ANTIQUE BONTEMS SINGING BIRD BOXwithA HISTORY FROM THE BONTEMS\' FAMILYOF EXCELLENCE, WORLD RENOWNED AUTOMATONPNEUMATIC MECHANISMSandFROM THE CBS RADIO AND TELEVISION INDUSTRYfromTHE 1920\'S TO LATE 1940sAN ANTIQUE JEWEL WITH ENTERTAINMENT HISTORYMADE IN FRANCE
COPY AND PASTE THE LINK BELOW TO YOUR BROWSER TO VIEW ASHORT \"YOU-TUBE\" FROM THE SELLER:HERE IS A CHANCE TO BUY AN ASTONISHINGLY WELL-PRESERVED ANTIQUEMECHANICAL WONDER STORED IN AN OLD WOODEN BOX. THE BOX IS AS MUCHA PART OF THIS ANTIQUE\'S HISTORY AS THE MECHANICAL SINGING BIRDMECHANISM INSIDE. THE MULTITUDE OF BRASS AND STEEL PARTS AND THE HANDMADE WOOD AND LEATHER BELLOWS ARE IN EXCELLENT WORKING CONDITION.THE PRIOR OWNER WAS AN INTERESTING PERSON WITH MANY TALENTS. HEWAS AN EMERGENCY ROOM DOCTOR BY PROFESSION THAT WAS MARRIED WHENHE WAS YOUNGER, BUT DIVORCED SOON AFTER. HE HAD NO CHILDREN OF HISOWN, AND LIVING IN A SMALL SOUTHERN TOWN WITHOUT MANY OF THE CULTURALEVENTS THAT WOULD HELP KEEP HIM BUSY AND INTERESTED, HE WAS LACKING. HEDID MAKE GOOD USE OF HIS SPARE TIME AND DEVELOPED OTHER SKILLS AND PUTTHEM INTO PRACTICE.HE LOVED WORKING WITH WOOD AND HAD A WELL STOCKED WORKSHOP WITHEVERY POWER AND HAND TOOL YOU COULD IMAGINE. HE LOVED MUSIC, SO HEMADE SEVERAL OF HIS OWN MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS AND LEARNED TO PLAY THEM.HIS HOUSE WAS BUILT IN THE 1850s AND THE INTERIOR LOOKED AS IF YOU WEREWALKING INTO A HOME FURNISHED IN THAT TIME PERIOD. HE COLLECTED & FIXEDKEROSENE LAMPS AND MANY OTHER DECOR ITEMS AND ANTIQUES THAT COMPLETEDTHE PERIOD DECOR.HE STARTED WORKING ON OLD CLOCKS AND WATCHES AND HAD ALL THE TOOLSTO DO SO. THIS IS WHY, I BELIEVE, THE INTERNAL WORKINGS OF THIS SINGINGBIRD BOX IS IN SUCH GOOD CONDITION. TYPICALLY, THE PARTS ARE ALL FROZENFROM DIRT AND LACK OF USE, AND THE BELLOWS DON\'T LOOK OR WORK LIKE THESEDO. THE MECHANICAL WORKINGS AND VISUAL INTERIOR INSPECTION OF THIS BIRDSINGING MECHANISM PUTS IT IN EXCELLENT CONDITION.THE PRIOR OWNER PASSED AWAY A FEW YEARS AGO. HAVING THE ABILITY TOPERFORM EMERGENCY SURGERIES GAVE HIS HANDS AND MIND A TALENT FEW HAVE.USING THAT TALENT TO REPAIR OLD WATCHES, CLOCKS, AND MUSIC BOXES WOULDBE AN EASY TRANSITION WITH PRACTICE. HE WAS WORKING ON ALL OF THESEWHEN HE PASSED AWAY. SOME PROJECTS WERE COMPLETE, WHILE OTHERS WERE NOT.I HAVE A BEAUITFUL ANTIQUE ROSEWOOD CHARLES PAILLARD MUSIC BOX THAT IWILL BE SELLING WHEN WE FIND THE BELLS AND STRIKERS HE REMOVED AND PLACEDSOMEWHERE WITHIN HIS BELONGINGS.I\'M SELLING THIS FOR A FRIEND OF MINE, THE DECEASE\'S OLDER BROTHER.
