With reference to Rick Inzero's enquiry about the gamme number of 
a musical box [200123 MMDigest], I hope the following may be of help.

Musical box makers used two numbering systems.  One is called the 
serial number and the other the gamme number.  Both were usually written 
by hand on the tune sheet, usually preceded by S (serial) and G (gamme).  
There are many examples where the numbers were interposed by mistake.

The serial number is usually stamped on the bedplate of the movement but 
both numbers were often scratched elsewhere on component parts of the 
movement.  It was common practice to scratch the gamme number on the 
face of the lead weight soldered to the lowest bass tooth of the comb.

Each maker had their own set of serial numbers and gamme numbers.  They 
were produced sequentially.  Many movements were made in batches, so 
their serial numbers were sequential but they had the same gamme number.  
The late HAV (Anthony) Bulleid produced dating charts for several 
makers.  Thus, for a known maker and serial number, the chart enables 
a fairly accurate assessment of the movement's date of manufacture.

The gamme number had an entirely different purpose.  Each cylinder was 
pinned with a musical programme comprising a set of tunes, its musical 
programme.  The teeth on the movement's comb were tuned to play the 
complete programme.  It is this arrangement of tuned teeth that is the 
actual gamme, not the associated programme of tunes.  If the tune sheet 
is missing but the gamme number is known, it might be possible to 
identify the content of the missing tune sheet.

Sometimes a maker was able to use the same comb for a different 
musical programme.  The maker had two choices, either to apply a 
new gamme number or to indicate that the same gamme was applicable.  
If the latter, the gamme number was prefixed by the word 'bis'.

The word 'gamme' is French.  A loose translation is 'range'.  'Bis' 
has a number of meanings but in this case it means the repeated used 
of the same gamme (scalar range of the comb) for a modified or 
different set of tunes.

Neither the serial number nor gamme number was meant to be of 
significance to the person buying the musical box or its movement.  
They were important to the makers and the workers.  Most workers were 
not direct employees until about the 1880s when the factory system 
replaced the cottage industry system.  The outworkers, who cut and 
tuned the comb, needed to know the exact sequence and pitch of each 
tooth, i.e. the comb's unique gamme.

Those who arranged the separate musical scores also had to know what 
teeth were available.  Perhaps it was sometimes the other way round, 
the score determining the number of tuned teeth; it was probably 
a combination of both.  The maker had to ensure that, when comb and 
cylinder were assembled, all the tunes pinned on the cylinder could 
be played by its comb.

The only person who has a register of over 12,000 listed musical boxes 
with serial numbers, names of makers and many associated gamme numbers,
is Arthur Cunliffe.  If his register includes the tunes associated with 
a specific gamme there is a chance to restore the complete list of 
tunes on a replica tune sheet.  As far as I know the register remains 
his private property and copyright.

If you want more detail about the subject of serial numbers, gammes and 
tuning, the Association of Musical Box Collectors (AMBC) has recently 
produced a second print run of their book "The Cylinder Musical Box, 
a Collector's and Restorer's Handbook."  Although almost sold out in the 
UK, I believe Nancy Fratti of the MBSI has some stock available.

Arthur Cunliffe is a member of another UK organisation called MBSGB.  
No doubt a member of its governing Board can put you in touch with him.

Paul Bellamy