An early six-tune key-wind music box by an unknown maker with the monogram “RMC” stamped on the comb and the serial number 4749 stamped on the bedplate (see pictures 2 and 3). The cylinder is 10″ in length and 1.625″ in diameter. The comb has 94 teeth (the bottommost tooth is missing [see below]). The mechanism is housed in a plain case measuring 15″ long x 5″ deep x 3.75 high without a glass cover (hinged or permanent) over the movement, and the controls (repeat/change, start/stop, and instant stop) are exposed on the left end of the case (see picture 6). The six tunes are: (1) Tyrolienne from Gioachino Rossini’s Guillaume Tell (1829), (2) March from Rossini’s Guillaume Tell (1829), (3) Valse from Ferdinand Hérold and Fromental Halévy’s Ludovic (1833), (4) the Huntsmen’s Chorus from Carl Maria von Weber’s Der Freischütz (1821; in its French adaptation by Castil-Blaze as Robin des bois [Odéon, 1824 and Opéra comique, 1835]), (5) Henry Bishop’s “Home, Sweet Home” (1823), and (6) “All the Blue Bonnets Are over the Border” traditional; lyrics published in a broadside of ca. On the basis of the dates of the pieces, the exposed controls and absence of an inner glass cover, and the very low serial number, I would date the music box ca. I have thoroughly cleaned and polished the mechanism, completely re-dampered the comb (every single damper was missing), adjusted insofar as possible misaligned pins (see below), restored the finish on the box, made a new screw to replace the stripped mounting screw on the back left, and produced a facsimile of the original but heavily damaged tune sheet (see picture 10). I did not make a new tooth to replace the missing bottom tooth because there was no way to determine its original profile or pitch, it is plucked only a few times in each of the six pieces, and the bottom tooth of a comb typically contributes only an occasional very low pitch that is not of much significance in the arrangement. Please listen to the recording and judge for yourself. The cylinder has pins of at least three different diameters (a very unusual feature) and a wide range of rakings. It is certain that others worked on this music box before I acquired it (the bottom board, for example, had already been replaced), and it is impossible to know at this point whether the original maker was attempting some sort dynamic shading (this was sometimes done by making some pins shorter, some longer, some more sharply raked, others less so) or whether the variations are simply the result of earlier attempts to regulate the mechanism (probably including replacement of individual pins), whatever they were. In making necessary adjustments e. In cases where pins were misaligned or did not pluck the tooth at all, I have attempted to make each piece sound as good as possible. Once again, please listen to the recording and judge for yourself (the loud “thunk” at the end of the recording is the sound of the cylinder returning to its first position just as the sixth piece reaches its end). Please examine each of the pictures and watch the video, all of which are considered part of the description. The original tune sheet (picture 10) and a sheet of instructions will be included. This item is in the category “Collectibles\Decorative Collectibles\Music Boxes”. The seller is “aristidesquintilianus” and is located in this country: US. This item can be shipped to United States.

• Brand: Unbranded
• Time Period Manufactured: Pre-1900
• Country/Region of Manufacture: Switzerland
• Handmade: Yes