PROPERTY OF CBS SOUND EFFECTS:DURING THE 1920\'S CBS STARTED BROADCASTING PROGRAMS OVER THE RADIO. WHENPRODUCERS WANTED BIRD SONGS IN THE BACKGROUND, ON DEMAND AND NATURAL,THEY CONTRACTED WITH THE BONTEMS. THE BONTEMS HAD BEEN MAKING PNEUMATICBIRD AUTOMATONS FOR A LONG TIME, AND INSTEAD OF HAVING A FULL BLOWNAUTOMATON WITH ANIMATED BIRDS, THEY PUT THEIR MECHANISM IN A RATHERPLAIN WOODEN BOX WHICH SERVED THE PURPOSE THE PRODUCERS WERE LOOKING FOR.CBS SOUND EFFECTS HAD SEVERAL OF THESE AT ONE TIME WITH EACH SINGING ADIFFERENT BIRD SONG.AN EXPERT, AND I DO MEAN EXPERT, IN THE MUSIC BOX ANDSINGING BIRD BOX FIELD TOLD ME ABOUT A FRIEND OF HIS THAT PURCHASED SIX OFTHE CBS BOXES AT A SWAP MEET IN CALIFORNIA SEVERAL YEARS AGO. HIS INTENTWAS TO USE THE PNEUMATIC BIRD SINGING MECHANISM TO INSTALL INTO NEW FANCYBOXES AND ADD THE APPROPRIATE ANIMATED BIRDS AND BIRD MOVEMENTS TO THENEWLY CREATED SINGING BIRD BOX. I DON\'T KNOW HOW MANY BOXES CBS SOUNDEFFECTS HAD ORIGINALLY AT THEIR STUDIO, BUT THAT TOOK SIX OFF THE MARKET.NO ONE THAT I HAVE TALKED TO HAS EVER SEEN ONE OF THESE BOXES OUT IN THEANTIQUE MARKETPLACE, MAYBE YOU HAVE? THERE IS NO JUSTIFICATION TO THINKTHEY HAD 40 OR 50 OF THESE MADE UP. EVEN A COUPLE DOZEN IS A STRETCH. THERECAN\'T BE THAT MANY COMPLETE WORKING EXAMPLES OUT THERE. THIS ONE COULD ENDUP IN A NEW FANCY BOX AS WELL.THESE BIRD SONG BOXES CONTINUED TO BE USED BY CBS IN BOTH RADIO ANDTELEVISION UP UNTIL THE LATE 1940s. AT THAT TIME, OTHER TECHNOLOGY WOULD HAVEBEEN AVAILABLE THAT MADE THESE OBSOLETE.
BRIEF BACKGROUND ON THE BONTEMS:(WITH FREQUENT USE OF PLAGIARISM FROM THE WEB. A LOT MORE INFORMATION IS AVAILABLE)\"BONTEMS CAN BE REGARDED AS THE FATHER OF THE MODERN SINGING BIRD BOX, AFTER ITSSIMPLIFICATION OF THE MOVEMENT AND IMPROVEMENTS IN THE SOUND. A SUCCESSFUL HOUSELAUDED FOR THE REALISTIC QUALITY OF THEIR SONGS, THEY EXHIBITED IN SEVERAL UNIVERSALEXPOSITIONS AND FAIRS WHERE THEY WERE AWARDED WITH 43 MEDALS OF GOLD, SILVER,VERMEIL AND BRONZE IN EUROPE, THE UNITED STATES, ASIA AND AUSTRALIA. THEY WERESUPPLIERS \"TO THE ROYAL HIGHNESS THE QUEEN OF ENGLAND\", AMONG OTHERS.A WELL-ADJUSTED BOTEMS MOVEMENT WITH ITS BELLOWS IN GOOD CONDITION PRODUCESCLEAR AND PLEASANT BIRD-SONG FOR ABOUT FIFTEEN SECONDS EACH PERFORMANCE, LONGERIF YOU HOLD THE BUTTON DOWN. IT IS OF SIMPLE AND STURDY CONSTRUCTION AND IN ITSDAY MADE OWNERSHIP OF A SINGING BIRD BOX POSSIBLE TO A WIDER PUBLIC THAN ANY OF ITSSWISS PREDECESSORS.ALL BIRD BOX MOVEMENTS HAVE A CLOCK-WORK MOTOR WHICH MUST BE WOUND UP. THIS MOTORIS DOING TWO BASIC JOBS: THE FIRST ONE IS TO OPERATE A SMALL BELLOWS WHICH SUPPLIESAIR, VIA A WIND CHEST, TO A WHISTLE WHICH PRODUCES THE BIRDSONG, AND THE SECOND TASKIS TO ROTATE A NUMBER OF CAMS. ONE CAM CONTROLS THE NOTE PRODUCED BY THE WHISTLE, ASECOND DETERMINES WHEN THE NOTE WILL BE PRODUCED AND FOR HOW LONG, THE THIRD CAMDETERMINES THE POINT AT WHICH THE SONG ENDS.THE WHISTLE CONSISTS OF A MINIATURE ORGAN PIPE CONTAINING A CLOSE-FITTING PISTONWHICH CAN BE MOVED UP AND DOWN TO GIVE A RANGE OF NOTES OF OVER AN OCTAVE.THE BONTOMS WERE FOUNDED IN 1849 BY BLAISE BONTEMS OF LE MENIL, FRANCE.IN 1893 BLAISE DIED, AND HIS SON, CHARLES JULES BONTEMS TOOK OVER.LUCIEN BONTEMS, THE GRANDSON OF BLAISE, TOOK OVER FROM HIS FATHER AFTER HIS DEATH.IN 1956, LUCIEN BONTEMS DIED. SUBSEQUENTLY, THE COMPANY WAS ACQUIRED BY REUGE S.A.OF ST. CROIX, SWITZERLAND.