Hi Angelo,  The secret to transporting any valuable piece lies in the
preparation and packaging of that item prior to transport (see below).

The most reasonable cost will probably be by transporting the items
yourself using a rental van.  Secondary to that, using a reputable
independent contract mover, who can give you more personal attention,
will enable you to personally supervise the loading of the items
into the van and give the movers insight into the contents of the
packages and crates so they will know what can and can't be stacked
on what.

Also, a private contract mover can directly deliver the load for you
without transferring the load from truck to truck.  (The fewer times
the items are handled the better.)  One such contractor is Dan Grant,
tel.: 1-505-470- 5826 or 1-505-470-8572.  He works out of New Mexico
but goes all around the country transporting merchandise, antiques and
specialty items in his low slung 40-foot trailer (kind of like a giant
horse trailer).

He recently moved a friend of mine's personal household possessions,
including a baby grand piano and musical related business equipment
and merchandise from Long Island, New York to Central Florida and did
a wonderful job without damage and with great attention being paid
to detail and concern for the items he was placing into his trailer.
I would highly recommend him but I would also suggest that you get
comparison estimates from other commercial and contract movers in the
Minneapolis/St. Paul area for comparison purposes.

The fact that you are preparing now, well in advanced, will give you
time to make the best decisions as to who will make your move.

Regarding packaging --

Think about what the item(s) and their packaging are likely to
experience in the transport process: bouncing around, vibration,
being dropped, stood on, rolled, jostled and generally being abused
and mishandled.  With that in mind, package each item as securely
as possible and be sure no loose parts can move around and piston
against themselves or other parts during the process of being moved.
The old adage of an ounce of prevention being worth a pound of cure
is most applicable here considering the costs of restoration.

Musical combs --

Especially the bass notes should be taped across the top to minimize
the possibility of their sustaining a downward shock causing the
weights to pull the teeth downward and cause them to break.  If you
can slip a support of some kind in under a comb to prevent, or limit
the movement of the teeth, that would be advisable as well.  Any part
that can move should be constrained from moving.

In general, Murphy's law will certainly apply -- If something can be
damaged in a move, it will be!  So do everything you can to foresee
the possibility and probability of damage and do anything and
everything you can to prevent it from happening beforehand.  Void
spaces in packaging are the biggest problem, allowing for movement of
the item or it's component parts within the box or crate.  Nature, and
movers, abhor a vacuum and will do everything in their considerable
powers to obey the law and fill those neglected or overlooked voids.

Put firm packaging material around the central sections of boxes with
overhanging lids or bases so that the packaging creates a belt around
the middle of the box out to the level of the overhang.  Then put a
furniture blanket around the entire piece and tape the blanket tightly
to keep the lid, or base, from shifting and breaking loose from the
rest of the cabinet.

Not knowing exactly what "premier pieces" you are intending to move
it's hard to give you specific direction as how to pack them.  Each
piece will probably have its own individual nuances to be dealt with.

The following are the two sets of packaging instructions I give to
clients when sending music boxes to me for service but the general
principles can, and should, be applicable to any item being transported
personally or commercially.

As far as safe packaging is concerned, I'd suggest that you put the
musical box into a plastic bag or a large zip-lock type baggie.  Seal
the bag or baggie and then nestle it inside a new cardboard box,
filling it with Styrofoam peanuts such that there are 2" of peanuts
between the box and the interior walls of the carton.  Overfill the
carton somewhat so that when you close it you compress the peanuts.
You should then violently shake the sealed carton and you should not
hear anything rattling around.

The criteria for a well-packaged item is that the carton/crate should
be able to be dropped on any side or corner from a height of 30" onto
a concrete floor without the contents being damaged.  I emphasized
using a "new" carton as should there be any damage in transit a claim
for damage will be denied by the carrier if a used carton has been
utilized.  The carrier will argue that they cannot confirm that they
crushed the carton.

Shipping instructions:

1. Be sure all cylinders are locked in position by pushing the slide
locks to the side.  If the slides are loose, tighten the small brass
screws a little.

2. Put a piece of crumpled newspaper, tissue paper, or soft foam/sponge
on top of the cylinder that is in the mechanism so that there is a
little pressure on that cylinder when the glass cover is closed.  (This
will keep that cylinder from popping out in transit and possibly
damaging itself and/or the box).

3. Insert a piece of newspaper or tissue paper between the glass top
and the box top and close the lid.

4. Put some protection around the handles so they don't bang against
the sides of the box.

5. Wrap the box with tissue paper, newspaper, an old towel, or bubble
wrap. (You can bring the piece to a Mail Boxes Etc/Ups Store and they
can pack it for you professionally but that really isn't necessary if
you want to save a few dollars.)

6. Pack the wrapped music box into another clean cardboard shipping
box with at least 2 inches of firmly compressed packing material on 
all six sides (top, bottom & four sides).  A new undamaged exterior
cardboard carton is important, as carriers will decline any damage
claim if a previously used carton is used!

7. Test your packaging by shaking the completed box vigorously.  You
should not be able to hear anything moving or banging around inside
(with the exception of a small noise from the cylinders that are locked
into their slots).  The standard test for preventing damage is that the
package should be able to withstand a drop, onto any side or corner,
from 30 inches onto a concrete floor without damage to the contents.
Remember that your shipment will be handled, and possibility dropped,
multiple times before it is received and that it is likely to be at the
bottom of a stack of other cartons weighing as much as 300 pounds or
might it be stepped on or sat on at some point in its travels.

8. Ship by any carrier of your choice.

If you have any further questions, please feel free to phone or email
me.  Best of luck with your move.

Most sincerely,
Don Caine - The Music Box Repair Shop Unlimited
mbrcu@aol.com.geentroep [delete ".geentroep" to reply]