Swiss Music Boxes – Buying Collectible Musicals

Swiss music boxes make great collectible items. If you are in the market for antique units, be aware that buying one can take a lot of time and knowledge. You need to be prepared to do a lot of searching to find ones that you can proudly add to your collection. Unfortunately, collectible boxes are often sold for more than they are really worth. Know what features you are looking for when buying your music boxes and be aware of the price that can be asked for a working versus a non-working model.

Rare music boxes

One of the first things you want to check is whether or not the box is working or does it need to be repaired. While it is much more fun and easier to find and buy a rare working box, you will need to expect to pay more for it than a comparative non-working model. On the other hand, buying a non-working rare music box could be of huge benefit. Because the mechanism is delicate, they can be damaged easily. But a lot of types of damage can be easily repaired. You could end up with an excellent deal if you buy a damaged music box and, ideally, repair it yourself.

Reuge music boxes

Some music boxes are very special. For instance some Swiss music boxes are Ruege music boxes having the Reuge 36-note movement. These music boxes are famous the world over and have an excellent sound. However, they can also be a bit on the expensive side.

Collectible music boxes

If you are looking for a music box to be used as a collectible, you need to think about how much you want to spend. Two types of older boxes you might find are disc boxes and cylinder boxes. It is the rare music box that has the cylinder. Most of them are made in Switzerland and they can be quite expensive.

Cheaper to make, the disc boxes became very popular. Perfect for gift giving, they began to show up under a lot of Christmas trees. Many ladies soon were enjoying the music of their boxes as they opened them to remove or replace their jewelry.

Antique music boxes

Keep in mind when purchasing a non-working antique music box that it can be quite expensive to have it repaired. Unfortunately, craftsmen who can do an excellent job in repairing your music box can be very hard to find. Finding parts can also be an issue since many of the boxes were handmade. But that should not stop you from purchasing that beautiful non-working music box if you can buy it for a good price. If the box can be repaired, your collectible music box will significantly increase in value.