy’s antique coin-op experts as one of the finest examples they had ever seen. Since the 1990s, it had been part of a private collection. On auction day, it changed hands for $135,300.

Another Caille Bros production, a circa-1903 50¢ Centaur upright slot machine had undergone a painstaking restoration, with no small detail overlooked. It had a replacement marquee and back door, and a new wheel had been added, resulting in a stunning example of a hard-to-find slot. It was bid beyond its high estimate to $30,750. 

Half-dollars were also required to operate a rare circa-1939 Watling Machine Co. (Chicago) slot machine. Its beautiful restoration included an artistically-painted front casting and a meticulously-refinished oak cabinet. “The 50¢ model, like this one, is seldom seen in the marketplace because so few were made. Most would have been custom-orders,” explained Morphy Auctions’ founder and president, Dan Morphy. Operating perfectly and with keys included, it landed above estimate at $15,990.

Yet another good-looking slot was an illuminating circa-1935 O.D. Jennings Sun Chief “El Rancho” console unit. With built-in cigarette and drink trays, the $1 gambling machine could accommodate three vices at once. In working order and retaining its keys, it surpassed its high estimate to close at $15,375.

Bidders clearly got a “kick” out of 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 retained its original “lady” donkey fortune teller, who was capable of moving her head from side to side, surveying the audience, then flipping her baton to spin the wheel of fortune. A clockwork machine with an illuminating cabinet section, it finished within estimate at $46,740.

Both gamers and baseball fans competed for a 1937-40 Rockola upright baseball arcade machine replicating the 1937 World Series, its playing field set with nine figural baseball players. For a nickel, the patron could try to drive balls into any of eight “hit” slots or two “foul” slots in each corner. Ready for play, the classic sports-themed machine sold at the midpoint of its estimate range, for $25,830.

Known to collectors as the “Maguire,” a circa-1921 Deluxe Vending Machine Co. (NYC), “Luxo-Model’ gumball vending machine was deemed by Morphy’s specialists to be 100% original, including its copper finish and globe. Fewer than a handful of Maguires are known to exist, and that includes the elusive machine depicted in Bill Enes’ respected reference Silent Salesman Too. The auction example sold near the top of its estimate range, for $14,760.

One of the many antique advertising signs that outperformed was a pre-Prohibition reverse-painted glass sign advertising Yale Brewing Co. (New Haven, Conn.) Lager Beer, with a well-detailed factory scene and beautiful gold-leaf lettering and accents. Retaining its original oak frame with the original manufacturer’s label on verso, it presented in stellar 8.75 condition and attained $11,070, nearly twice the high estimate. Another excellent price was achieved by a circa-1900 single-sided tin sign promoting Columbia Yarns and decorated with the image of a woman in patriotic attire tending her flock of sheep. A strong condition 8.0, it garnered $9,840 against an estimate of $400-$800.

Other highlights from the three-day event included an outstanding original example of an early-20th-century Western Electric stock ticker, Model #2030, which sold for $20,910 against an estimate of $4,000-$8,000; and a large lot of gold nuggets having a total weight of 236 grams. The largest nugget weighed in at 97 grams and was described in the auction catalog as “very pure.” Against an estimate of $14,000-$22,000, it sold for $27,060. 

To discuss consigning to a future Coin-Op & Antique Advertising auction at Morphy’s, please call 877-968-8880 or email [email protected]. All enquiries are kept strictly confidential and there is never an obligation to consign. Visit Morphy’s online at www.morphyauctions.com.