Good Morning. I'd like to introduce myself to all of you who
participate in this interesting and sometimes provocative Automatic
Music Digest (AMD) run by Jody Kravitz (who deserves MANY KUDOS for
doing this work so well!).

My name is Frank Metzger. I am presently President of the Musical Box
Society International(MBSI) among whose 2700 members are quite a few
who also are involved with AMD. My primary interests in our hobby are
closer to mechanical music than to automatic music. I collect (and buy
and sell) musical objects of vertu, early musical snuff boxes, fusee
bird boxes, weight-driven or fusee-driven mechanical barrel organs
(pre-1850), early cylinder music boxes, early automata, musical clocks
and similar items.

I read all of your comments with great pleasure though I hope that
gradually, there will be a little more mechanical music content than
there is right now.  If I can be of help to any of you, in answering
technical or historical questions on any of the above items I would be
happy to do so.

All the best to all of you, Frank

P.S. 1: I receive E-mail at:

    fpm@gnn.com

P.S. 2: Those of you not yet members of the MBSI might want to contact
contact Bea Robertson at:

    brobrtsn@directnet.net

 [ Editor's Note:
 [
 [ Frank, welcome, and thanks for "surfacing".  The convention
 [ was quite an eye opener for me.  There were so many interesting
 [ gadgets I'd never seen or heard of before.  I'd like to see
 [ more discussion of of the more "mechanical" musical things.
 [ I usually put the Music Box articles at the top of the Digest
 [ in the hopes that those who are waiting for one won't miss them!
 [ Perhaps we'll get enough postings to insure the Digest has
 [ "sections"...
 [
 [ I'm relatively new to MBSI myself and have to say that the
 [ activities and collectors/collections the group has made
 [ available to me has been most appreciated.  I've found MBSI's
 [ publications quite interesting.  I second the motion to contact
 [ Beatrice.  Also don't forget the local chapters.  For a few
 [ dollars a year you are assured of hearing about the rallies
 [ and other activities.
 [
 [ Disclaimer:  The Automatic/Mechanical Music Digest is not
 [ affiliated with MBSI except by my paid membership  ;-)
 [
 [ Jody