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I recently purchased a music box at a local antique store.  Outwardly,
it is a fairly plain black lacquered wooden box with a white pediment
on one side with an eagle with an "e pluribus unum" banner hanging from
its beak.  There is a series of small rectangular holes below that
which roughly line up with the action inside.  On either extreme of
these holes, a small metal rod with a ball on the end protrudes.

Inside the fold-back lid there is a pinned barrel the size of a fat
rolling pin.  It rides over the top of 30 pivoting "fingers".  28 play
reed notes (3 reeds per note) and 2 are connected to the 2 external
rods.  (Maybe there used to be bells they struck?)  There are no labels,
though you can see where there once were two.  It seems to work on
positive pressure so I assume it is European.  There is a notched lever
that shifts the barrel.  I assume it has different tunes.  What little
sound I have gotten out of it is of a 3/4 German waltz-type style.

Mechanically it seems complete.  I'm hesitant to do much work on it
until I can get some information about it.  I would be very interested
in any feedback.

Bradley Jones