Norman Roland collection

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Steve
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Norman Roland collection

Post by Steve »

I note there are some incredibly rare and interesting machines for sale on the Saleroom in Cheshire currently including G&T Monarchs, early travelling arm machines and two EMG's including an export 10B. These all belonged to Norman Roland.

Does anyone know him?

epigramophone
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Re: Norman Roland collection

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Steve
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Re: Norman Roland collection

Post by Steve »

Thanks for the link.

Its a pity nothing for sale is in really nice condition though. I'm not in the market for any more fixers at the moment otherwise I'd be tempted.

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Steve
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Re: Norman Roland collection

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Stupid auctioneers posting videos of records being played backwards and then stating the arm is too heavy to play the record. Quite apart from something very obvious - the arm is the arm as designed, manufactured and presumably used successfully for well over a century so why do they think its got heavier with age? - can they not understand the needle is angled into the oncoming record groove, enough to cut the record to smithereens, let alone play it properly?!! :roll:

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Re: Norman Roland collection

Post by Dulcetto »

Steve wrote: Tue May 04, 2021 1:52 pm Stupid auctioneers posting videos of records being played backwards and then stating the arm is too heavy to play the record. Quite apart from something very obvious - the arm is the arm as designed, manufactured and presumably used successfully for well over a century so why do they think its got heavier with age? - can they not understand the needle is angled into the oncoming record groove, enough to cut the record to smithereens, let alone play it properly?!! :roll:
As I've said before , some auctioneers ( or more correctly , their cataloguing staff ) could be described as being just rag and bone men in suits . About sums it up really !

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Steve
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Re: Norman Roland collection

Post by Steve »

I agree but in my own experience your average "rag and bone man" has a lot more common sense! These guys were obviously AWOL when their maker was dishing out intelligence.

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Re: Norman Roland collection

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I had briefly considered bidding on the Edison Opera after Tim (Wagnerian), who lives nearer to the auction house than me, kindly offered to check it over during his appointment to view the sale.
Once I had read the terms and conditions in detail I changed my mind. The arrangements for collection if successful are particularly onerous (look them up). How could I keep to a pre-booked 30 minute slot when my 200 mile journey involved a section of the M6 which is littered with long term road works? Do I really want to take delivery outside if it is pouring with rain?
Staying nearby the night before is not an option, as all lots must be cleared by Friday 14th and hotels do not reopen until Monday 17th. Much as I want an Opera, this one is just too much hassle.

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Re: Norman Roland collection

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epigramophone wrote: Thu May 06, 2021 7:29 am I had briefly considered bidding on the Edison Opera after Tim (Wagnerian), who lives nearer to the auction house than me, kindly offered to check it over during his appointment to view the sale.
Once I had read the terms and conditions in detail I changed my mind. The arrangements for collection if successful are particularly onerous (look them up). How could I keep to a pre-booked 30 minute slot when my 200 mile journey involved a section of the M6 which is littered with long term road works? Do I really want to take delivery outside if it is pouring with rain?
Staying nearby the night before is not an option, as all lots must be cleared by Friday 14th and hotels do not reopen until Monday 17th. Much as I want an Opera, this one is just too much hassle.
What's a travesty, quite apart from the onerous collecting arrangements, is that people like you are not going to bid on an item you might have otherwise bought. This has the effect of producing derisory auction prices on these lots which is a great financial loss to the vendors (the very people paying for the privilege of the service) and the wider community in general as the results do not adequately reflect the true worth or value of each item.

Condition is very important but equally, so is convenience for buyers and the provision of accurate and comprehensive information. I hardly look at auction results nowadays as they rarely reflect the true value of the items being sold due to the inadequacies of the auctioneers' presentation and often poor condition of the items.

Whilst thinking about auction results, what is so precious about publishing data online? Why do so many sites hide the information away unless you're a subscriber?

In this instance I'm a little surprised the son and daughter of Dr. Roland haven't noticed the glaring mistakes of the auctioneers and corrected them, given their upbringing and immersion into the world of mechanical music. They both clearly know one end of a winding handle from the other.

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Re: Norman Roland collection

Post by epigramophone »

If I had been administering Dr Roland's estate I would not have authorised the auction until all Covid restrictions had been lifted.
Better arrangements for viewing, buying and collecting should result in better attendance and better results.

As to why some auction firms do not publish results on line, the most likely reasons are firstly that they can get away with charging for the information by way of subscriptions, and secondly that the results do not always reflect well on them.

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