Instrument and Equipment
See also : Inventions Ancient science Sciences 1600-1800 Sciences from 1800 Astronomy Travel Space Movies Pop music Musical instrument II
Chronology : 1923
Chronology : 1923
1505 The Computer of the Ottoman Sky
2014 SOLD for £ 960K including premium
Invented a little over 2000 years ago, the astrolabe is the computer of the sky. This ancient star tracker measured the time by locating the position of the sky, provided you know the latitude and, to a lesser extent, the altitude.
This instrument of very high complexity in its geometric design and of remarkable sharp engraving reached an angular accuracy around one degree.
Muslim astronomers have developed this instrument for centuries, from the late second century AH. Nearly all celestial phenomena were used as references or studied: solstices, equinoxes, eclipses, planet motions. The precision was so high that the error brought by the precession of the equinoxes can now be used to date the instrument.
In seeking the knowledge of the sky, astronomers also aimed at astrology and watched the zodiacal signs.
The Sultan Bayezid II encouraged astronomy. Two astrolabes made for the use of his court are known. One of them is estimated £ 800K, for sale by Sotheby's in London on October 8, lot 135.
This brass instrument of 9.5 cm diameter is complete with all its fixed and rotating parts. The knob for the rotation on the central axis is later.
This astrolabe is indeed a masterpiece of Ottoman science, with numerous engraved inscriptions and reduced decoration. The choice of the reference star is made by the user among no less than fifteen star pointers.
It is signed and dated 911 AH, corresponding to 1505 to 1506 in our calendar. The fact that the author is not otherwise recorded just means that he did not write a treatise.
This instrument of very high complexity in its geometric design and of remarkable sharp engraving reached an angular accuracy around one degree.
Muslim astronomers have developed this instrument for centuries, from the late second century AH. Nearly all celestial phenomena were used as references or studied: solstices, equinoxes, eclipses, planet motions. The precision was so high that the error brought by the precession of the equinoxes can now be used to date the instrument.
In seeking the knowledge of the sky, astronomers also aimed at astrology and watched the zodiacal signs.
The Sultan Bayezid II encouraged astronomy. Two astrolabes made for the use of his court are known. One of them is estimated £ 800K, for sale by Sotheby's in London on October 8, lot 135.
This brass instrument of 9.5 cm diameter is complete with all its fixed and rotating parts. The knob for the rotation on the central axis is later.
This astrolabe is indeed a masterpiece of Ottoman science, with numerous engraved inscriptions and reduced decoration. The choice of the reference star is made by the user among no less than fifteen star pointers.
It is signed and dated 911 AH, corresponding to 1505 to 1506 in our calendar. The fact that the author is not otherwise recorded just means that he did not write a treatise.
1750 Microscope of the Duc de Chaulnes
1999 SOLD for £ 1M including premium by Christie's
narrated in 2013 before the sale of another instrument by Piasa (see below)
The mid-eighteenth century is a golden age for scientists. Science is so vast that they still are multidisciplinary. Their ingenuity and skill are encouraged by the King of France and his entourage.
The duc de Chaulnes is altogether astronomer, physicist and engineer. One of his most spectacular contributions to knowledge is the simulation of lightning.
He also had the idea of combining the microscope and the micrometer, invented separately before him. This invention was fruitful because it immediately enabled to measure the small objects admired by Van Leeuwenhoek.
A small series of microscopes from the design of the duc de Chaulnes was made circa 1750. Some copies have survived.
The optical microscope and the mechanism are assigned to one of the most skilled clockmakers of his time, Claude-Siméon Passemant, also author of an astronomical clock which set the official time of the kingdom. The micrometer was made by André Maingaut. The scientific quality was at that time not inconsistent with luxury: its gilt bronzes may be attributed to Caffieri.
The first two instruments below have their tube wrapped in fishskin. One of them was sold for £ 1M including premium by Christie's on July 8, 1999, lot 184 and the other one for € 900K including premium by Sotheby's on October 22, 2008, lot 65.
Another one with no shagreen had been discussed before sale in this column. It was sold for € 620K including premium over a lower estimate of € 200K by Piasa on June 19, 2013.
