The question of dating/attributing a cylinder box was raised by
Mary Doerr in 160823 MMDigest.  The "CPC" in the underneath bedplate
casting, according to "The Musical Box" by Arthur Ord-Hume, is
unidentified.  It is also seen on the underside of some comb bases.
Others might argue that it stands for Charles Paillard & Co.

The mark may have actually been the bedplate caster's initials or it
could have been a series of bedplates made for the Paillard company.
We'll never know for sure.

A picture of the tune card, if available, might shed some light on the
actual manufacturer.  There is a book (with 4 supplements) published by
the MBSGB with pictures of hundreds of tune cards, which are attributed
when known.  I have a few copies left for sale if anyone's interested.

While we can't date most cylinder boxes by their serial number,
there are some attributes that can help narrow down the date within
a short time span.   A lid with a square edge molding is earlier than
the lids with the OG molded edges; a square spring barrel winding arbor
is earlier than a round arbor.  The larger majority of cylinder boxes
I see are ones with the OG molding and the round winding arbor, which
date from around 1880-1910.

It's impossible to pinpoint a date any closer unless it was given on
an occasion and someone wrote the date on the bottom of the case or
on a plaque.  I've also seen dates penciled on the tune card itself.

Enjoy!

Nancy Fratti
Canastota, New York, USA