The Rohe Estate Mechanical Music Box, Clocks & Street Organ Collection to be Sold At Bodnar’s November 18, 2026 Auction!

Monmouth Junction, NJ; Mr. Rohe was a huge collector of all things mechanical and musical! His pole barn museum housed a lifetime collection of clocks, music boxes and street organs expressing his love for all things mechanical. This estate collection will be offered at Bodnar’s Auction on November 18, 2026 with online only bidding on their website.

From the moment Bodnar’s Auction started the pick-up, it was all smiles of happiness and joy each unit brought to the Bodnar’s crew. “The place was just so cool and amazing!” Joe Bodnar explained. “Everywhere you looked it was another like WOW! Look at that Moment” Wall to wall clocks ticking and telling time to; wall to wall, street organs, nickelodeons and player pianos spanning over 100 years. The sounds from an oldtown salon echoed in the barn to a traveling trailer that went to shows and events showcasing three rare gems of street organs. The museum was light up with stain glass lamps and all things cool.

His collection will be offered in over 530 lots with something for every collector for every budget with no reserves! There is common disc player that will sell for $100.00-$200.00 and there is the best of the best Regina Music Boxes that can sell for $6000.00-$8000.00+. This lifetime collection offers an amazing opportunity to acquire a museum quality machine to bring joy into your life.

Several standout lots include a Regina Upright Music Box with Automatic Changer, Playing (12), 26-inch discs, serial number 30285 estimated at $6000.00-$9000.00, a Mortier 65 Key Street Organ Book Walber Model Marked Antwerp, Belgium, having Cherub adornments on either side, plays drums, cymbals and organ pipes estimated at $4000.00-$6000.00, a Link Nickelodeon in a beautiful oak cabinet with stained glass fronts and slag glass sconce style panels estimated at $2000.00-$4000.00

One of Joe Bodnar’s Favorites is The Wurlitzer Style 146 Military Band Organ, it is a pneumatic automatic musical instrument originally designed by the Rudolph Wurlitzer Company to provide powerful, festive musical accompaniment for traditional vintage carousels, roller rinks, and amusement parks. The Wurlitzer Style 146 is a legendary mechanical military band organ configured to simulate a live traveling orchestra. Engineered with high-volume pneumatics, it was designed specifically for vintage amusement parks to project festive music over spinning carousels. The premium 'Carouselle Special' variant that will be sold features an elaborately carved decorative facade. When equipped with the optional 16 glissando brass bell bars, it utilizes Wurlitzer Style 150 perforated paper music rolls to actuate both pipework and physical percussion. It is estimated at $5000.00-$9000.00

Maureen Bodnar’s Favorite is The Mills Novelty Company Violano-Virtuoso, it is widely celebrated as one of the greatest engineering triumphs in the history of mechanical music. Designated by the U.S. Patent Office as one of the "Eight Greatest Inventions of the Decade" alongside the airplane and the telegraph, it was a completely unique type of nickelodeon. Unlike its pneumatic contemporaries that relied on vacuum air pressure and bellows, the Violano-Virtuoso was the first to use pure electromechanical automation to play a real, acoustic violin accompanied by a 44-note piano, piano harp and is estimated at $8000.00-$12,000.00

There are another 50 units in his collection mostly all in working condition. Mr. Rohe, besides collecting also did restoration and understood how all these items worked. On Bodnar’s Website you can see all of them in action on special links to videos of them in action.

Besides the amazing boxes and organs there is a beautiful collection of 75+ clocks! Several highlights include: A 19th century oil on canvas clock picture with musical frame depicting a church with a working clock on the church steeple estimated at $2000.00-$4000.00, A 19th century heavily carved German clock with disc player music box, on a matching Eastlake Victorian pedestal estimated at $2000.00-$4000.00, A 19th Century Tall Case Clock with a Roller Organ Music Box with dancing musicians estimated at $2000.00-$4000.00 and a 19th Century French Musical Portico Clock with music box estimated at $750.00-$1500.00

As always, this estate collection is a fresh-to-market collection to be sold with no reserves to the highest bidder! All lots start at $10.00. Bodnar’s stand behind what they sell so you can bid with confidence. In-house shipping on small items, and local UPS Store shipping options are available, as well as local pick-up in Monmouth Junction, NJ. In-Person Preview by appointment or preview now online. This is a live broadcast sale with auctioneers and callers describing all lots in the sale so you feel like you are at the auction in person. The sale starts at 11:00 am on November 18, 2026 and Hope to See you There! Find out more about the collection on our new podcast Bodnar’s Bids & Banter at www.bodnarsauction.com or call 732-951-2100