The Richard Bartram Collection
A lifetime’s collection of mechanical music is to be offered for auction in Diss on Friday 17th May. The Richard Bartram Collection is to be sold at TW Gaze Diss Auction Rooms on the same day as their next Music Sale.
Spanning over 140 years of man-made music the collection includes Polyphons, phonographs, early 20th Century camera phones including a Mikiphone, gramophones, music boxes, a peraphone, a seraphone, penny-in-the-slot machines, an organette, record players , bygone accessories and subject-related ephemera. 
Director of the firm Elizabeth Talbot said TW Gaze were delighted to have the privilege of marketing such an important collection. “This collection was formed in Norfolk over many years, driven by one man’s personal passion and fascination for the subject. It contains some great rarities such as a polyphon autochange, which will carry an estimate of £10,000 – 15,0000, some unusual novelties such as a gold musical seal fob with barillet movement and a Jurghans symponium disc playing alarm clock, but also some charming, modest items which are attractive to collectors because they add value to the larger items, such as an extensive selection of original gramophone needle tins with colourful lithographs to the lids”.
The collection will be on view on Thursday 9th May 2 – 8pm, Friday 10th May 10am – 6pm and Thursday 16th May 2 – 8pm. The auction will start at 1pm on Friday 17th May.
