Marty Persky is a specialist in automatic musical instruments, both home and commercial entertainment machines primarily of the late 19th and early 20th century. Since 1990, he has been active in supporting acquisition, sales, restoration and appraisal to collectors and the trade worldwide.

Several of the collections he supports are among the largest in the world. Auction houses such as Christie’s and Sotheby's in England and Skinner in the U.S. have requested his assistance for instrument identification and appraisal. Chicago's Museum of Science and Industry, the Henry Ford Museum as well as the Smithsonian Institute have called upon his expertise.

Marty has reviewed and edited technical and historical articles and has been consulted by prominent authors in the field. The Musical Box Society International annual meetings have included his presentations on some of the finest entertainment machines ever made.

He supported acquisition and was responsible for restoration oversight and export of many principle instruments for the Kawaguchiko Music Forest in Japan. This museum of automatic musical instruments attracts over 400,000 paid admissions annually. Marty is also co-editor of the Museum’s catalog.

Marty has been a member, and has held various offices, of the Musical Box Society International (MBSI), the Automatic Musical Instrument Collectors' Association (AMICA), the Carousel Organ Association of America (COAA), and the Coin Operated Collectors Association (COCA). He is a graduate engineer from the University of Illinois, holding BS and MS degrees.