100(ish) year old music box

[mart]

Make sure you make them smaller or the pictures won't upload. mart, it's quiet w/o bigwull, lol

Where is he ?? Wasn`t he supposed to be moving to his new house ??

[Rauville]

Make sure you make them smaller or the pictures won't upload. mart, it's quiet w/o bigwull, lol

Where is he ?? Wasn`t he supposed to be moving to his new house ??

I knew he had a plan. Moving must be easier when all you have to do is empty your stove of ashes, rather than hauling furniture.

In regard to the music box; I think prices are about the same today as they were back in the mid 80's. As far as repairs to the drum; do a search for David Beck (in Georgia I believe).

[greenacres]

http://www.ebay.com/itm/200884677036?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1438.l2649

I was shocked at the ending price.

[Ipcress]

Yeah, at least £100 more than i think he'd have received in a normal auction room, but the seller has taken lots of clear, close up images etc. Tune card appears to have a copyright / printers name bottom right and might help identify it, maybe as an early model for this manufacturer.


And finally, it is Ebay. I've seen £350 paid for £250 worth of gold.

[ghopper1924]

These cylinder music boxes continue to bring good prices, I don't care how many of them might have been made.

The only thing that's shocking about thd one in the link is the poor condition of the case. That's about the price I would have expected if it were all in good shape. But who knows, maybe that model is particuarly rare or something. There's a whole world of collectors in this genre.

[walker]

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.

[Ipcress]

Good to know ! I've used MBSI before myself so knew they'd be able to help. The tune card is something that is often neglected in identifying music boxes - most people think they are just generic and printed separately


By the way

" Light House By The Sea " is probably  Gussie Lord Davis, 1886.
" Pretty Lips " Arthur Lloyd 1882

[ghopper1924]

Great! Thanks for getting back to us,  Walker. That happens far too seldom.

[greenacres]

http://www.liveauctioneers.com/item/10196099

 There are many of these music boxes on image google if your intersted in looking for prices and similar boxes.

[Ipcress]

That box isn't really similar.

This is more akin to it

http://www.christies.com/lotfinder/lot/a-musical-box-by-lepee-for-thibouville-lamy-4365962-details.aspx?from=searchresults&intObjectID=4365962&sid=0d27d512-9232-4546-be37-4f86a328730b



but i prefer the chromolitho tune card of Walker's box

[greenacres]

Funny item to have.

[ghopper1924]

They're wonderful, actually. Mine dates from ca. 1850 or so and is wound with a huge metal key. 6 songs, though unfortunately I don't have the original tune card. Anyway, the sound is charming, it still works after 150 years, and it doesn't need electricity!

[Ipcress]

I know a guy who restores them and sells them on and he says most of the time problems are caused by build up of grease and dirt.

I love old world stuff.

[mart]

I lived next door to a professional restorer once !!  He worked on everything from small music boxes to pipe organs !! I liked to sit outside when he tried them out after he completed them !! You could hear some of them all over the neighborhood !!