Sometime in the 70's AMICAn Sally Lawrence picked up several 20-note
music boxes at a close-out sale, and we bought one from her.

It is a German-made Steinbach, powered by a 3-volt battery.  It stands
about 10 inches tall, 7 inches wide and 4 inches deep, with a wooden
case decorated with "organ pipes" on the front.  The lettering on the
front says "PUNCH-A TUNE" and "Barrel Organ".  The labels on the back
are in German, English and French.  The music strip is inserted from
the right side, where it closes a switch that runs the drive motor.
The strip is pulled through by the motor as it plays the notes.

The "Punch-a-Tune" came with three cardboard cylinders, one containing
pre-punched tunes, the other two with blanks for the aspiring tune
arranger.  Also included was a punch.  As one of the notes on the back
of the box says, "The exacter the holes are punched the finer the music
will sound afterwards."

Since my German is almost non-existent, maybe one of MMD's German-
speaking members can translate the label on the tune-strip cans.  I
think "Volkskunst aus Hohenhameln" means "Folk art from Upper Hameln"
and I suspect "Holzgalanterie" means something like "Fine Woods".

I tried my hand at punching my own tunes, soon realizing that this was
not my calling, at least not on a 20-note music box.  I think my rendi-
tion of "Three Blind Mice with Variations" wasn't bad for a beginner,
but good sense and an appreciation for decent music convinced me to
leave roll arranging for those with more talent.

Bob Billings