The duc de Chaulnes is altogether astronomer, physicist and engineer. One of his most spectacular contributions to knowledge is the simulation of lightning.
He also had the idea of combining the microscope and the micrometer, invented separately before him. This invention was fruitful because it immediately enabled to measure the small objects admired by Van Leeuwenhoek.
A small series of microscopes from the design of the duc de Chaulnes was made circa 1750. Some copies have survived.
The optical microscope and the mechanism are assigned to one of the most skilled clockmakers of his time, Claude-Siméon Passemant, also author of an astronomical clock which set the official time of the kingdom. The micrometer was made by André Maingaut. The scientific quality was at that time not inconsistent with luxury: its gilt bronzes may be attributed to Caffieri.
The first two instruments below have their tube wrapped in fishskin. One of them was sold for £ 1M including premium by Christie's on July 8, 1999, lot 184 and the other one for € 900K including premium by Sotheby's on October 22, 2008, lot 65.
Another one with no shagreen had been discussed before sale in this column. It was sold for € 620K including premium over a lower estimate of € 200K by Piasa on June 19, 2013.
1903 The Favorite Organ of Milhous Brothers
2012 SOLD 1.26 M$ including premium
I promised that I discuss once again the sale of the Milhous collection, in Boca Raton FL by RM Auctions in association with Sotheby's. The choice is vast. The session dedicated to mechanical musical instruments on February 25 includes nearly one hundred lots.
For selecting the piece to be presented here, I let the brothers talk. In the general video introduction of the sale, between 0:50 and 1:15, they reveal their favorite instrument, a fairground organ manufactured in 1903 by Ruth and sons in Waldkirch.
This small town in the Black Forest of Baden-Württemberg was a capital city of this specialty and Bruder and Ruth were the two major brands. Limonaire, the French manufacturer of street organs, also operated a plant in the town.
The Style 38-B is one of the largest mechanical organs ever built: 5.20 x 2.70 x 1.70 m. Its facade is richly sculpted with figures of Baroque musicians, not to omit the angels playing trumpets. According to the catalog, only two examples arein existence. The Milhous organ is estimated $ 1M.
POST SALE COMMENT
The favorite instrument of Milhous brothers exceeded its lower estimate. It was sold at $ 1.1 million hammer price. This is a great result in its category.
Here is the video quoted above, shared by RM Auctions on YouTube.
For selecting the piece to be presented here, I let the brothers talk. In the general video introduction of the sale, between 0:50 and 1:15, they reveal their favorite instrument, a fairground organ manufactured in 1903 by Ruth and sons in Waldkirch.
This small town in the Black Forest of Baden-Württemberg was a capital city of this specialty and Bruder and Ruth were the two major brands. Limonaire, the French manufacturer of street organs, also operated a plant in the town.
The Style 38-B is one of the largest mechanical organs ever built: 5.20 x 2.70 x 1.70 m. Its facade is richly sculpted with figures of Baroque musicians, not to omit the angels playing trumpets. According to the catalog, only two examples arein existence. The Milhous organ is estimated $ 1M.
POST SALE COMMENT
The favorite instrument of Milhous brothers exceeded its lower estimate. It was sold at $ 1.1 million hammer price. This is a great result in its category.
Here is the video quoted above, shared by RM Auctions on YouTube.
1912 Early Songs in the Cinema
2015 SOLD for € 1.24M including premium
French inventors were passionate about the transformation of photography into a full size show. This black and white image will give birth by phases to the sound cinema in colors by projection.
Lumière in Lyon and Gaumont in Paris are industrialists of the photography. This market is growing significantly since the release in the United States in 1888 of the film camera, obsoleting the glass plates: the Kodak. Edison, also in the United States, is able since 1891 to produce motion pictures with perforated film.
For shooting his movies, Léon Gaumont operates the Chronophotographe of Demeny who himself had been the assistant of Marey, the physiologist who studied the movements by taking successive views onto a single plate. From 1911 in Paris, the Gaumont Palace welcomes 3200 spectators.
