Bidspirit auction | Chautauqua Roller Organ by the

Chautauqua Roller Organ by the Autophone Company - This antique tabletop mechanical musical instrument is a Chautauqua Roller Organ produced by the Autophone Company of Ithaca, New York. The instrument is constructed of quartersawn oak, works, and a black-painted wooden base. The case features a sloped hinged lid with a glass viewing window and a front-mounted metal hand crank with a black turned-wood handle. The top of the case is printed with the words Chautauqua Roller Organ in black Gothic-style script. The internal mechanism uses a pinned wooden cylinder, or cob, to actuate twenty metal reeds. A black stencil of a stylized flower in a classical urn is applied to the interior soundboard. This unit is equipped with one pinned wooden cylinder. The wooden case shows wear consistent with age, including scattered scratches, scuffs, and small chips. The black-painted base exhibits significant paint loss and chipping. Internal metal components, including the reed tongues and cylinder pins, show light surface oxidation. The glass pane is intact. The bellows show typical age-related drying and wear to the flexible joints.