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[M787]Music Boxes For Sale

by Monique Hawkins, Mon

For the music box and antique collector, there is an almost endless array of music boxes to collect. From carousel music boxes to ballerina music boxes, and antique music boxes to children's jewelry boxes, there is a large variety to choose from. There also is a specialty area for the music box and antique collector to consider. The area is novelty musical mechanisms. Four top novelty items to consider are furniture musical mechanisms, household items, clocks and wallets, and the automata.

Furniture Musical Mechanisms

In the 19th and early 20th century, many leading manufacturers placed musical mechanisms in furniture. Some of the most popular items their mechanisms were placed in were full sized decorative tables with a compartment for stationary or playing cards. Examples of furniture musical mechanisms include a child's rocking chair, which was made with a musical mechanism, mounted on it, and wooden chairs whose movements, operated by a hinged seat, would play when someone sat down. These types of items are rarely and clearly fitted with a musical mechanism so they can be easily overlooked.

Household Utensils

Candy and serving dished have been made with musical movements. In addition, elegant teapots with designs such as cats, Victorian houses, and cows have also been made. Lazy Susan's with 18-note movements, and even musical liquor decanters with fancy styles from golf bags to cars are available. These types of novelty items would be fun additions to the collection of the music box and antique collector.

Clocks and Watches

Numerous table clocks have been made with musical movements. However, when the music box and antique collector goes to an antique shop or second hand store, they might miss these special items since the musical mechanisms may not be working. Simple cleaning and oiling can get the table clocks and up and running.

Many of the cylinder music boxes were also placed in pocket watches and their cases. While early examples are rare and highly valuable, modern ones can be found.

Automata

The best automata were made in and around Paris during the last part of the 19th century. The musical movements many times were concealed in the landscape based in the body of the automation.

All kinds of unique automata were made. Among the figures that were manufactured were dolls, monkeys, jesters, and children doing all manner of complicated things. One interesting example is an extraordinary automation manufactured by the French companyRoullet and Decamps. The figure was a Pierrot and the moon. The moon, made from paper paper mache, has a painted face with brown eyes and tongue that moves from side to side. The Pierrot raises a leg, lifts one arm and moves as if playing a guitar. Such a rare piece, despite the expense, would be a highly valuable asset to the collection of the music box and antique collector.

While carousel music boxes, ballerina music boxes, antique music boxes, and children's jewelry boxes are examples of music boxes some music box and antique collectors may already have, adding novelty music boxes and musical movements such as the ones addressed in this article would make their collector even more unique. Why not begin that search today?

Reuge music boxes are truly special items. The first creator of these fine music boxes was Charles Reuge, who handmade music boxes in a small town in Switzerland. Due to their fine craftsmanship, these music boxes spread far and wide. After his death, his son continued in his footsteps. In fact, the workshop is still there at the same address, in Sainte-Croix, Switzerland.

Collectible music boxes are hand made. The workshop in Saint-Croix in world renowned for producing some of the finest and rarest music boxes around the world, so make sure you are getting the real deal. For the music box connoisseur, it is best to make a trip to Switzerland in order to select the limited edition models that may not be sold at many stores because of their price and limited quantity. You can also ask the locals of that little town if they own any Reuge music boxes. They are likely to own some of the first and best models, maybe even those handmade by Charles Reuge himself. If you are able to acquire such pieces, you are a lucky owner of a rare and highly collectible Reuge music box.

The size of the music box and the tune are also an important determinant in a collectible. Bigger boxes tend to be harder to maintain and keep. The cost to acquire them was also high, making it affordable only to the wealthy. The tune is also important because if you had popular tunes, people would be more willing to buy it than to acquire one that plays an obscure tune especially in the case of non-interchangeable music boxes. The materials used to make good music boxes were rare and expensive, such as rose wood, which made them rather resilient to aging if well-taken care of.

Another good place to check is online specialty stores that sell collectible music boxes. If you do some research you might find a Reuge music box worth collecting. Make sure they are old, in good condition (for its age) and is limited in quantities. It's a pretty good bet that if you have one from the early 1900s that the music box is hard to find. If you are not an expert at fixing these music boxes, make sure you have an idea what restoring a piece might cost. Otherwise, it's a lot better to go ahead and pay the premium for a working music box than to take the risk of paying exorbitant restoration costs for a collectible music box. The price will also tell you a lot of things. Highly collectible music boxes don't come cheap.

Reuge music boxes are items of a highest quality, so any item of any color, size or material can be highly collectible as long as the numbers of items you can find on the market are limited. In fact, at the beginning of the career, Charles Reuge hand made some limited edition music boxes, which now own a special status: highly collectible Reuge music boxes.

The best places to find highly collectible Reuge music boxes are: rare art and collectibles auctions, Saint-Croix and specialty stores.

Since these music boxes can be prohibitively expensive for most, a good strategy is to purchase contemporary Reuge music boxes. They cost a whole lot less than the rare ones and are also easier to acquire.

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Both Monique Hawkins & Kim Thompson - are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.

Monique Hawkins has sinced written about articles on various topics from Keyboard Synthesizer, Wedding Bells and Mortgage Insurance. Established in May of 2005, is a music box gift store specializing in products such as inlaid ballerina music boxes for ballerina rooms d'cor. Monique Hawkins's top article generates over 1500000 views. to your Favourites.

Kim Thompson - has sinced written about articles on various topics from . By Kim Thompson for MusicBoxHQ.com. Collect your . Choice of. Kim Thompson -'s top article . to your Favourites.