The Talking Machine Forum — For All Antique Phonographs & Recordings

If anyone has a Cuff Music Box they would consider selling please send me pictures at [email protected] or PM me here on the Forum.

Rich Gordon

Hey Rich, There is one on ebay from a Mechanical Music collector in Ill. Capital Cuff, Criterion, and Olympia were all madeby Otto, here in NJ (Jersey City?)and who was a neighbor with Regina's (Rahway) boss

Thanks Herb I didn’t know that. I am watching the one on eBay. Hope to see you at Wayne. Maybe someday you’ll sell me one of you upright disc machines.

Rich Gordon

The price is certainly not unfair. It's a decent sounding and looking model A Capital cuff box. I have this model in oak but it is not for sale. The case wood doesn't mean it's rarer. These machines always hold their value as they are so rare, and such a hybrid. Only built for two years 1894-1895. You're getting a machine that's been properly gone over too. Not cheap to restore these. A lot of them suffer from comb lead deterioration. I have no connection to this auction.

I would ask if it has it's original crank. The originals are marked "Capital". You wind these machines backwards too.

Also, these machines are always missing the wood escutcheon for the crank winding hole. They were wood and only nailed on.

The model "A" is the most common, if you could call these common. They are the easiest to find cuffs for, out of the three different sizes. But in general, none of them are easy to find more music for.

Another useless trivia factoid: When you bought these machines new, the music supplied was at the discretion of F.G. Otto & Sons(maker). You had no choice with your purchase. Extra cuffs, you could pick whatever you wanted.

This is the later motor drive design. The earliest ones had an entirely different motor set-up using compression springs. This one has the traditional coil spring in a barrel. Better, as the early ones used to push their cases apart!!

Just as an observation, the cuff played in the video seems to be missing a few of it's projections in places. Music sounds a bit thin in spots. Box is in tune,sounds happy and bright, and the dampers are working properly.

I have no connection to the seller on eBay. Just my humble 2 cents here...

Here's a photo of what a correct crank and escutcheon look like:

Good luck!!

Thank you for all that helpful information.

Rich Gordon

For what it's worth... at the Union show in June there most likely will be one for sale in the first booth to the left as you walk into the main area. I forget the gentleman's name but he has one for sale every year it seems. Perhaps one of the Union/Forum regulars can point you to his contact info. (it may be the same person selling the one on eBay for all I know.)

It is indeed the same person, Arnie Levin, but I doubt it is the same music box.


Raphael

Rich

There's one in the Donley auction on March 17, item #226

Catalog page:

https://www.proxibid.com/aspr/Capital-C ... alog=15368



Chuck

Thanks Chuck, I saw that one and will Be watching.

Rich Gordon