Two-Dollar Treasures: Vintage Wooden Music Boxes

, This music box is on a round base: you can see that it's hand-painted and is made to look like a toy drum, the engineer stands on top beside the engine and there are little toys all around. Stamped & dated Taiwan 1986. Plays "Santa Claus is coming to Town". Next photo is the view of the other side....

See the little bottle-brush tree peaking through the cutout in the grandfather clock or fireplace, I'm not sure?

This is the other side. See the bottle-brush tree here, too? I like the turquoise with the red on this one. It's also on a round base and has three wooden soldiers holding their rifles. Made in Taiwan 1985. Plays "I'm dreaming of a White Christmas".

Our original music box from back in '83 or '84, it's made in the shape of a wooden abc block, the lid has a mirror inside to reflect the little wooden toys.

The first music box here is ours, we bought it back in the 1980's, the first of many we would collect. It was cheap, we didn't have a lot of money back then, but we loved it, mostly because our babies watched the elephant bob up and and down, and the teddy bear twirl, with their eyes big and their mouths in a little "o", the way only babies can look at you in awed wonder. We'd never get rid of it no matter how ugly it might seem to someone! Our kids have always known it to be out at Christmastime.

The same visit to the Salvation Army where I found the vintage personalized stockings I wrote about yesterday, I spied three wooden music boxes, from the 1980's. They reminded me of the our little music box; ours was made in a similar fashion as the two above. They were priced at $2, and two needed a little minor repair, other than that they were in great condition. The third was beyond fixing. I brought these home and asked Lem to take a look, I also wanted to know if we should keep them or if they should go on eBay. Well, they're living here now, he had repaired them in no time.

I happily displayed them amongst the balsam greens in our shelf full of Christmas music boxes and water globes. I don't know their story but they have a new one, starting now. They are so vintage and retro I don't think I could have parted with them, plus they have a friend and he doesn't feel so lonesome anymore, being the only wooden music box!