/UCWE/ - For beginning collectors of inlaid music boxes, musical jewelry boxes, ballerina music boxes, and antique music boxes such as the disc driven cylinder music box, and musical snuffboxes, there are a number of important elements to assess when seeking the first music box. However, there are distinct characteristics that cause some music boxes to stand out above others. These elements are important to look for and include materials, decoration, and the date of the music box.

Materials

All music boxes are not made the same. Monique Hawkins, owner of the online music box store www.my-music-box.com states: "The type of material a carousel music box, wooden music box, inlaid music box, or an antique music box is made from adds to its uniqueness. Some of the materials that were used back in the 1800's were different from what manufacturers use today." For example, in the early 19th century, musical snuffboxes were made of inexpensive material from the precious metal family such as gold and silver. There were also some music boxes made of brass, which was considered rare in the 19th century.

Other musical boxes such as snuff music boxes were made from wood, horn, and tortoiseshell. Wooden snuff music boxes, made from material such as burr oak and burr walnut were very beautiful. Boxes made from amboyna wood, which originates from Amboyna Cay, a small island in the South China Sea, were also gorgeous. "For those collectors interesting in starting a specialized wooden music box collection", Monique says, "finding a box made from one of these materials would be a wonderful asset, especially a box made from amboyna wood".

Decoration

Music boxes are decorated differently. For instance, in the 19th century, the lids of many musical snuffboxes were done with miniatures painted on ivory. For a music box collector, finding one such as this would be quite a prize. In "Music Boxes: A Guide for Collectors", David Tallis suggests that "A good artist to look for is Charles-Claude Delaye, who worked in France in the first half of the 19th century.. . . If you are lucky you will find a musical snuff box whose lid has been decorated with Italian miniature mosaic. They are the most skillfully made and not too common. If you are even luckier, you will find one with a Swiss enamel miniature on the lid."

Careful research, time, and patience can assist a music box collector in finding a music box with decorations they will greatly enjoy.

Date of the Music Box

There are specific things a music box collector should look for when trying to assess the date of a music box. One important step is to carefully study its design. Once more, author David Tallis says that "Strict rules cannot of course be made, but if features of design indicate a period which is confirmed by the type of box and choice of musical programme, a fairly accurate guess can be made as to the date of the manufacture." Examples of what collectors can look when trying to date a music box, as outlined by Tallis are as follows

Laminated comb: 1796-1810
Sectional comb in groups of 1: 1796-1820
Sectional comb in groups of 2" 1810-1820
Sectional one piece comb: 1820 onwards

Other features to look for when assessing the date of a music box include ascertaining if a cylinder is hollow or without wax. This gives a music box a metallic tone and means the box predates 1820. These are just a few examples of what collectors can seek. If a collector wants to know for sure the date of a music box, Tallis says that " There is only one way to be completely certain about the year of manufacture, If the box is silver or gold and English, it will have a hallmark which can be looked up in an invaluable book called 'Guide to the Marks of the Origin of British and Irish Silver Plate', by Frederick Bradbury. This booklet shows all the hallmarks of the major assay offices from the mid-sixteenth century to the present day."

Collecting music boxes is a hobby enjoyed by many collectors. For the beginning music box collector, finding the right box to start a music box collection or to add to an existing one can certainly be done. Follow the above tips and start a collection today.

About My-Music-Box.com:

Established in May of 2005, http://www.My-Music-Box.com is a music box gift store specializing in products such as inlaid ballerina music boxes for ballerina rooms décor, whimsical carousel music boxes, and musical jewelry boxes. The company provides interesting information for music lovers of all ages. Owner Monique Hawkins is also the author of the blog "What You Never Knew About Music" http://whatyouneverknewaboutmusic.blogspot.com , and owner of the eBay store "Monique's Music Box" at: http://stores.ebay.com/moniquesmusicbox/ Monique can be contacted at (540) 858-2885.