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A Mutoscope with Charlie Chaplin Film.

Currency:USD Category:Memorabilia Start Price:500.00 USD Estimated At:1,000.00 - 2,000.00 USD
A Mutoscope with Charlie Chaplin Film.
All items are sold as is. Contact Van Eaton Galleries for condition reports and shipping information. 25% Buyer's Premium for all lots.

Please be aware there is a $5000 deposit required for any bidding over $50,000 that will be charged to the card on file. This deposit will be credited to your invoice or refunded after the auction.

(International Mutoscope Reel Co., 1926-1949) A light blue and gold Mutoscope which plays part of a Charlie Chaplin film. Mutoscopes were an early form of film viewing, often found at penny arcades and boardwalks at the end of the 1800s and into the 1900s. When a penny is inserted into the slot and the lever is cranked, the Mutoscope plays a segment of the diner scene from “The Trysting Place,” a 1914 short by Charlie Chaplin. In the 1920s, William Rabkin acquired the license to the Mutoscope and established the International Mutoscope Reel Co., which created these remarkable machines for two decades. This Mutoscope worked when tested, requiring a penny and an electrical outlet for the attached plug. Measuring 17” x 18” x 30.5” tall and 72” tall including the reproduction sign for the Chaplin film, the Mutoscope displays in very good condition with typical wear from use and age, including scuffs, scratches, paint loss, light distortion in the glass, and oxidation. Due to size and weight, special shipping arrangements are required. Please inquire before bidding.