The first movies are short sequences. The projections are often accompanied by a musician or a singer. In 1907 Gaumont publishes a catalog of "phonoscènes" which are a kit including separately the film for the projection and the record disc for the phonograph. The first titles are songs from the music hall and the opera.
Gaumont attempts the synchronization of picture and sound both in recording and performing. His Chronomégaphone requires two operators connected by telephone to identify the time drifts between image and sound that are offset by a monitoring equipment named the chef d'orchestre.
One of these devices was purchased in 1912 by a young man who was planning to make a fortune in Mexico with his demonstrations of sound cinema.
After a promising start, the experience is interrupted. The low number of available sequences did not allow to maintain a permanent theater and the installation in a tour, which was tempted, was too difficult. The hardware, films, records and even the posters came back to France in 1913 in their four huge original Gaumont containers.
This Chronomégaphone is now surfacing like a time capsule. It is estimated € 1M for sale by Rouillac in the château d'Artigny near Tours on June 7, lot 35. Here is the link to the website of the auction house.
Lumière in Lyon and Gaumont in Paris are industrialists of the photography. This market is growing significantly since the release in the United States in 1888 of the film camera, obsoleting the glass plates: the Kodak. Edison, also in the United States, is able since 1891 to produce motion pictures with perforated film.
For shooting his movies, Léon Gaumont operates the Chronophotographe of Demeny who himself had been the assistant of Marey, the physiologist who studied the movements by taking successive views onto a single plate. From 1911 in Paris, the Gaumont Palace welcomes 3200 spectators.
The first movies are short sequences. The projections are often accompanied by a musician or a singer. In 1907 Gaumont publishes a catalog of "phonoscènes" which are a kit including separately the film for the projection and the record disc for the phonograph. The first titles are songs from the music hall and the opera.
Gaumont attempts the synchronization of picture and sound both in recording and performing. His Chronomégaphone requires two operators connected by telephone to identify the time drifts between image and sound that are offset by a monitoring equipment named the chef d'orchestre.
One of these devices was purchased in 1912 by a young man who was planning to make a fortune in Mexico with his demonstrations of sound cinema.
After a promising start, the experience is interrupted. The low number of available sequences did not allow to maintain a permanent theater and the installation in a tour, which was tempted, was too difficult. The hardware, films, records and even the posters came back to France in 1913 in their four huge original Gaumont containers.
This Chronomégaphone is now surfacing like a time capsule. It is estimated € 1M for sale by Rouillac in the château d'Artigny near Tours on June 7, lot 35. Here is the link to the website of the auction house.
1923 Photography on Flexible Film
2018 SOLD for € 2.4M including premium
In 1911 Oskar Barnack was hired by Leitz. Founded in the mid-19th century, the Optische Werke Ernst Leitz company established in Wetzlar specialized in precision mechanics for optical instruments.
In the development phase of the cinema, setting the exposure time was an issue. To test it Barnack has the idea in 1913 to insert a 35 mm flexible film horizontally in a still camera. He builds two prototypes of this Leca that will later be spelled Leica for Leitz Camera. The horizontal position makes it possible to use 8 perforations per frame instead of 4 for the vertical rolling in a movie camera. The 24 x 36 mm was born.
Until then the usual practice for positive photography is the contact printing. Barnack loves hiking but he is sick and must avoid heavy equipment. He considers reusing his miniature 24 x 36 mm format. The positives will be achieved by enlargement. He makes a third prototype between 1918 and 1920.
Barnack convinces his boss Ernst Leitz II to continue this innovative experience. To evaluate the feasibility of a production and to test the market, Leitz authorizes in 1923 a small series of 31 cameras numbered from 100 to 130, the 0-Series (in German: Nullserie) of the Leica. It seems that some of these numbers were not finally used.
The 0-Series Leica has some improvements compared to its three precursors, including to allow loading and unloading the film in daylight. The lens cover is now essential for not fogging the film when arming.
