#Regina music box serial number lookup series#

Mira, by contrast, used a set of rocker arms and a fine wire that contacted the tip of the tooth. When the star wheel turned it hit the dimple and pushed the damper against the side of the tooth, and then away. The damper stalk was wedged against the side of the star wheel. The secret of the Regina dampers worked like this: there is a little dimple pressed into the damper. What you can see, at least on a Regina, is the bottom of the rail and, if you squint, the tips of the dampers extending microscopically beyond the tips of the teeth. You can't see the dampers once they are installed. Below is a picture of a damper rail from a 12 1/4' Regina. Don't believe me? Look down your street-how many music box repairmen do you see? The dampers stop the tooth from vibrating.Д®ach manufacturer of antique disc music boxes employed a different damper system. This sound is so noisome, so distasteful, that it has been known to drive antique music box repairmen to the insane asylum. If a tooth is plucked while it is still vibrating it will emit a blood-curdling squeak (treble note) or buzz (bass note). Then you can skip the next two paragraphs. For those who bypassed the section about cylinder music boxes, or those whose brains are still reeling from the damper discussion therein, let me repeat what the dampers are supposed to do, because you need to know at least this much. It is at this point that I must re-introduce you to the dreaded damper demon. The dishing wheels put the proper bend in the disc so that the projections on the disc attack the star wheels at just the right angle. The disc is held in place by the pressure bar. (On smaller boxes the disc was usually rotated by the center spindle.) As the disc rotates it snags the star wheels in the star wheel gantry. The disc is rotated by a sprocket at the rim of the bedplate. The workings of the antique disc music box are fairly intuitive, as you can see from the image of a 15 1/2' Regina below. Later on I will discuss the availability of records. Kalliope and Monopol will swap in some small sizes. Olympia and Criterion will swap if you adapt the center spindle in your machine. Regina and Polyphon will swap in 8', 11' and 15 1/2' sizes. The discs don't swap between brands, with the following well-known exceptions: The cut of the star wheels, and the tuning of the comb, were different on each brand. What if every automobile in the world required a different size and type of tire? That's exactly the situation with disc music boxes. When collectors refer to, say, a fifteen and a half inch Regina they're talking about the size of the disc and not the size of the cabinet. These antique music boxes were made in sizes capable of playing anything from around a 5 inch disc to around a 33 inch disc. So here's a short list: in the United States - Regina, Olympia and Criterion in Europe - Polyphon, Symphonion, Kalliope, Mira and Stella. I won't subject you to a long list of brands it would be a little like trying to list every marque of antique automobile and although an Overland, for example, was a rugged car it's unlikely you'll ever be required to restore one. These machines, which involved little hand worksmanship, were mass produced in Germany, Switzerland, and the United States. The disc music box was introduced in the mid 1890s. Even today, Regina music boxes, such as this incredible example, are considered among the very finest ever created.Part 3.

#Regina music box serial number lookup series#

Under his direction, the Regina Music Factory created a series of music boxes whose smooth, rich sound was unsurpassed.

Brachhausen brought with him years of experience and talents honed at the polyphon factory in Germany where he was in charge for years. They quickly gained national attention and acclaim for their superb music boxes and were an overwhelming success in America. In 1894, the Regina music box company was founded by Gustav Brachhausen in Rahway, New Jersey. The sound quality of this wonderful music box is superb and the cabinet remains in excellent condition. The fine oak cabinet with a glazed glass panel and gallery, holds additional discs in a drop-down drawer at the front of the box. An extraordinary and rare coin-operated Regina Sublima upright music box crafted by the Regina music box company, one of the most recognized music box manufacturers in the world, complete with 17 discs.