First thing you need to worry about is if the 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. A 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 and cylinder boxes. Cylinder boxes appeared on the market in the middle of 19th century, a little bit after musical 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 a disc music box 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 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 little 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 an old music box are difficult to find. There are very few professionals. Another problem can be parts, most of them have to be handmade. Fixing an antique 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 it is repaired, its value will dramatically increase.
Best places to buy vintage music boxes
It is amazing how many antiques you can find online. There are online antique auctions and stores. And of course there is Ebay. That is probably the best place to look for deals on antique and vintage boxes. You can find very interesting items and get them at a very good price. When buying antiques on Ebay, look for sellers feedback score. Only buy from people that have a lot of feedbacks, most of them positive.
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