Links to other collections covering more or less the same objects and period have not been found. Any suggestions in this regard would be highly appreciated.
Apart from commercial companies selling music boxes, with the exception of Reuge, there is not a lot of information available on the internet regarding the companies making the music mechanisms and/or the music boxes or musical toys, even after extensive ‘Google-ing’.
It is even more difficult to find information on Japanese producers, at least in the English language. Often music mechanisms/boxes are only a small part of the business, as with Sankyo, mainly an electronic components company. Or companies have disappeared or been taken over, as Otagiri (Mercantile Comp. Inc, a South San Francisco CA company, but ordering the objects made in their name in Japan) in Sept 1994 by Enesco Corp, Illinois.
However, there is an abundance of museums in the USA, Europe and Asia specializing in mechanical music from mainly the 19th and some of the 20th Century. The MBSI site has an impressive list of those museums (but not really for musical toys), with no need to repeat it here, except a few.
The link suggestions hereunder, therefore, refer to some present day producers, some museums and some general information.
We do not accept any responsability for the links provided, we have not tested the sites and do not have any arrangement with any of them. In approaching these sites use normal caution and do not send money or any personal or credit information till you are certain the site is legitimate.
Switzerland Also provides a link to the CIMA museum. Reuge, still active, has taken over a number of producers of music mechanisms, as Bintem, Paris France (mechanical singing birds), Eschle, Melodies SA (Thorens, disc boxes), Lador, Guendet and Intersio Italy (earlier producer of music mechanisms for Reuge).
http://www.reuge.com/retail-services/faq
For questions you may have on their music mechanisms and/or music boxes or in general about music mechanisms.
San Francisco Music Box Company. Probably the best known seller of new music boxes in the USA.
A large supplier of music boxes under their own name with many lines made all around the world (at least in the past). Their music box activities were mainly in the eighties of the past century and they presently do not emphasize music boxes at all.
Always thousands of music boxes on auction.
Also auction site for music boxes and musical toys.
Musical Box Society International, USA
Links to similar organizations in many other countries, is a non-profit organization dedicated for the preservation of automatic musical instruments. Has links to related museums in the USA and abroad.
www.si.edu/scmre/takingcare/musicboxes.htm
Smithsonian, also links to museums, orgs, etc.
Swiss museum link, where many of the music mechanism makers were originally concentrated. Text comes up in french or german, but english translation available.
The Netherlands
Click English flag for English language version. Many large pieces, street organs, etc.
www.worldslargesttoymuseum.com
Branson, MO, USA
Also includes musical toys.
www.spielzeugmuseum-seiffen.de/Germany
Exhibits musical toys specifically from the Erzgebirge region (many wooden toys). Click english flag for texts in english.
Insures valuable collections of all kind of objects since 1966. But has become more expensive over time
www.handcranktoys.com
Mainly Jack-in-the Box and some other handcrank musical toys. Also sells hand cranked music mechanisms in many tunes.
ADRESSES OF COMPANIES REPAIRING MUSIC MECHANISMS IN U.S.A.
They mention they have repair facilities for music boxes (and music mechanisms, i suppose) on the premises. They also sell new music mechanisms: go to Available Tunes, click Movements, click (for instance) 18 Note mechanisms Sankyo and a long list of available 18 note tunes comes up, etc.
http://www.musicboxrepaircenter.com
Operated by Don Caine as The Music Box Center Unlimited out of CA
Phone number: 310.534.1557. General repair of music boxes.
Does music box repairs (‘ over 25 years experience ‘) but also sells an extensive line of music mechanisms/tunes.
ADDRESSES OF COMPANIES OFFERING NEW MUSIC MECHNISMS IN U.S.A.
Check /orgel/e/audition.html Only wholesale, i presume. Gives audiophiles of tunes. Represented in U.S.A. and main supplier here.
http://www.nationalartcraft.com
Go to Musical movements. For parts and music mechanisms.
Go to Project Supplies and check Music Box Movements.
http://www.bjcraftsupplies.com
Go to Music, check Music Buttons/Music Boxes and Music Parts, check Music Boxes.
RECONIZING TUNES
Themusicboxman is not very good at recognizing tunes, just does not have a great ear for that. Therefore in the Tunes list I only take up those cylinder numbers that were confirmed by a label on the box or confirmed in other ways.
But regularly themusicboxman gets questions about relating cylinder numbers (for Sankyo and Reuge as those are the only 2 manufacturers of music mechanisms followed, comprising in the period of interest, 1945-1990, by far the majority of music boxes and musical toys produced) to tunes, and also by audio files.
There are on the internet groups of people that make it their hobby to identify tunes (name them) from audiofiles or from part words of a lyric. To anybody with the problem of identifying a tune, I would suggest to submit an audiofile to all or some of the following web sites:
http://audiotag.info/index/php
https://www.lifewire.com/free-online-services-that name-unknown-songs
https://www.aircloud.com/music-recognition
Thanks and Good Luck
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