Regarding the post about a musical box with bells, I would question
whether it is, in fact, a Nicole box. I have reason to believe that
there were no Nicoles with bells before the 30,000 serial numbers,
which date from around 1850 (but I may be wrong).
The serial 10961 is much earlier than this, if it were a Nicole,
dating it to around 1830. Can Robert let us know if there are relevant
markings on the comb or bed plate to confirm it is Nicole? If it is
a Nicole it will be marked as such.
I could not suggest a value, but the photos suggest that the cylinder
is in need of re-pinning since there appear to be many severely bent
pins. Together with a broken tooth this suggests the box has had a
"run", so the governor probably failed. These things will all
combine to lower its value.
John Farmer, UK
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