Music Box Info Needed
By Bill Murphy, forwarded by Terry Smythe
Forwarded Message:
From: bmurphy@convex.com To: ALL Orig: MBNET
Subj: Music Box Info Needed Area: 3-rec.antiques Date: 11/09/95
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I've have a music box in my shop that someone has asked me to look into restoring and/or selling. I do alot of restoration work on clocks, but this is the first music box I've been asked to look at. Any information on the value of this piece either as is or restored would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks,
Bill Murphy
Clock Repair
General description:
- 20.5" wide, 5.5" high, 9.5" deep
- nice inlay work, flower on lid, 1/2" wide rectangular box around lid and front
- change/repeat and stop/play levers on right with silvered plates
- 77 teeth on comb
- ruby or garnet bearing on top of flywheel shaft
- inside of case painted black
- silvered dampening/volume? assembly across comb with a shield/harp? with red felt center and adjusting lever
Markings:
- "62" stamped on handle
- "25" and "072" stamped on left cylinder mount
- a postcard-like card on the lid with the following:
-oval at top with "S AIRS" and "10 7/8 INCH CYL" - printed
-oval at bottom with illegible, faded handwritten cursive
-"TREMOLO . ZITHER" in large print
-a list of songs - (I don't read cursive well but as near as I can tell it reads as follows):
1. Wedding
2. Sweet Violets
3. Banditen
4. G??ssan Leipzig
5. Carmen
6. Chimes of Normandy
7. W?artha
8. Bein Aimes
The above all looks original. It looks like someone added the composers'
names on the right and some other info after the songs. #4 has been
crossed out and something like "?(o or 0)?" added. #4 also has the
added composers name crossed out and "Olivette" added by yet another
person.
General condition:
- 9 broken teeth on comb
- the right 2" of the cylinder has a dark stain and the pins in this area are starting to rust but otherwise seem to be intact
- missing one of the 90 degree feet that are nailed to the bottom of the case and another foot has half of it missing
- some kind of decal on the front under the lock - it is in bad shape - I don't think it was original - it is of a heart with an arrow through it and flowers around it
- 2 of the 4 wood strips holding the glass are missing
- left cylinder compartment divider missing
- 1 of the 2 glass door seat ledges half missing
- red velvet glass door lift ribbon half missing
- no key for lock - latch for lock may be missing a piece
Mechanical condition:
- there is a pawl beside the crank lever with its mounting screw off at an angle - this prevents one from keeping any tension on the mainspring - by holding the handle forward, enough tension can be put on the spring to start the box playing - the flywheel spins and the cylinder rotates for awhile until the lever needs to be pulled back again
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(Message sent Mon 13 Nov 1995, 05:08:53 GMT, from time zone GMT-0600.) |
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