Richard Bartram's mechanical music collection goes under hammer at TW Gaze in Diss

A lifetime’s collection of mechanical music worth thousands of pounds is to be offered for auction in Diss.

Spanning over 140 years of man-made music, the Richard Bartram collection includes polyphons, phonographs, music boxes, record players and bygone accessories.

BBC TV antiques expert Elizabeth Talbot, a director of auctioneers TW Gaze, said the firm was 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,” she said.

“It contains some great rarities, such as a polyphon autochange, which will carry an estimate of £10,000 to £15,000, plus unusual novelties such as a gold musical seal fob with barillet movement and a Junghans symponium disc-playing alarm clock, but also some modest items which are attractive to collectors.”

The collection on May 16 (2pm-8pm). The auction is on Friday, May 17, at 1pm.