The Leica 107 in B- condition was sold for € 1.32M including premium by WestLicht on May 28, 2011 over a lower estimate of € 350K. I commented this great result by stating that the 0-Series Leica is the absolute dream for any collector of cameras. The serial number 116 also graded B- was sold for € 2.16M including premium on May 12, 2012 by the same auction house over a lower estimate of € 600K.
In B+ condition the Leica 122 is one of the best preserved of the series. Its lens cover, folding viewfinder and paintwork are original. It is estimated € 700K for sale by WestLicht in Vienna on March 10, lot 3 here linked to the LiveAuctioneers bidding platform.
In the development phase of the cinema, setting the exposure time was an issue. To test it Barnack has the idea in 1913 to insert a 35 mm flexible film horizontally in a still camera. He builds two prototypes of this Leca that will later be spelled Leica for Leitz Camera. The horizontal position makes it possible to use 8 perforations per frame instead of 4 for the vertical rolling in a movie camera. The 24 x 36 mm was born.
Until then the usual practice for positive photography is the contact printing. Barnack loves hiking but he is sick and must avoid heavy equipment. He considers reusing his miniature 24 x 36 mm format. The positives will be achieved by enlargement. He makes a third prototype between 1918 and 1920.
Barnack convinces his boss Ernst Leitz II to continue this innovative experience. To evaluate the feasibility of a production and to test the market, Leitz authorizes in 1923 a small series of 31 cameras numbered from 100 to 130, the 0-Series (in German: Nullserie) of the Leica. It seems that some of these numbers were not finally used.
The 0-Series Leica has some improvements compared to its three precursors, including to allow loading and unloading the film in daylight. The lens cover is now essential for not fogging the film when arming.
The Leica 107 in B- condition was sold for € 1.32M including premium by WestLicht on May 28, 2011 over a lower estimate of € 350K. I commented this great result by stating that the 0-Series Leica is the absolute dream for any collector of cameras. The serial number 116 also graded B- was sold for € 2.16M including premium on May 12, 2012 by the same auction house over a lower estimate of € 600K.
In B+ condition the Leica 122 is one of the best preserved of the series. Its lens cover, folding viewfinder and paintwork are original. It is estimated € 700K for sale by WestLicht in Vienna on March 10, lot 3 here linked to the LiveAuctioneers bidding platform.
2.9 million! The Leica 0-series camera of 1923 sold by Westlicht (@WestLichtVienna) for a record $2,952,670 https://t.co/4T3CGKW40C #antiques #antique #auction #camera #photo #photography #Leica #art #record pic.twitter.com/Sa6piIVrpY
— Maine Antique Digest (@AntiqueDigest) May 31, 2018
1923 Marketing the First Leicas
2011 SOLD 1.32 M€ including premium
The Leica has propelled photography into the modern world. The idea was to provide a compact and handy camera using the 35 mm motion picture film.
Thus was born the 24 x 36 mm picture size, which was the most universally used before the digital image. Excellent lenses and robust mechanics enabled the photographers, amateurs and professionals, to easily realize quality images.
In 1923, the engineer Oskar Barnack has worked for nearly ten years on the design of the Leica. To test the market, a pilot series of 25 copies is made. It is known as the Leica 0, Null Serie in German.
The experience is compelling. Two years later, the prestigious Leica I opened the road of success to these "Leitz cameras".
The seventh copy of the Leica 0 is estimated € 350K to be sold by WestLicht in Vienna on May 28. The image is shared by Reportages Photos.
POST SALE COMMENT
For a collector of cameras, the Leica 0 is the absolute dream. This specimen was sold € 1.1 million before fees, 1.32 million including premium.
Thus was born the 24 x 36 mm picture size, which was the most universally used before the digital image. Excellent lenses and robust mechanics enabled the photographers, amateurs and professionals, to easily realize quality images.
In 1923, the engineer Oskar Barnack has worked for nearly ten years on the design of the Leica. To test the market, a pilot series of 25 copies is made. It is known as the Leica 0, Null Serie in German.
The experience is compelling. Two years later, the prestigious Leica I opened the road of success to these "Leitz cameras".
The seventh copy of the Leica 0 is estimated € 350K to be sold by WestLicht in Vienna on May 28. The image is shared by Reportages Photos.
