The roller organ was produced in great numbers from the Autophone Company of Ithaca, New York between 1885 and 1925. The organ below is a 20 note version – the most produced – and used pinned cobs or mini barrels, similar to early barrel pianos and organs. Due to their popularity and their relatively long life in the face of the competition from phonographs and gramophones, there was an amazingly large choice of songs and genres which helped with their appeal in the home.
