The pin measures 13/16'' wide. It is in excellent condition as pictured. Below here, for reference is some information found on the Perlee Street Organ:
The Perlee family, Netherlands' most famous organ family, announced today that their collection of 12 street organs will find a new home in the ''Nationaal Museum van Speelklok tot Pierement'' (Utrecht). The family firm G. Perlee Draaiorgels is the oldest organ renting company of the Netherlands, founded by Leon Warnies in 1875.
The Perlee family will concentrate on the restoration and repair of the street organs and wishes to present the collection in a more museal way. The family's main consideration to house the collection in the Utrecht museum after more than a century is the worldwide leading position of the museum in the field of mechanical music.
Organ renting firms, with the Perlee family as most important representative, played a major part in the flourishing street organ culture of the Netherlands in the first half of the 20th century. Tine Van Leeuwen-Perlee, who will celebrate her 70th birthday on April 22th, and her son Leon (46) are themselves, apart from their collection, figureheads of that Dutch street organ culture as well. They travelled throughout the world with their street organs to give concerts. Netherlands' most famous street orgen, ''de Arabier'' (the Arab) from their collection, is listed as part of national inheritance.
The Dutch cultural council writes: ''The Netherlands has become world famous in the field of street organs during the 20th century. This could happen thanks to the unprecedented flowering of the typical Dutch street organ, almost unknown in other countries. The success of street organs here is the result of the development, in the first decades of last century, of a unique Dutch phenomenon: the organ renting company. These renting companies, which bought and maintained the organs, have cared for the spreading of these instruments throughout the Netherlands. The ''Arabier'' is the most famous street organ. Due to its national and international success it has become the symbol of the Dutch street organ culture. The Arabier was mentioned in sketches and songs of well known artists like Wim Kan and Wim Sonneveld; it appeared in TV shows regularly and adorns the poster of the film ''The odd life of Willem Parel''. Thanks to several embellishments by the Perlee firm it has a peculiar sound.''
The acquisition of the Perlee collection by the National Museum van Speelklok tot Pierement means that the collection will stay together and visible to the public, and that they will continue to be maintained and in playing condition. By joining of the two collections the result will be the most important collection of Dutch street organs in the world.
A particular element of the agreement is to present the Perlee collection not just as museum pieces but as a living heritance as well. The firm of G. Perlee Draaiorgels will remain active and it will carry out several restorations of the Perlee collection in their own workshop at the Westerstraat in Amsterdam. The Perlee family will also use the Arabier for competitions and concerts outside the museum, and will get changing organs in loan for appearances and demonstrations inside and outside of Amsterdam.
Source: Press release Museum van Speelklok tot Pierement, Utrecht
