MECHANICAL MUSIC - AUTOMATON - GUIGNOL - MECCANO - TOYS

Thursday 24 April 2025 14:30
Lyon , 2-4, rue Saint-Firmin 69008 Lyon
Sale information

ON-SITE SALE - the location will be communicated prior to the sale

Address 30 minutes from Lyon


Collection of lots :

- after the sale until 6 pm

- 25/04 by appointment

- 28/04 by appointment


Consultant : Noam SEBBAN


Charnoud, an authentic Lyonnais who passed away in 2004, devoted his life to preserving and promoting the cultural heritage of his home town of Lyon. His collection revolved around the Guignol puppet theater, toys and mechanical music, his 3 passions. He began his career as a puppeteer at the theater in the Parc de la Tête d'Or, an emblematic site in Lyon, where traditional puppets have enchanted children since 1948. In 1965, following the destruction of the grand Théâtre de Guignol on Quai Saint-Antoine, Roger Charnoud founded the Maison de Guignol (also still in operation), located at the foot of Montée du Gourguillon in the Saint-Georges district. He is the author of numerous writings on the history of Guignol theaters. The ensemble presented in this sale is remarkable, from the documentation to his fetish puppet sculpted by Livo Constantini, not to mention the posters and sets.

Fascinated by mechanical music, he had his own organ built, and from then on took part in various mechanical music festivals across France: another masterpiece built by André Odin that we are presenting here. He enriched his repertoire with songs from Lyon, transcribed onto organ cards by his friend Paul Eynard (220 cards included with the organ).

Finally, among the toys, we'd like to mention a 19th-century animated diorama attributed to Xavier Tharin, a 1930s Jackpot slot machine, a very important collection of detached and assembled Meccano parts (including Lyon's famous Eiffel Tower), as well as a magnificent automaton with an animated male head by LAURENT.


e-mail: contact@artencheres.fr

telephone: 04 78 00 86 65


Special conditions

Artenchères can provide a more detailed condition report on request.

Photographic reproductions may not give an entirely faithful image of the actual condition of a lot, notably because the colors or shadows shown in the reproduction may differ from what would be perceived by a direct observer. Lot dimensions are given as an indication, with a reasonable margin of error (less than 10%). Not all defects are visible on the photos, and color appreciation may differ depending on the screen.


Our auction house no longer accepts telephone bids for items valued at less than 100 euros. You still have the option of placing a purchase order with us or bidding directly live.


In addition to the auction price, the successful bidder will pay the following commissions and taxes per lot and per tranche: (including VAT at 20% except for books VAT at 5.5%)


- For voluntary sales of furniture and objets d'art, fees are divided into the following 3 brackets:

On the first €500: 28% incl. VAT

From €501 to €149,999: 25.2% incl. VAT

Auctions over €150,000: 21.6% incl. VAT

(Live d'Interenchères + 3.6% incl. VAT / Drouot Live + 2.16% incl. VAT) and 14.28% incl. VAT for judicial auctions.


Lots marked with an asterisk are presented at the judicial rate.


Shipping - Transport :

- Collection of lots :

- after the sale until 6 pm

- 25/04 by appointment

- 28/04 by appointment

- Appoint a third party to pick up your purchases (please inform us of the person's identity by e-mail)

- Mail Boxes Etc: devis@mbelyon.fr or any other carrier of your choice



Lots must be collected within 10 working days of the sale. Beyond this time, a storage fee of €7.50 will be charged, depending on the size and weight of the item.


Terms of payment :

Payment by credit card, bank transfer or cheque. Cash up to a limit of €1,000 for French residents and €15,000 for foreign residents.

Sales conditions