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MMD > Archives > September 1999 > 1999.09.21 > 02Prev  Next


Unknown Music Box
By Christian Greinacher

Recently I bought  a small music box from a German flea market. Never
before I have seen something looking and sounding similarly. The case is
made from very heavy pot metal, looking like an old English castle:

 [  http://mmd.foxtail.com/Pictures/Greinacher/musicbox1.jpg

But the graphical design and a figure, similar to an eagle:

 [  http://mmd.foxtail.com/Pictures/Greinacher/musicbox2.jpg

are looking as if the box wood come from the far east. On
top of the roof there is a flag or a pennant which serves as the key to
wind the movement:

 [  http://mmd.foxtail.com/Pictures/Greinacher/musicbox3.jpg

The movement drives a red plastic cylinder, pinned with steel pins,
which are playing a 24 note comb:

 [  http://mmd.foxtail.com/Pictures/Greinacher/musicbox4.jpg

Two brass bells are ringed periodically by a separate simple eccentric
mechanism. All the pins and the comb are in good shape but the movement
does not really play a melody, it just produces some sound, from time
to time the two bells are ringing and all together it reminds me to a
Chinese temple music.

On the front side of the box as well as on the back one can open a flap.
When opening either one of these flaps the movement starts to play.
Inside is a plastic construction and it looks as if it is made to hold
cigarettes (picture 5). So the whole machine could be a cigarette
dispenser.

The attached pictures are showing the box and some details.  Does anyone
know anything about this instrument?

Christian

 [ The attached pictures are on the MMD Website with the URLs
 [ shown above.  I did not receive the 5th attachment successfully.
 [ -- Jody


(Message sent Sun 19 Sep 1999, 12:37:08 GMT, from time zone GMT+0200.)

Key Words in Subject:  Box, Music, Unknown

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