Instruments from Jonathan White's musical collections are listed below for sale. For further information or to express enquiries of interest, please make contact.
1880 Paillard N.Y Cylinder Music box and table. The 17 5/8-inch interchangeable Paillard Cylinder Music Box was built in 1877 (keylock date stamped 1877) and is complete with 4 cylinders. Serial Number: 4903. Provenance: the instrument was a gift from John D Rockefeller Snr to the original owners, who lived in Connecticut, c.1880 as a wedding present. Sold by their daughter, Mrs Janet Redmond to Marty and Elise Roenigk for their collection c. 1980. It had, however, been banished to the basement for 40 years as it didn’t play. It wasn’t playing at the time of the sale in October 1992 to JRW and was subsequently airfreighted back to New Zealand in 1993. It was restored- cleaned and lubricated by Dwight Porter (Porter Music box Company) who also discovered that it had a broken tooth, which had been lodged in the mechanism. The tooth was replaced.
Offers over $18,000 (NZD)
Unrestored, still complete with its 1913 tubing and pneumatics. Provenance: Shipped to New Zealand for Mrs PC Neill, of Chingford House Dunedin. The instrument remained in the same house until sold to Mr Haraway, ANZ Bank Manager, Dunedin for his wife who was a concert pianist. The Haraway’s moved to Gisborne c.1960. By the mid-1980’s Hanlon’s Picture Tuner, Gisborne contacted JRW, with a sale negotiated in 1990.
Offers over $4,000 (NZD)
1860’s Piano with stool. Ex: New Zealand Exhibition, Dunedin, 12 January- 6 May 1865. Provenance: Purchased by Rod Cornelis from an Antique Shop, Dunedin after a long-term customer layby did not eventuate. Taken to Auckland: it was subsequently sold by Rod Cornelis to JRW who had it restored, including the fretwork.
Offers over $2,000 (NZD)
1889 Aeolian Grand Organ with stool. Provenance: Recovered in 1960 from a trailer by wellington Collector, Michael Woolf, as it was on its way to the wellington tip- because it hasn’t got an iron frame. Purchased from Michael Woolf by JRW in 1972 and restored in 1993. Stool from the Presbyterian Church.
Offers over $1,200 (NZD)
Square Piano. Dating between 1830 and 1860’s (straight legs indicate a more likely period of the 1860’s), the feather mahogany piano came to New Zealand for AJ White importer, Christchurch.
Subsequently in the Kaiapoi Woollen Mills, it was played with a push up piano player- which accounts for the wearing on the keys. Sold to a Sydney collector: it then arrived back in Christchurch, where it was purchased by Rod Cornelius. After moving from Dunedin to Auckland the piano was purchased by JRW in 2008.
Offers over $1,200 (NZD)
Provenance: Second to last Piano manufactured by Brinsmead in December 1909. Original owner William (Bill) Cruickshank. Second owner a lawyer from Hastings Le Bond/ Helleur. Purchased in 2003 from J. Stimpson from Taupo by JRW.
Offers over $1,000 (NZD)