Pick of the week: Rare example of a surviving maestrophone sells at 20-times estimate in Nantwich auction

Until electricity became commonplace in homes, the power source of choice for the gramophone was a spring motor that required frequent winding. One unusual solution to silent interludes at the dinner dance was to power the device by hot air.

Hot air external combustion motors, developed and patented in 1816 by the Scottish minister Robert…

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