NYE & Co – A 20th Century Mechanical Delight
November 16 at 10 am
www.nyeandcompany.com

BLOOMFIELD, N.J. — Nye & Company’s online auction, titled Property from a Private Collection: A Twentieth Century Machinal Delight, is slated for Wednesday, November 16, starting at 10 am. This collection — all of it the lifetime vision of a single collector — comprises all manner of mechanical and musical devices, games and all the associated ephemera one could ever hope to find to accompany them.

There is a collection of mechanical and still cast iron banks, tin toys and books with a Black Americana theme, and a collection of early Berliner, Victor and Edison cylinder and disc players and accessories. All of them — many of them rare or unusual examples — are in operating condition and include the original paperwork.

One such example is an early Berliner trademark model gramophone, circa 1888, made in the United States, with rare original horn and parts. This is the gramophone model featured in the iconic “His Master’s Voice” image, though the one offered for sale here has an earlier painted horn. There are also many 7-inch Berliner and Zon-O-Phone recordings, some very rare.

There is a separate category dedicated to medical quackery, with dozens of early machines, early books and devices, with their original Nineteenth Century packaging. For collectors of these types of objects, a treasure trove of devices and related ephemera awaits.

Among the highlights of the mechanical banks is a J&E Stevens “Always Did ‘Spise A Mule” bank with its original wooden box and original paperwork. There is also an original “Darktown Battery” mechanical bank, also in original paint.

The collection also includes a library of books related to conventional and homeopathic medicine, with volumes spanning four centuries. There are historically important books and documents concerning slavery and early technology, and many volumes about New York City, New York State, Westchester County and more.

One of the highlights of the book collection is the 1788 first edition of An Account of The Slave Trade by Alexander Falconbridge. Falconbridge was a surgeon aboard a slave ship during the second half of the 1700s and was responsible for health and well-being of the slavers’ “cargo.”

He was so moved by his experiences that eventually became an early active member of the abolitionist community. Another one of the volumes is The Breviarie of Health, published in 1575 for Andrew Boorde, the very first medical book published in English (ex-Yale Medical Library).

The collection of late Nineteenth and early Twentieth Century objects features coin-operated mechanical devices, including more than 30 early slot machines and early trade stimulators, all in working condition, all with their keys, many with original paper and advertising, and all in either original condition or lightly restored.

There are several free-reed mechanical crank organs, and even a Regina Hexaphone (a forerunner of the earliest jukeboxes, played using Edison cylinders).

Some of the more interesting lots in this group include a rare “Sanitary Chewing Gum Machine” by Manikin Vendor Company. There is also a “Multi Bell Slot Machine” (1936) by Caille A. C. Novelty Co., in original condition and in complete working order (keys included).

Live preview is in progress at the firm’s gallery at 20 Beach Street. The preview runs through November 16.

For information, 973-984-6900 or www.nyeandcompany.com.

Top row: Rare “African Golf” Trade Stimulator, Made by The Hollingsworth Corporation; Cast Iron “Darktown Battery”, J & E Stevens Company, circa 1885; Manikin Vendor Co. “Sanitary” Chewing Gum 1 Cent Machine; Middle row: Amos ‘n’ Andy Tin Wind-Up Toy Taxicab, ca. 1930, with original lithographed box; Field Manufacturing Co. “Baffle Ball Jr.” 5 Cent Machine; Bottom row: 1910 Edison Opera Cylinder phonograph with original “Music Master” mahogany horn; Lambert 1 Typewriter, ca. 1902; Mills “Silent ‘War Eagle'” Slot Machine
Visit Preview Pre-bid:
Nov 2-16
Online Preview/Pre-bid at nyeandcompany, invaluable, bidsquare and liveauctioneers
Nov 7-16
Public Exhibition at Bloomfield NJ Gallery, 20 Beach St. 07003 10 to 4 weekdays