A Bollands Haunted House working model
No VAT will be charged on the hammer price, but VA… Read more Lots 113 - 119 are offered for sale on behalf of the Trustees of Longleat Estate, where the machines have been on public display, 1995-98.
A Bollands Haunted House working model

Details
A Bollands Haunted House working model
in glazed wood and metal Art-Deco style case with interior scene of a panelled room with fireplace, bookcase, dresser, table and seated man reading Ghost Tales, the coin-operated four-cam electric motor contained in the base 71 in. (181cm.) high, (case painted)

The sequence includes the table spinning, the dresser and chair rising from the ground, a portrait swinging on the wall, a spider emerging from the fireplace, a ghost appearing at the door, and the bookcase opening to reveal a skeleton hand.
Special notice
No VAT will be charged on the hammer price, but VAT at 17.5% will be added to the buyer's premium which is invoiced on a VAT inclusive basis. This lot is subject to Collection and Storage Charges.

Lot Essay

Bolland began producing coin-operated working models after the Second World War, recycling crane cabinets that he had purchased cheaply due to war shortages and adapting the original cams to animate his new models. The cabinets are usually Art Deco in style, while the figures themselves are reminiscent of late 19th/early 20th Century "one off" pieces produced by British makers such as John Dennison and Leonard Lee.

More from MECHANICAL MUSIC, TECHNICAL APPARATUS, SLOT MACHINES AND ADV

View All
View All