Description: Violano Virtuoso, Mills Novelty Company, 1909 to 1929, though not an arcade game, the Mills Violano is a beautiful works of art. Cabinet can be mahogany or oak. The Mills Violano Used rolls of perforated paper to play like a "player piano". The Mills Violano can play music on the violin, piano, or both at the same time. A glass divider between the piano mechanism and the violin mechanism indicates an early Mill Violano model. Some Mills Violanos were made without the piano accompaniment. Most Mills Violano produced before 1912 contained only a violin, and those after 1912 had the addition of a 44 note piano. The violin/piano combination models are known as the "Violano-Virtuoso". Machines with two violins are known as the De Luxe model Violano-Virtuoso, or nicknamed the "Double Mills Violano". They made about 4000 to 5000 of these, and they run on 110 volts AC. Henry K. Sandell was the main inventor of the Mills Violano. There are even some people fitting electronic Midi attachments to original Mills Violanos. If you have a Mills Violano for sale, I would be interested in buying it. Please contact cfh@provide.net
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Mills Violano
Mills Violano
A DeLuxe model Violano-Virtuoso (double Mills Violano) that uses two violins and has a mahogany cabinet.
Pictures by P.Evans.
Mills Violano insides
Mills Violano paper rolls
Mills Violano violins
Mills Violano piano
* Email the collector cfh@provide.net * Go to the EM Arcade History index * Go to the Pinball Repair/History index |