Messages

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Antique Questions Forum / Re: 100(ish) year old music box

« on: February 04, 2013, 10:07:53 am »

You folks were such great help that I wanted to update you on what the wonderful people over at mbsi (http://www.mbsi.org/) were able to tell me:

You have already done some good detective work in tracking down two of
the six tunes on your box.  And you are right that tune sheet design
can often identify the maker of a box.

We can tell you that your box was made by L'Epée.   The tune sheet
design is shown in Supplement 1 to H.A.V. Bulleid's "Musical Box Tune
Sheets," where it is listed as #223, with the note, "This is the least
common [L'Epée] design, with its 6 cherubs and banners for 10
composers above country and castle pictures."

The serial number on your tune sheet, 28184, shows, using Bulleid's
dating charts, that your box was made in 1890, give or take a year.
The number 28184 was used twice, once around 1867 and again around
1890, because when  L'Epée's numbering reached 50,000 in 1880, it
started renumbering from 1, reaching 80,000+ by the end of its
business.

Here is what we were able to find about the six tunes:

1.  Carmen (Quant au douanier) -- Bizet 1875
2.  Little Sailors -- A.G. Crowe 1880
3.  Pretty Lips -- nothing (too little information)
4. The Light House By The Sea -- nothing (too little information), nor
with spelling "lighthouse."
5. In The Morning By The Bright Light -- James A. Bland 1884
6. Manon, Waltz -- Massenet 1884

It would seem, from the tune titles, that your box was made for the
Anglo-American market

They were also able to put me in touch with a restorer in my area that can help me with the finish and the drum head.

Again thank you all so much for letting me tap your collective knowledge.  You have been more help than you'll ever know.

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Antique Questions Forum / Re: 100(ish) year old music box

« on: January 31, 2013, 07:41:44 am »

Thanks for the info so far.  You folks rock!


The teeth on the drum seem to be in good to great condition.  I dont see where its missing any teeth or where any are bent or damaged to the point that they dont strike the comb.

Ill get some more pictures with the glass out of the way this evening when I get home from work.  Anything in particular you want to see or just general images?

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Antique Questions Forum / Re: 100(ish) year old music box

« on: January 30, 2013, 08:36:20 pm »

Couldn`t read the insert with yours !! Could only see one pic and couldn`t enlarge it !!  Those sites don`t work for some of us !! Can you post your pics here ??

Sure. 

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Antique Questions Forum / Re: 100(ish) year old music box

« on: January 30, 2013, 07:02:42 pm »

Is their a manufacturer name on it anywhere?

No unfortunately not.  From what I've been able to find online it's not at all uncommon for music boxes of that vintage to not have any makers marks or manufacturers names. This allowed retailers to sell them as their own.

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Antique Questions Forum / 100(ish) year old music box

« on: January 30, 2013, 06:43:27 pm »

Hi all.  Ive recently inherited a music box that belonged to my grandmother.  Unfortunately I was unable to discuss its origin before she passed away and now I have little to no info on the piece.

First off a link to an imgur album: http://imgur.com/a/EBvoS#0
The box is about 19in x 12in and about 9in tall

The pictures of the mechanics are not the best and I can take more if it will help but Ive been lead to believe that the important bit (for id purposes) is the song sheet.  It has three bells that have bumblebee strikers, a small snare drum, and a six song cylinder.  Both the drum and the bells can be disengaged by levers under the glass.

Ive been able to track down 2 of the "airs" and they are both from the 1880s.

It still plays and with the exception of a cracked drum head seems to be in fine working order.

Any information at all in either the form of info on the box or help in locating an expert would be most appreciated.