Thursday, March 28, 2013

5 Tips for Beginning A Music Box Collection

By Jenny Dobson


Music boxes, as we know them today have been around at least since the end of the 18th century. The finest artisans in Europe created them and brought music into family homes when there were really no other types of home entertainment. Music boxes performed the popular music of their day: songs from the opera, traditional songs and hymns. Because of their unique history and other reasons, collecting music boxes is a hobby greatly enjoyed for antique collectors. Some collectors like collecting a variety of boxes such as antique music boxes, inlaid music boxes, ballerina music boxes, and carousel music boxes. For those who are currently looking to begin collecting, here are five tips to assist in this process.

#1. Decide on a budget for yourself based on quality. You should decide how much you want to spend and how you would spend it based on quantity or quality. If you decide on quality, your collection should start off slowly and you should spend time deciding on whats best for your tastes.

#2: Keep your personal tastes in mind, and pick pieces based on this. Music boxes you get should be based on your tastes rather than investments, and your collection will end up having some uniformity. Some collectors may prefer rare boxes or smaller pieces while others keep their collection focused on disc boxes, objects d' art, or Stella's, etc...

#3: Take into consideration looking for pieces of variety. This is a good way to spark up your collection and not let your eyes get bored. You can pick from a variety of things such as: disc musical boxes, cylinder music boxes, Stella music boxes, or polyphons. Keep in mind that having a 'hodge podge' of a collection can be fine!

#4: Have a plan as to how you would like to develop your collection. Next, take the necessary steps to see it come alive! Also, consider space. If you have limited space, you will have to be creative, especially if you like to collect large music boxes.

#5: When you're getting a new piece for your music box collection, look for things that may require immediate attention such as rust. If or when you have the money or time to restore such pieces, it can certainly be beneficial in the long run. Always look carefully after your collection, some of them could certainly be quite old!

Collecting music boxes, antique or new, can certainly be a fun process. No matter what type of boxes you have from inlaid music boxes, to carousel music boxes, or any other types, check out follow these tips and you will be well on your way to having a great collection!




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