The Talking Machine Forum — For All Antique Phonographs & Recordings

I saw this on my local craigslist and they want $25 for it but good luck getting someone to drive me to Papillion for it. But anyway it looks interesting, but it could be some novelty made in the 1980s? (Which is a nice decade for vintage computers but not music boxes)

Anyway, what do you think?

Looks like a Thorens Gramophone Music Box.

Here is one on eBay

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Gramophone-Mus ... Sw1ulcTNX1

AmberolaAndy wrote:Anyway, what do you think?

It doesn't appeal to me. I'm not into phonygrams. I like the real thing.

AZ* wrote:

AmberolaAndy wrote:Anyway, what do you think?

It doesn't appeal to me. I'm not into phonygrams. I like the real thing.

So it’s a later novelty style music box from the mid-late 20th century? Guess I’m not missing out on much.

It's very modern, probably 1980s or so. A neighbor gave me one exactly like it. I had no interest but took it to be polite. But then my 2 year-old granddaughter discovered it and she absolutely loves it, so now it's special. Maybe it will be a gateway to eventually getting her into real phonographs. She already loves dancing to the Charleston so there's reason for hope.

Yup. It’s a novelty item from the late 1970s. I found an ad from a 1978 newspaper for it.

Very similar but apparently not the same as the one I have. The ad mentions storage for six discs. Mine has a tiny spring-wound cylinder music box that plays the same annoying song over and over. The box opens but could only serve as a jewelry case or the like.

But: $350??

TinfoilPhono wrote:It's very modern, probably 1980s or so. A neighbor gave me one exactly like it. I had no interest but took it to be polite. But then my 2 year-old granddaughter discovered it and she absolutely loves it, so now it's special. Maybe it will be a gateway to eventually getting her into real phonographs. She already loves dancing to the Charleston so there's reason for hope.

Same with my 2 year old! She loves my old music and i hope she will continue to.

TinfoilPhono wrote:Very similar but apparently not the same as the one I have. The ad mentions storage for six discs. Mine has a tiny spring-wound cylinder music box that plays the same annoying song over and over. The box opens but could only serve as a jewelry case or the like.

But: $350??

Well here’s a video for the thorens with a Disc.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=plBQQxKk8Zw


But then there’s a video of one playing without a disc. Could it be a knockoff? Excuse my ignorance when it comes to music boxes.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A4acVdqpMaU

The second one seems to have a fixed disc, if it's that brass disc which produces the music. Although the tonearm seems to be false. In the one with the interchangeable discs, the tonearm is indeed the harp where the music is produced, sweeping across the entire disc.
The one with the only brass disc, in the other hand, is more Berlineresque, with the winding handle moving while it plays...