What appears to be a great deal, may end up to be only “great kindling ‘ for your next campfire.

Before you bid, here are some things to check for, ask about, and avoid:

• Know your piano!

o Do you own a player piano manufactured in the 1950’s or later ?

It is best to buy “88 note rolls” manufactured during that time period, or later. Piano rolls made to play on “88 Note” player pianos manufactured before the late 1940’s contain holes (or perforations) that later pianos are not capable of using. Furthermore, very early (Pre -1918 era) piano rolls do not generally have holes cut in the paper to cause the piano to rewind automatically. This is of particular note for owners of modern player pianos who use electricity to play the roll. You can "add your own" holes if you know where they go, but beware before you ruin that great roll you have been long looking for.

Player piano manufacturers of the later years, frequently did not hook up the extreme upper and lower piano notes to the player mechanism itself, to save on production costs. Older rolls may sound “strange” when played on newer pianos as the old arrangements were designed for more notes than the newer pianos were able to read or use.

The roll size (paper width – 11 ¼”) is the same for old or newer “88 note rolls”, and all the rolls will fit and play on pianos designed for the “88 note” system, but most later production roll music was altered to accommodate the newer (but less capable) pianos.

o If you own a piano originally made in the early part of the 1900’s, make sure you really do have a player built to play “88 note rolls”.

There were other styles of rolls made in the early days, (such as “65 note rolls”) which played on pianos with 88 keys, but only actually used 65 of those 88 notes. Fortunately you can recognize these rolls with the “pin” end connections, which will not obviously fit a piano built for “88 note” rolls. As well, you will see for sale rolls of narrower or wider paper diemension, with different hole arrangements. These will neither fit, nor play, on "88 note" player systems.

o A standard player piano, is not a "nickelodoen" nor is it a "band organ". They play distinctly different types of "player" rolls, so dont be confused.

• Are these rolls for you?

Make sure the sellers identify the type of roll(s) they are offering. If there are no clear pictures or statements to the effect of what type of roll(s) they are offering for sale, ask questions before you bid. Any seller without an actual piano can not “unroll” the roll without damaging it to see if it is all OK, so don’t expect them to do that, just bid accordingly.

• Enemy # 1 (and 2) -

The two greatest enemies of player piano rolls are (1) excessive heat and (2) excessive moisture (mold). If you are buying individual rolls, do not be afraid to ask the sellers if they have checked for "mold eaten paper" or dark yellow “heat baked” paper. Unfortunately, the two most frequent storage spaces for unused piano rolls was either the attic, or the basement. Also ask sellers about “broken roll parts” if you are not handy with repairing old rolls.

• Buying in ‘Bunches”-

If you are buying a large “lot” of old piano rolls you run the risk of buying a number of unusable rolls. Unless the seller is familiar with selling piano or organ rolls and they are selling in large (10-50 or more) lots, be prepared that these rolls have not been looked at and then bid accordingly. Some of the greatest “treasures” ever discovered in old music rolls have come from these big lots of rolls, but be prepared for a lot of disappointments also. Bid accordingly, but do not be afraid of “no boxes” being offered, because the boxes are the first casualties of the war with “Enemy #1 and 2”.

• Packing is Everything! –

Player piano rolls and boxes are fragile and the older they are the more fragile they are. If you want to “get what you see” in the auction, always ask sellers to make sure the rolls are packed well. Experienced roll sellers generally know how to pack them. “Multi-item-type sellers”, should be advised by auction winners not to skimp on the padding in the boxes when shipping rolls. This is especially true if there are no roll boxes offered. If you value the boxes you do get, ask the seller to wrap the rolls in a small section of a single layer of newspaper, before placing them in the roll boxes for packing in the shipping box.

• Don’t spend needlessly for shipping –

For small lots (1-10), always request USPS “Media Mail” which is designed for shipment of ALL recorded sound items. If you are buying a large lot of rolls, UPS or FEDX Ground may be the way to go. If you are in a real “hurry” for a roll, go with what you feel and the seller offers, in the way of Priority shipping.

• Piano Rolls Are Like Automobiles -

You probably would not buy an automobile from a Christmas tree nursery and expect them to know all about the vehicle. Those seller’s who know piano rolls may charge more per roll, but you are dealing with people who know what they are selling. The higher per item price usually comes with the added comfort of knowing the person selling you the roll will sell you what you want and need, and will usually not let you make a big mistake if you ask questions. Remember: Knowledgeable and experienced sellers are worth the higher bid you may make. Always check out your seller's feedback!

I hope this helps you in your piano roll purchases on eBay.

Best Of Bidding To You!

RollTheMusic