WriteAntiques

For the uninitiated, the term mechanical music machine covers such gloriously eclectic inventions as barrel organs, Polyphons, music boxes, phonographs, pianolas, organettes and Symphonions. However, that delightful tinkling sound from a music box or Polyphon can have a ruinous effect on your bank balance, unless your pocket is particularly deep. It’s unlikely there’ll be much change out of about £1,200-£1,500 for a reasonable Swiss-made music box from the late 1800s, while a small Polyphon could be yours around £1,000.

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If you’ve ever heard an antique music box play, you’ll know how delightful the clear, delicate tinkling sounds can be.
Fact is, music boxes were an immensely popular form of home entertainment in the 19th century, not surprisingly, perhaps, because short of playing it yourself, they supplied the only means of having music at hand.
As a […]

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by Christopher Proudlove©
Few collectors of my generation will forget the debonair Arthur Negus and the BBC antiques television programme “Going for a Song”. The opening and closing sequences of that hugely influential and educating programme featured a singing bird automaton music box, not unlike the one illustrated here. Now, the chirping bird turning its […]

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