[ Ana Maria Latorre wrote in 011031 MMDigest: ]

> DESCRIPTION: square wooden music box, measures [cm] 39.5 x 39.5 x 22
> height.  It has 24 metallic teeth, a revolving disc with 4 driving
> points which upon moving the handle they make the disc rotate.  In
> the needle of touching puts in iron "Paten" figured and a drawing
> that I believe is a fleur-de-lis.  In the part below the box is a
> stamp in ink that says "Patent EHRLICHIS Brevete [s.g.d.g]. 106812"
>
> The Ariston mark doesn't appear on any side, but from the pictures
> I believe that, in fact, it is the same instrument.

Well, I'm not sure what more I can tell you, other than that your
instrument indeed is a 24-key Ariston (that's the "teeth" there).

Underneath the bar (that's what you call the iron), on the side of
the instrument within the metal, is the inscription "Patent".  I'm
confused, though, about the flower that you mention, but the decoration
might as well look like that.

The number you mention is the exact serial number of your instrument,
so you indeed have there Ariston No. 106812.  Mine is 96824, so yours
is "only" 10000 instruments later.  :-P

Maybe I can help you with the date: yours is probably from about 1900
and not 1910.

> DISCS: They are of punched cardboard, they measure 30 cm. diameter.

Hmmm.  I always thought that the Ariston had only 24 keys, but also
that the discs would be 24 cm diameter as well; but I guess I'm just
mixing that up with some other instrument.

> I have 36 discs, two are repeated, all bear "EHRLICH'S".  As you will
> see, many are of my land, Aragon, and for that reason there are so
> many jotas [dances of Aragon].  All the disks are numbered and with
> titles.

You might be happy to hear that my dad is a big fan of your jotas.  :-)
The first time he encountered them was through Ariston discs; later on
he heard them on the radio and recorded them.

So, as you see, we already have some of them, but maybe not all of
them.  I will, however, let you know, as soon as I get the results.

If there's anything else I can help you with, let me know.  ;-)

greetings by(e) InK - Ingmar Krause
Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
Erlangen, Bavaria, Germany