Swiss boxes are what antique music boxes are usually called. They are like common music boxes that create a sound when operated, but what makes them valuable is their age. Involving yourself in collecting these highly valuable item require knowledge and some effort as well. Collectors find some of these as coveted but it looks like an old music box for a commoner's eye.
An issue for some is the Swiss music box's working condition. There are complaints that out of old age, some may have malfunctions or may be completely destroyed. So a careful appraisal is done to assess the music box's condition because prices of these items are not a joke. Some boxes that are not fixed gets depreciated and sold on auctions for a lower price where some collectors get it as well, solely for display purposes.
In addition, they can be the repositories of your memories as a couple, as a family, as friends and the like. They are the silent witnesses to various special occasions such as birthday celebrations, anniversaries, Halloween, Christmas and many more.
Types of Swiss music boxes include a smaller-disc shaped, and a cylinder one. Most were originally made in Switzerland, thus spawned the name. Nowadays, these items are very rare and most collectors seldom let them go. There are even pocket-sized Swiss music boxes that old men form the 19th century use. Yes, they were once a fashion statement as well.
Among the types of music boxes, disc boxes' manufacturing is cheaper. Because of its cheap manufacturing, more of these were sold by a lower price thus making them more appealing to buyers. This somewhat lowered the Swiss music boxes' popularity among the rich people and made them popular to the commoners instead. Then the Swiss music/jewellery box came, which appealed to some people because of its elegance. They were attracted to the fact that opening their glistening jewelleries is accompanied by a very beautiful music.
Now, with the slowly emerging trend of Swiss music box collecting, an issue arises - how do I repair my own box? This is one issue that troubles many collectors because professional hands or specially trained individuals are needed to repair these very delicate boxes. The parts are commonly fragile because of aging, rare parts, and some mechanisms are derived from old methods. And do you know what this means? You have to shell out a large sum of money for repairs alone.
Here's more on Swiss music boxes.
Richard Dean F. Basa
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