Hi Y'all -- here is the outline of my Fact Sheet.


Name of cylinder or disc musical box

Serial number, if known

Manufacturer: this is important to know and is very informative; you'd
be surprised who worked with whom, and who married someone's daughter.

Year manufactured and cost: the year is important as it relates to
technical advances in musical boxes; cost is hard to find out, but is
always fun to dig up.

Instrumentation:  is it cylinder or disc model; if cylinder, is it
keywind, or ratchet, or folding crank wind; if cylinder, is it
single/double spring barrel/fusee. If disc, is it coiled spring or
spiral spring.

History: if you know the migration pattern of your box, this is a good
place to describe

Source and year acquired: where did you get the box and when; if you
know what you paid, put here, or keep a separate record(I do) or just
have a good memory.

Restorer and completion date: this helps you remember what you did with
a box when you got it; if it needed restoration, then you can recall
who/when did it; if the box was pristine, then just say no restoration
needed.

Length of cylinder or width of disc: cylinder length is from end cap to
end cap; disc width is the full diameter including drive sprockets, also
mention if discs have teeth.

Number of combs: whether there are 1, 2, 3 combs and the musical
arrangement of the combs, such as sublime harmony, etc.; or a sectional
comb with number of teeth per section. With disc machines, are the
combs diametrical opposed.

Number of teeth per comb:  this is easy, just count the number of teeth
per comb.

Scale: something I never got into, because I don't know how to
determine the scale. If someone out there can help me scale-please do
so.

Tune card: is it original, is it reproduction, are there any numbers on it
such as a serial number of the box and/or a gamme (tunes selection or
group) number. If there is a tune card, record on the FS, all the
details on the tune card. You may find that a number on the tune card,
matches numbers on the bed -plate, or on different parts of the box, or
even the bottom of the box.(Always look at the bottom of a box--you
never know what you will find, even a secret panel, like I found)

Number of tunes: if cylinder, list number of tunes; if disc, just say
one tune per disc.

General Discussion: here is where you should describe the more detailed
history of the maker of the box, including dates, patents, locations of
factories, fine features and unusual features of the maker, etc.  If
there is too much info, then type key points, then photocopy other
pages from references, or just refer to the references.

My references were:

Ord-Hume: "The Musical Box - A Guide for Collector" -- great historical
data, nice pictures.

Bowers: "Encyclopedia of Automatic Musical Instruments" -- loads of
pictures, and more historical stuff

Jan Jaap Haspels: "Musical Automata - Cataloge of National Museum of
Utrecht from musical Clocks to Street Organs" -- beautiful pictures and
great info

My last thoughts.  Photo, photo, photo!  I photograph every angle of a
box, and when I clean a box, I photo all the parts, especially, those
with numbers.  I have a macro lens, so I can get up real close.  If
necessary, cross-reference between FS, in case there is a cross-over,
between makers.  When you have discs, make a list of them with the
tunes, number on the disc, and composer.

Well, that's it.  If you have any suggestions, please let me know.

Regards   
Larry Greenfield   
musicbox@ix.netcom.com