POST SALE COMMENT
For a collector of cameras, the Leica 0 is the absolute dream. This specimen was sold € 1.1 million before fees, 1.32 million including premium.
1956 Robots from Outer Space
2017 SOLD for $ 5.4M including premium
The conquest of space is a poorly guarded secret : in 1954, appealed by early informations in the magazines, Hergé sends the Tintin team to walk on the Moon. In the following year the United States and the Soviet Union announce their competing programs a few days apart one another.
In 1956 the MGM prepares Forbidden Planet. The intelligent humanoid robot named Robby is the star of the movie, especially as the terrible evil monster named Id is invisible. In this Shakespearian drama whose scenario is apparently inspired by The Tempest, the robot dies atrociously : obliged to respond to Asimov's laws that forbids it to harm a human being, it breaks up because it cannot oppose Id which is actually a psychic emanation of the mad scientist.
In the following year Sputnik I is the first artificial satellite of the Earth. Less advanced than the nice Robby it only says "beep beep beep". Meanwhile the real Robby receives a huge popular success and it will then be reused in many science fiction movies.
Robby is a complex machine for its time : talking, walking, reaching out and flashing with all its lights. It is activated incognito by a small man hidden inside. The rubber hands and the dome have not survived the test of time and were changed in the early 1980s by a careful collector. Accompanied by its Jeep, remote control console and some spare equipment, it will be sold in New York on November 21 by Bonhams in association with Turner Classic Movies, lot 1070.
Other robots aroused also later the fervor of the public. R2-D2, shaped like a more modern 1 m high electronic equipment mounted on small wheels, has been continuously modified from 1977 for the needs of the Star Wars series. It was sold for $ 2.75M by Profiles in History on June 28, 2017.
In 1956 the MGM prepares Forbidden Planet. The intelligent humanoid robot named Robby is the star of the movie, especially as the terrible evil monster named Id is invisible. In this Shakespearian drama whose scenario is apparently inspired by The Tempest, the robot dies atrociously : obliged to respond to Asimov's laws that forbids it to harm a human being, it breaks up because it cannot oppose Id which is actually a psychic emanation of the mad scientist.
In the following year Sputnik I is the first artificial satellite of the Earth. Less advanced than the nice Robby it only says "beep beep beep". Meanwhile the real Robby receives a huge popular success and it will then be reused in many science fiction movies.
Robby is a complex machine for its time : talking, walking, reaching out and flashing with all its lights. It is activated incognito by a small man hidden inside. The rubber hands and the dome have not survived the test of time and were changed in the early 1980s by a careful collector. Accompanied by its Jeep, remote control console and some spare equipment, it will be sold in New York on November 21 by Bonhams in association with Turner Classic Movies, lot 1070.
Other robots aroused also later the fervor of the public. R2-D2, shaped like a more modern 1 m high electronic equipment mounted on small wheels, has been continuously modified from 1977 for the needs of the Star Wars series. It was sold for $ 2.75M by Profiles in History on June 28, 2017.
1961 From Sputnik 1 to Gagarin
2011 SOLD 2.9 M$ including premium
Sputnik 1 demonstrated in October 1957 the feasibility of orbital flights. It was only a small sphere of 58 cm in diameter, but the Soviets had other plans ready in their boxes.
Only a month later, Sputnik 2, a large conical capsule of 4 meters high and 2 meters in diameter at the base, established unequivocally that the goal of the Soviets was a successful manned flight.
The death of the dog Laika during the flight of Sputnik 2 showed that this test was premature. The Russians, embarrassed by this event, waited 45 years to confess that her death was due to excessive heat. Anyway, the martyred dog would not have passed the conditions of reentry.
Thereafter the program was held step by step. In August 1960, two dogs, a rabbit, two rats and 42 mice came back alive after a full day in orbit.
The Soviets were now ready to send the first cosmonaut in space. Becoming cautious, they made a last rehearsal on March 25, 1961, with the dog Zvezdochka aboard Sputnik 10. The success of this mission provided the green light for the flight of Gagarin on April 12, 1961.
