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Seek pictures of Nicole needles tin.  I am posting this request
on MMD, hoping that someone can help.

The Musical Box Society of Great Britain has already announced,
through the pages of its quarterly journal, "The Music Box", details
of an important new publication which it will be producing shortly.
With nearly 200 pages of text and 300 illustrations, many in colour,
"The Nicole Factor in Mechanical Music" tells the story of the Swiss
musical box industry in terms of one of the most famous names in
mechanical music.  The book is currently out to tender and in the final
stages of pre-production before it is ready to go to the printers.

Although the preparation work has been more than four years, there is
one item to be included for which I have so far been unable to track
down an illustration.  In the declining years of Nicole Freres a new
company was set up, The Nicole Record Company, to produce cylinder and
disc records for talking machines.  The company also sold a range of
cylinder and disc Phonographs and Gramophones and accessories including
steel needles that were sold in little metal tins embossed with the
name "Nicole".  As far as I am aware, these tins were similar in shape
and size to the familiar "His Master's Voice" or "Victor" needle tins
which still turn up readily.

If any MMD subscriber can help, I urgently require at least one
illustration of a Nicole needle tin to be included in the book.
Preferably a high-resolution digital photograph, but I will be grateful
for any image of these rather elusive needle tins.  Naturally an
appreciative acknowledgement will be given in the book (unless the
contributor of the photograph wishes not to be included) and of course
any reasonable expense will be reimbursed.  If you can help with this,
please contact me by email in the first instance.

Many thanks in anticipation

Paul Baker
Gosport, United Kingdom