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Antique music boxes are great collectable items, but buying them involves a lot of knowledge and preparation. Sometimes you can find genuine treasures that would make any collector proud, and sometimes vintage music boxes are sold for much more than they really worth. Find out what to look for when searching for an antique music box.
First thing you need to worry about is if the music box in a working condition or does it need repairs. Of course it is easier to buy a working music box, but you will pay more for it. If the box is not working, don't get discouraged. Music box is a delicate mechanism that can be easily damaged, but most damages usually can be repaired as well. You can actually find very good deals buying damaged antique music boxes and repairing them.
Types of antique music boxes
There are two types of old music boxes - disc music boxes and cylinder music boxes. Cylinder boxes appeared on the market in the middle of 19th century, a little bit after music watches. Majority of them were produced in Switzerland, so many people call them Swiss boxes. They were very rare and expensive items. Some cylinder music boxes were made in Czechoslovakia and France.
Then disc music boxes came to the market. They were cheaper to manufacture, which significantly affected the price and made them very popular items. First company to release disc music boxes was Symphonion. Other popular brands of antique music boxes are Polyphon and Regina.
Quite interesting items are antique music jewelry boxes. Since these can be used to store your jewelry, it would be a great pleasure to open your music box often and to hear a beautiful tune.
How much would it cost to repair an antique music box?
Actually, quite a lot. The problem is that people who can do a good job repairing old music boxes are difficult to find. There are very few professionals. Another problem can be parts, most of them have to be handmade. Fixing an antique music box would require getting different items often including comb work, cylinder repining, dampers, governors and mainsprings. So be prepared to pay a lot for the repair of your antique box. But on the bright side, after the music box is repaired, its value will dramatically increase. Music Box Planet can help you locate the most beautiful music boxes. We compare many retailers of antique music boxes to help you find the best deals |