Half a century has passed since that historic flight. On April 12 in New York, Sotheby's will sell the Vostok 3KA-2 capsule used for the Sputnik 10 mission. This prestigious carcass was emptied for a long time of its equipment. It is illustrated on the press release shared by Artdaily.
It is identical to Gagarin's capsule, and unique of its kind on the market. Its price is hard to predict. The auction house announces a very opened range of estimates: between 2 and 10 million dollars.
POST SALE COMMENT
It was difficult to predict the price for something so unique on the market. It remained reasonable: $ 2.9 million including premium.
Only a month later, Sputnik 2, a large conical capsule of 4 meters high and 2 meters in diameter at the base, established unequivocally that the goal of the Soviets was a successful manned flight.
The death of the dog Laika during the flight of Sputnik 2 showed that this test was premature. The Russians, embarrassed by this event, waited 45 years to confess that her death was due to excessive heat. Anyway, the martyred dog would not have passed the conditions of reentry.
Thereafter the program was held step by step. In August 1960, two dogs, a rabbit, two rats and 42 mice came back alive after a full day in orbit.
The Soviets were now ready to send the first cosmonaut in space. Becoming cautious, they made a last rehearsal on March 25, 1961, with the dog Zvezdochka aboard Sputnik 10. The success of this mission provided the green light for the flight of Gagarin on April 12, 1961.
Half a century has passed since that historic flight. On April 12 in New York, Sotheby's will sell the Vostok 3KA-2 capsule used for the Sputnik 10 mission. This prestigious carcass was emptied for a long time of its equipment. It is illustrated on the press release shared by Artdaily.
It is identical to Gagarin's capsule, and unique of its kind on the market. Its price is hard to predict. The auction house announces a very opened range of estimates: between 2 and 10 million dollars.
POST SALE COMMENT
It was difficult to predict the price for something so unique on the market. It remained reasonable: $ 2.9 million including premium.
1969 The Treasure that came from the Moon
2017 SOLD for $ 1.8M including premium
Before Apollo 11 only the poets knew how to speak about the Moon. Nothing was known about its surface which was perhaps toxic.
Neil Armstrong reached the lunar ground on July 21, 1969 at 02:56:15 UTC. After his statement for the history, his very first activity was to observe the soil and to take small rocks and dust. The managers of the mission wanted to avoid that a later incident prevents this highly precious collection which was carried out before Aldrin descended from the LM to join him.
Armstrong keeps his specimens in a Contingency Sample Bag specially designed to protect users against unidentified hazards. The bag is made with a multi-layer insulating fiber named Beta cloth along with polyester and closed by a brass zipper. It was emptied during the return journey with a vacuum process that was not very effective since some lunar dust remained inside the bag.
Flight used artefacts from Apollo 11 are very rare in the art market except for a few astronaut-managed memorabilia. The Contingency Lunar Sample Return Outer Decontamination Bag in which Armstrong temporarily stored his first samples is estimated over $ 2M for sale by Sotheby's in New York on July 20, lot 102.
The availability of this historic piece at auction is the result of a double negligence from the NASA. In the 1970s when the Agency provided the Smithsonian with what remained of the Apollo 11 mission, the absence of the bag was not identified. NASA also did not check in 2014 a private collection ready to be auctioned on request from the government after a fraudulent behavior of its owner, the former director of a space museum in Kansas.
Identified as "One flown zippered lunar sample return bag with lunar dust ("Lunar Bag"), 11.5 inches; Tear at center. Flown Mission Unknown" the bag was finally bought in March 2015 by an amateur geologist delighted with that opportunity. She opens the pouch, records the references, starts an online search and finds that what she bought for $ 995 is the very first bag to have contained lunar samples.
NASA confirms the authenticity as well as the lunar nature of the dust remaining in the bag. Upset with their own blunder they tried to recover the artefact but the auction had been guaranteed by the US Marshals Service. Two lawsuits confirmed the regular ownership by the bidder who now promises to give to various charities a portion of the proceeds of the sale which she is entrusting to Sotheby's.
