Check out this beautifully old, late 1800's, German Polyphon turntable style, music box I saw the other day. With it's lever-wind mechanism, metal disc, plus a colorful, hand painted scene inside the lid, Polyphon's typically have a concealed storage compartment underneath which holds more discs as well. This single disc, though a bit warped, still worked and sounded great, but someone in the same room as me wouldn't stop yappin', so the video I shot was useless. Instead, listen to a similar one via Youtube that someone else kindly uploaded-- CLICK HERE.
6 comments:
This is a music box and a work of art all in one. I can only imagine how much these cost brand new, most likely an item only the middle class of the day could afford.
Most never consider the history of the pre-phonograph era, of home entertainment before homes were wired for electricity.
Nice find, thanks for sharing.
I'm with JMR777, I'm no expert but that looks like a very expensive item for the day. I love the gold pattern underneath the "record", the box looks well constructed (look at the joints in the third picture) and it came with multiple discs.
That's quite the find. Very cool.
The video is cool because it gives you a good look at the mechanism under the disc.
Well, you're both correct-- and it's a very expensive antique to purchase these days as well, hence why I didn't buy it! Wahhh...
My wife's grandfather had a music box very much like the one you show here. She remembers it from when she was a little girl.you certainly have an excellent eye for a wide variety of collectible items.
This item is a case of a luxury item that not only held its value but went up in value.
Sorry you couldn't afford this item, it is a Faberge egg of music boxes, you have to have either deep pockets or a willingness to be in debt for a couple of decades in order to own it.
It sure is beautiful. I've never seen a music box like this in person. I've only seen the kind with cylinders (and those are usually hidden in the works). I like that this one is versatile, playing the listeners choice. Definitely a taste of things to come.
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