#13 • Antique Swiss Cylinder Music Box with Inlaid Case

Part of 03/22/26 Antique Treasures & Vintage Collectibles Kalaheo (Kauai) Part 1 Auction (timed auction by Malama Auctions & Realty)

High bid $141.00

Status: Sold

An elegant antique Swiss cylinder music box housed in a beautifully decorated wooden case featuring delicate gilt vine and foliate stencil decoration. The hinged lid opens to reveal the internal musical mechanism protected beneath a glass viewing panel, allowing the intricate workings to be seen while the instrument plays. The movement features a brass pinned cylinder and steel comb mechanism, a design that became the dominant music box technology throughout the 19th century. As the cylinder rotates, tiny metal pins pluck tuned steel teeth on the comb, producing the melody. Cylinder music boxes were among the most popular forms of home entertainment before the widespread adoption of phonographs and recorded sound devices. The interior tune card lists multiple musical selections, a typical feature of late-19th to early-20th century Swiss music boxes, allowing several songs to be played from a single pinned cylinder. Switzerland was the global center of music box production during this period, with many instruments exported worldwide. Marked with “U.S.A. Patent Sept. 25, 1904” on the movement plate and retains its original hand crank and internal mechanism.