Neil Armstrong reached the lunar ground on July 21, 1969 at 02:56:15 UTC. After his statement for the history, his very first activity was to observe the soil and to take small rocks and dust. The managers of the mission wanted to avoid that a later incident prevents this highly precious collection which was carried out before Aldrin descended from the LM to join him.
Armstrong keeps his specimens in a Contingency Sample Bag specially designed to protect users against unidentified hazards. The bag is made with a multi-layer insulating fiber named Beta cloth along with polyester and closed by a brass zipper. It was emptied during the return journey with a vacuum process that was not very effective since some lunar dust remained inside the bag.
Flight used artefacts from Apollo 11 are very rare in the art market except for a few astronaut-managed memorabilia. The Contingency Lunar Sample Return Outer Decontamination Bag in which Armstrong temporarily stored his first samples is estimated over $ 2M for sale by Sotheby's in New York on July 20, lot 102.
The availability of this historic piece at auction is the result of a double negligence from the NASA. In the 1970s when the Agency provided the Smithsonian with what remained of the Apollo 11 mission, the absence of the bag was not identified. NASA also did not check in 2014 a private collection ready to be auctioned on request from the government after a fraudulent behavior of its owner, the former director of a space museum in Kansas.
Identified as "One flown zippered lunar sample return bag with lunar dust ("Lunar Bag"), 11.5 inches; Tear at center. Flown Mission Unknown" the bag was finally bought in March 2015 by an amateur geologist delighted with that opportunity. She opens the pouch, records the references, starts an online search and finds that what she bought for $ 995 is the very first bag to have contained lunar samples.
NASA confirms the authenticity as well as the lunar nature of the dust remaining in the bag. Upset with their own blunder they tried to recover the artefact but the auction had been guaranteed by the US Marshals Service. Two lawsuits confirmed the regular ownership by the bidder who now promises to give to various charities a portion of the proceeds of the sale which she is entrusting to Sotheby's.
1972 The Abbey Road Console
2017 SOLD for $ 1.8M including premium by Bonhams
narrated in 2021
The time for crooners is over. To maintain a difference between them, rock groups must master all sound techniques, not just musical instruments. The Beatles use the recording studios of the EMI record label. In front of the door, the pedestrian crossing on Abbey Road becomes famous with the cover of the last album prepared by the group, in 1969. Relying on this triumph, EMI Recording Studios is renamed Abbey Road Studios.
The Pink Floyd owe their success to the psychedelic music. Four-track tape recorders and eight-track consoles are not suitable for this new level of sonic complexity. EMI is developing a sixteen-track console.
The Dark Side of the Moon, Pink Floyd's eighth studio album, is recorded in 1972 and 1973 on this new generation MK IV hardware. EMI engineers have managed to maintain a perfect musicality with no less than ten tracks mixed. The album will remain for 591 consecutive weeks in the top 200 of the specialized magazine Billboard.
The console had an intensive use, including with Paul, George and Ringo, before being replaced by more modern equipment in 1983. It was then acquired by an employee of Abbey Road who started an independent production business. It was sold by Bonhams on May 27, 2017 for $ 1.8M including premium from an estimate of $ 700K, lot 35. There had been also a spare MK IV console at Abbey Road.
The Pink Floyd owe their success to the psychedelic music. Four-track tape recorders and eight-track consoles are not suitable for this new level of sonic complexity. EMI is developing a sixteen-track console.
The Dark Side of the Moon, Pink Floyd's eighth studio album, is recorded in 1972 and 1973 on this new generation MK IV hardware. EMI engineers have managed to maintain a perfect musicality with no less than ten tracks mixed. The album will remain for 591 consecutive weeks in the top 200 of the specialized magazine Billboard.
The console had an intensive use, including with Paul, George and Ringo, before being replaced by more modern equipment in 1983. It was then acquired by an employee of Abbey Road who started an independent production business. It was sold by Bonhams on May 27, 2017 for $ 1.8M including premium from an estimate of $ 700K, lot 35. There had been also a spare MK IV console at Abbey Road.
