Q: What is an antique music box in excellent running condition worth? It’s marked inside “Jacot’s ‘Safety Check,’ Patented April 10, 1883 and Sept. 22, 1886.” It plays eight songs and is 22 1/2 inches wide by 7 inches high.

A: Jacot and Sons was an importer in New York City that held patents for a device that “checked” the music box cylinder and kept it from spinning too fast and damaging the pins and teeth of the combs. Most of the boxes with Jacot’s Safety Checks were made by Mermod Freres of Ste. Croix, Switzerland. In working condition it could sell for as much as $900.

 

 

Leave a Reply

Featured Articles