\"CBS WOULD HAVE DEALT WITH THE BONTEMS COMPANY THAT THE GRANDSON, LUCIEN BONTEMSWAS MANAGING AT THE TIME WHEN THEY PURCHASED THEM BACK IN THE EARLY 1920s.
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Please select us as one of your favorite sellers. We will list new items eachweek for your consideration.Payment Information:PayPal Only PleaseRemember debit and credit cards are accepted through PayPal.We ask for payment within3 days of winning offerunless we communicate otherwise.Shipping:The Singing Bird Box will be packed well inside two different boxes.The dimensions of the bird box is approximately 7\" x 7\" x 6-1/4\"and weighs approximately 5 pounds without boxes and packing.The outside box will be a large USPS Priority Mail Flat Rate box.The cost of shipping insurance for the purchase pricewill be extra if you want this coverage.Please let me know.Please read shipping on this listing for exclusions.Items are only processed and shipped to the /PayPal address provided.Once payment clears, item(s) normally will ship the next business day.Items will be padded and packed within a box larger than the item(s) within to help protect against shipping damage.If you would like to purchase shipping insurance, please let me know before you pay for your purchase.Return Policy:30 day return policy if the item(s) is/are returned in the same condition as it was shipped.Buyer pays return shipping and is responsible for the return process.Return packing must be equal to the original packaging to prevent damage during shipment.New items in unopened factory packaging must be unopened if returned.Please let us know if it is your intent to return this item(s) before shipping it back.If we have made a mistake and didn\'t describe the item correctly, between the description and the photographs,we will pay the return shipping.Photos provided and others, plus shipping weight, document the condition of this product prior to shipping topreventfraudulent return attempts.And Finally:We will do our best to make you happy, if in the highly unlikely event that something goes wrong. We have worked hard to have100% Positive response and will continue to do so. We package the products we send to you in a manner we ourselves wouldlike to receive them. To date, we have never had damaged goods delivered to any of our customers or any lost packages.We leave positive response for our customers and would greatly appreciate if you would leave positive 5 star response for us.
Thank You for Your Timeand your Consideration of Purchasing this AntiqueHope to have you as a Satisfied Customer now, or in the near future!Bill & Patti
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