Scottish Rite Masonic Museum & Library

Music Box with discs
ca. 1896
Regina Music Box Company
USA: New Jersey, Rahway
Mahogany, metal, glass
overall: 6"h x 26-1/2"w x 22"d; disc: 1/16"h x 15-1/2"dia.
Gift of Mrs. Willis R. Michael
83.54.1a-nn

Music Box; a: upright style; case number 183, mahogany; movement: steel combination automatic changer with steel discs, serial number 51170; Regina paper label copyright date 1896; b: winder; c: key; twelve discs inside music box; d: disc "Flight of the Butterflies"; e: disc "Blue Bells March Song; f: disc "At Georgia Camp Meeting"; g: disc "La Zarine, Russian Mazurka"; h: disc "A Warm Reception Cake Walk"; i: disc "Any Rags Song"; j: disc "The band played on"; k: disc "Old Hundred Hymn"; l: disc "Hymn Kinkard"; m: disc "Regina March, Octave Chaillet"; n: disc "Under the Anheuser Bush Song"; o: disc (not identified); another twenty five discs stored in a separate box; p: disc "Olympia March"; q: disc "Her Name is Rose Song"; r: disc "The Guard On The [illeg.]; s: disc "Tannhauser March"; t: disc "Under the Double Eagle"; u: disc "The Bride Elect March"; v: disc "Comin' thru the Rye"; w: disc "Holy City Song"; x: disc "Austrian National Hymn"; y: disc [illeg.]; z: disc "Remembrance Song"; aa: disc "When You Were Sweet Sixteen Song"; bb: disc "Wong Ting Sing, Chinese Intermezzo; cc: disc "On The Banks Of The [Illeg.]; dd: disc "Duet From [Illeg.]; ee: disc "The Tyrolean Song"; ff: disc "Home Dear Home Song"; gg: disc "Sweetie Dear Song; hh: disc "The Sulton of Sulu, Since I Fisrt Met You Song"; ii: disc "Hiawatha A Summer Idyl"; jj: disc "The Prince of Pilsen, The Tale Of The Seashell Song"; kk: disc "Anona, Intermezzo"; ll: disc "The Girl I Loved In Tennessee Song"; mm: disc "Come Take A Trip In My Air Ship Song; nn: disc "The Gondolier Song"; also in the box with the extra discs are a few pieces of wood that have fallen off of music box.

“The Regina ‘Queen of Music Makers’ is an ever-ready entertainer, bringing the solace of music to all.… Being automatic it requires not skill or exertion to furnish music of social gatherings.” Advertisement, 1903 Although clock enthusiast and collector Willis Michael (1894-1969) lived in the era of radio and television, the mechanical entertainment devices of yesteryear charmed him. This music box played popular songs and hymns. Regina, founded in New Jersey by a German engineer, produced an extremely successful line of music boxes. Americans played them at home, at hotels and at restaurants. In 1903, the company claimed that “ninety per cent of the Music Boxes in use in the United States are Reginas.”