I agree wholeheartedly with Kevin McElhone's sentiments.  Original
documents are of considerable historic value, and most modern books
and articles on the history of mechanical music will have relied
heavily on such sources.  (The recent MBSGB book, "The Nicole Factor,"
for example).  Who knows what information has yet to be discovered by
other researchers in the future.

So please make sure that the originals are preserved, and, if you can,
make copies at least for one or more of the various Society Archives.
The latter action will ensure that the historical information is
available to researchers around the world, and is unlikely to reduce
the value of the true original, which I know worries some people (like
the debate about re-cutting rare piano rolls).

John Farmer, UK
Archivist, Musical Box Society Great Britain