Historic RARE Certificate from the Electric Self Playing Piano Company issued in 1897. The company was incorporated out of New Jersey in 1895. This historic document was printed by the Albert B. King Company out of New York. The Certificate has an ornate border around it with a vignette of two women sitting on both sides of a shield. This item is hand signed by the company's President (Robert W. Lyle)and Treasurer (George Howlett Davis) and is over 126 years old. This is the earliest Electric Piano Certificate we have seen.
Certificate Vignette
Electric Piano as shown in Scientific American Magazine in 1895
Electric Piano Patent
George Howlett Davis was the holder of many patents for electric pianos and mechanical music devices issued in the late 1890s. He filed his patents between 1896 and 1903, numbers 733702, 739396 and 931281. In addition, he is responsible for the following patents on the Electra Player Piano rolls (Standard Music Roll Co NJ) and a member of the company's Board of Directors. 659053 (02/10/1900 filed 02/09/1896) Composite perforating and recording device. 692989 (11/02/02 filed 17/04/01) Iron particle burner 703388 (01/07/02 filed 17/04/01) Stencil printing machine 703389 (01/07/02 filed 17/04/01) Stencil making machine 832849 (9/10/06 filed 22/04/01) Electric perforating machine 692834 (11/02/02 filed 09/08/01) Iron Particle burner 732279 (30/06/03 filed 14/10/01) Electrically controlled perforating machine. 709296 (16/9/02 filed 16/10/01) End fastener for music sheets 747858 (22/12/03 filed 20/03/02) Music sheet marking machine 745424 (01/12/03 filed 03/01/03) Tracing machine for rolls 747859 (22/12/03 filed 27/02/03) Compensating music spool 808274 (26/12/05 filed 27/02/03) Correcting Machine 747687 (22/12/03 filed 26/03/03) Music sheet line duplicator 811621 (06/02/06 filed 09/05/03) Automatic perforating machine 801932 (17/10/05 filed 10/12/04) Contact device for electric perforator 860965 (23/07/07 filed 19/01/07) Music roll spool Much of this history was obtained from Adam Ramet at http://website.lineone.net/~agr/index2.html. Pre Ron Mael of Sparks.
