Responding to queries in MMD, Mermod Frères was located in Sainte
Croix, Switzerland, usually given as Ste. Croix in early literature.
The monogram represents S for Sainte and the cross (croix in French)
for Croix.
Mermod products were of superb quality, this including their large
line of cylinder music boxes and the latter Stella and Mira disc boxes.
Today, they are very high on the "must have" list of collectors.
When I began my interest in automatic musical instruments in 1960 an
early purchase was a Wilcox & White Symphony player organ that I found
in a home in Oneonta, New York. Under the guidance of Harvey Roehl
I rebuilt it -- my first such project. Later I did a Seeburg L,
a Seeburg G, a Coinola CO and with Harvey for a local retirement home,
an 88-note player piano.
I haven't rebuilt anything since the early 1960s, but Harvey's
instruction permitted me to understand most of the instruments I later
collected and that were restored by others. The Symphony player organ
had a very "sweet" sound, very pleasant to hear.
Dave Bowers
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