Automatic Piano

[redwine]

O: .FELIX STEENBAKKERS./ 10 RUE FRANKLIN / LA MADELEINE (NORD)
R: APPAREILS / ET / PIANOS / AUTOMATIQUES
30mm
7.26g
Medal aligned.
Zinc like?
 
Have found diddly about this on t'internet   
Your help ladies and gentlemen please 

[malj1]

I have another AUTOMATIC PIANO / 32 RUE DES ARCHIVES PARIS same both sides. Zinc, 30.2mm

[Figleaf]

These may be advertising tokens of pianola sellers. I think they are too different to be of the same seller.

Peter

[malj1]

These tokens are the size of the French 10 centimes or British penny and were probably used to operate coin-operated automatic pianos, popular from the 1890's through to the early part of the 20th century.

Google finds several of these pianos but unfortunately only American ones, eBay also shows several.

A US patent.

quote...
()ur invention relates to automatic pianos, and 'nu-tiirulnrly the kind that can he made to nutoimuicnlly play any one of a repermire of musical compositions, by depositinc n coin in one of several-slots.

One of the objects of our invention is to provide menus wherchy the piano c-.m be nnulc to play the composition desired by merely depositing" the coin in the slot designation the title of such composition and dis.......

[redwine]

Here's yours Malcolm under AUTOMATIC PIANO PARIS

http://home.scarlet.be/lieveverbeeck/autres_marques_francaises_p.htm

[redwine]

Yes, that should have been PNEUMA but I was forced off my machine!  Same thing really.
The correct link is here http://home.scarlet.be/lieveverbeeck/autres_marques_francaises_a.htm for AUTOMATIC PIANO

[malj1]

That's it, even down to the image of the token. So the Brand is 'Automatic Piano' and a Sub-brand PNEUMA.

[malj1]

O: .FELIX STEENBAKKERS./ 10 RUE FRANKLIN / LA MADELEINE (NORD)
R: APPAREILS / ET / PIANOS / AUTOMATIQUES

And here is the entry for STEENBAKKERS:

Pianos automatiques vers 1926 La Madeleine (Nord)

Tribunal civil : Steenbakkers contre Damelincourt en 1925, dans Recueil périodique des assurances : revue mensuelle : doctrine, jurisprudence, législation des assurances terrestres et maritimes, 1926, p. 133-135
   
Seems there was a court case but I was unable to read it.

[Figleaf]

Not a complete text and not very interesting.

The case is about a fire in a building belonging to Damelincourt that destroyed three automatic pianos he had rented from Steenbakkers. Damelincourt refuses to pay for the piano because he says he didn't start the fire. The court says he's responsible under the law and didn't prove he was covered by any of the exceptions enumerated by the law. Text stops there.

Peter

[redwine]

And here is the entry for STEENBAKKERS:

Pianos automatiques vers 1926 La Madeleine (Nord)

Yes, I contacted him with the details of the token

[malj1]

Did you get any response? 

[redwine]

Yes, really nice chap 
Response posted above...... No! I forgot   

[capnbirdseye]

Reminds me of an amusing incident in my teens  back then I started work for a firm of Shopfitters & we were refitting out an old shop which had a pianola which is also an autoplaying piano, you sat on the stool & worked the two pedals & the piano began to play via a perforated paper roll inside the cabinet, the correct keys also went up & down as it played.
We pushed it up to the door & I started to work the pedals & give the impression I was pressing the keys & before long a crowd had gathered watching the 'amazing' piano player
 I presume there was a flywheel inside because when you stopped working the pedals it carried on for about 1/2 a minute so you can imagine the looks on their faces when I stood up & walked away & the music carried on 

[malj1]

 

Someone should have taken your hat round first! 

[redwine]

I have another AUTOMATIC PIANO / 32 RUE DES ARCHIVES PARIS same both sides. Zinc, 30.2mm

Jetons D'Audition has a small section on this topic pp141-149, Jetons de pianos mecaniques.
This is Paris 1.2