[ Ref. http://www.mmdigest.com/Pictures/swissST.html 
 [ "Unknown Swiss "ST" Musical Box Plays 23.8 cm Disc"

Just a note to correct a posting I made in the 050915 MMD, which
triggered three responses in the 050916 MMD.  I know, I know, this
is kicking a dead horse!  But the MMD Archives are such a storehouse
of data that misinformation shouldn't go uncorrected.

In researching for his forthcoming book, "The Encyclopedia Of Disc
Music Boxes," Dave Bowers came across my posting of seven years ago
where I speculated on the maker of a music-box disc bearing the letters
ST inside a star.  Dave wrote to me last month to inform me that the
mark was one used by Mermod frères.

After being alerted to this fact by Dave, I did check the list of
makers' marks compiled by Arthur W.J.G. Ord-Hume, revised by Anthony
Bulleid, and published by the Musical Box Society of Great Britain.

The ST-In-A-Star is shown as mark no. 29, with the note "Mermod frères
-- Printed design on discs for Stella."  As the Ord-Hume/Bulleid list
shows (no. 26), Mermod also used the ST design in an oval on some of
its tune sheets and musical combs.  The star border rather than the
oval was probably used on its Stella products, because "stella" is the
Latin word for "star."

More commonly seen Mermod marks, nos. 27 and 28, are the letters MF
plus a year date inside a shield, with the ST monogram in the middle.
Since those marks were not used solely on Stella disc boxes but also
on Mermod's cylinder-box tune sheets, that leads me to believe that
the T in those marks is actually (as the 050916 reply by Bill Burns
suggests) a cross, not a T.  But then, what does the S signify?
Probably "Swiss"?

Matthew Caulfield
Irondequoit, New York