Extremely rare MUTOSCOPE, ORIGINAL reel, New York 1920s

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Extremely rare small size Mutoscope with original reel, fully working; New York 1920s by "International Mutoscope Reel Co. Inc.": A working mutoscope machine complete with stand and original picture reel. A metal case with a crank and a viewing window is mounted on a metal stand; on top of the case sits a frame advertising the 'film'. All three parts are decorated with metal flowers. When a coin is inserted into a slot and the crank is turned quickly, a light bulb inside the case throws light onto a series of fast changing pictures. About 750 black and white photos (alternating with an equal number of blank cards) are attached to a metal reel which starts spinning when the crank is turned. A metal mechanism tansfers the motion of the crank to the axis that holds the picture reel. The reel moves past a brass piece that reaches in between the cards and flips through them: the picture immediately behind the metal piece is stopped for a short moment, so it can be seen through the viewing window. The glass in this window has a magnifying effect . The quick sequence of the photo cards makes the images 'move' and creates a film that runs for about 1 minute. The reel in this machine shows a man with moustache ( Charlie Chaplin? ) getting into mischief when boarding a boat. The metal case can be opened at one side (e.g. to change the reel) . A drawer at the front side of the case collects the inserted coins; it is locked with a separate key. The mutoscope, stand and frame are painted white. A relief inscription "INTERNATIONAL MUTOSCOPE REEL CO. INC. NEW YORK. U.S.A." appears on the coin drawer, the advertising frame and underneath the viewing window; the brass plaque with the coin slot additionally states the patent number "D. 74,698", refers to "other patents pending" and carries a stamp identifying this machine as "NR. 20"; the central metal part of the reel is marked "INTER MUTO REEL CO PAT'D MADE IN U.S.A. N.Y.C" Overall height of the machine including advertising frame: 1.33 metres (52,5 inches); the machine and stand reach a height of just 1 metre (39.5 inches), placing the viewing window comfortably at a child's eye level (95 cm = 37.5 inches). The stand is 57.5 cm (23 inches) high and measures 37 cm (14.5 inches) by 28 cm (11 inches) at the bottom; the metal case holding the mechanism and reel is 42 cm (16.5 inches) high, 33 cm (13 inches) deep and 21 cm (8.5 inches) wide; the reel has a diameter of 27 cm (11 inches), the cards are approximately 8 x 7 cm (3.2 x 2.8 inches). Mutoscopes were popular arcade machines, introduced around 1895. They enjoyed a rather ambivalent reputation because they didn't only show humoristic scenes, but also 'scandalous' pictures e.g. of women partly undressing. Tfore small size machines like this one were very rare. The "International Mutoscope Reel Co. Inc." was founded by Bill Rabkin in 1926, after acquiring the patent license form the earlier American Mutoscope Company. For further information see: /arcade/mutosc.htm (including various historic newspaper articles and advertisements reffering to the International Mutoscope Reel Company) and /revue/cine/2003/v14/n1/008959ar.pdf (a paper on "Children at the Mutoscope"). Condition: The machine is in full working order (cable modernised to ensure safe operation, plug adapted to German sockets); the original cast iron advertising frame holds a replica card. The reel shows traces of intense use (the brass piece flipping through the cards has severely rubbed the top middle section of the photo cards and torn off small pieces in that area; in addition, several cards are bent and some have lost larger parts). The white paint was probably renewed at some stage. It has flaked off in a few places (see pictures), but the overall appearance is very bright and clean. The mutoscope is quite heavy (ca. 25 kilos). Shipping it to the US will cost 130 Dollars. Shipping within Europe is 54 Euros, within Germany 16,80 E... read more

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