The Kruse auction features only items from the Ford Bovey estate.
I believe that MMD'ers will be interested in a little history on the
Bovey family.

The late Ford Bovey was the son of the late Charles and Sue Bovey,
who are credited with saving the historic ghost town of Virginia City,
Montana, as well as reconstructing Nevada City.  Charlie Bovey was an
heir to the General Mills fortune.  His wife, Sue, was heiress to the
founder of the Norwest Banking empire.  The Bovey's met in Great Falls,
Montana, where Charlie ran the General Mills branch office.  By the
way, a lot of wheat is grown in this part of Montana and thus the need
for a General Mills office.

At a certain point the Bovey's got the collecting "bug" and literally
"collected" Montana.  As pioneer collectors, they collected everything
from stagecoaches to antique cars to general store items to penny
arcade machines to steam trains and railroad cars to music machines.
They even acquired a huge steam powered salon carousel called the Eden
Palais which I later sold to Jasper Sanfilippo.  It can be said that
their collection of collections was _mammoth!_

After successfully displaying their growing collection in Great Falls,
Montana, they set their sights on Virginia City.  Virginia City was
very historic for its placer gold deposits and a vigilante movement
where the townspeople secretly got together and hung their crooked
sheriff.

The Boveys literally bought Virginia City with the intention of making
it the Williamsburg of the West.  They restored the buildings and then
decorated the interiors with their collected artifacts.  To the north,
in Nevada City, they literally reconstituted the town by moving in other
buildings from other ghost towns.  The towns were connected by a steam
train line installed by the Boveys.  The Boveys created a "living
history" environment.

To learn more about the Bovey restorations look at the following
web site: http://www.virginiacity.com/

Somewhere along the line, the Boveys discovered mechanical music.
I believe that the discovery was probably related to the coin operated
pianos sold throughout Montana by the Butte Piano Company of Butte,
Montana.  The vast amount of mining activity in Montana resulted in
many saloons and houses of affordable affection, which were the prime
market for coin pianos and orchestrions.

In the 'Fifties when the Bovey's started collecting, many of these
pianos were still on location.  As a kid, I even walked into a saloon
in Miles City and saw a "bow front" Mills with the Butte Piano Company
name plate on it.  The owner threw me out for being "under age", despite
my pleas about wanting to look at the Mills Violano!  Many coin pianos
in the Bovey Collection bear the Butte Piano Company name plate.

The Bovey's discovered Ozzie Wurdeman of Minneapolis, who was a former
Violano distributor.  (By the way, the Boveys had their roots in
Minneapolis/St. Paul.)  Ozzie began spending his summers in Virginia
City working on the music machines.  Ozzie also exposed the Boveys to
other pioneer collectors such as the Klavestads of Shakopee, Minnesota,
and Paul and Laura Eakins.

Ozzie also got the Boveys into the Excelsior Amusement Park in
Minneapolis, where they purchased the penny arcade games and a Cremona
'J'.  Later on Charlie bought the B.A.B. Organ Company of Brooklyn,
along with the Molinari Organ Company, and moved everything to Montana.
This purchase was a treasure trove of mechanical music!  It included
a number of fairground organs as well as all the shop equipment,
including a perforator, barrel pinning equipment, and the book punching
machinery.

These instruments and equipment were displayed in Nevada City.
Ozzie Wurdeman took the perforator to Minneapolis to recut organ rolls.
I first visited Virginia City and Nevada City in 1964 as a very small
child.  I can still remember the electric thrill of listening to the
large Gavioli at the back of the log music hall, as well as the Seeburg
G in the Bale of Hay Saloon!  You can see the Gavioli at the following
web site:  http://www.ptinet.net/~cowgirl/nevctyorgan.jpg

When everything was working well the place was an enthusiasts dream!
Our family visited each summer for the next 11 years.  During that time
we got to know the Boveys.  Those visits are fondly remembered.

After Charlie and Sue passed away their son, Ford Bovey, inherited
everything.  Estate taxes took the cash necessary to subsidize Virginia
City and Nevada City.  Auctions and private sales were considered.
The curator, Nevada City resident and vintage printer John Ellingsen,
started a push to save the collection.  Eventually the State of Montana
purchased the majority of the collection.  Ford did keep a number of
items including the items in the Kruse auction.

The State of Montana now owns the fair organs which are displayed in
the Nevada City music hall.  They also own the B.A.B master rolls and
the Molinari organ shop, as well as a number of nickelodeons.  The
inventory book listing the items which the State of Montana purchased
is nearly two inches thick!  The State plans on restoring the
instruments and considers each one a treasure.

Regarding the auction, I have been asked by a number of orchestrion
collectors about what the Seeburg J will sell for.  My estimate has
been increasing as the number of players grows.  As we speak, several
wealthy collectors are heading to Montana, trailer in tow, with the
intent of acquiring this diamond in the rough.  A few more plan to bid
over the net and telephone.

In the heat of the auction I expect that the Seeburg J in its
unrestored state will sell for over $100,000.00 and will set a record
price for such an instrument.  The sale of this instrument will cause
collectors to refocus on classic American orchestrions!

Tim Trager