Featured Antique wind up toy -- music box like, Swiss I think

Recently helped with a fundraiser garage sale and my neighbor brought a few things over to sell. This was in one of the boxes and she was going to toss it in the trash because condition isn't great.

She is near 80, is Swiss/German and said it was "her grandmother's". I set it aside.

Obviously cosmetic condition is poor, and the mechanism is broken as well. Metal case, wooden back.

What would you call this kind of toy? Do you think it has any value in this condition? Thanks.

 

Old toys like this seem to still have value, from what I have seen recently. They are so rare and amusing. Condition will have an effect, but still worthwhile imo. I would love to take it apart and see what the window images were all the way around.

 

I think you would call it a music box.
It is charming, and tin toys of this age certainly have a value. As toomany says, they are rare.

 

LOVE IT!!!!!!
I expect it to be repairable!
They are very simple mechanisms usually.
Many wind-up and clockwork parts are available.

 

boy...kids back then...had some nice toys !!

 

I wonder whether there's a way to date it involving the open "bus" that's visible in the window?

 

I suspect that is an early 'touring' car. Pre 20s mainly but even so....

 

I was thinking more 1930s-40s.
If it was her grandmother's then she bought it for the grand kids to play with.

 

Good observation. I would have dated it to the 1950s due to the style of graphics.

 

You smart !!!! good call Davey !!!

 

There is a specific name for these things, I had one a while ago and it did reasonably well at auction, maybe £40, but I cannot remember the name. Maybe it will come to me. Something French sounding possibly.

 

Sorry to bring up an old thread. I have been restoring an antique cylinder music box so am searching the site for any thing that might help me. Saw this and figured I might pipe up so anybody else looking might find the info. The word afantiques was trying to remember was “manivelle” for this kind of music box - tres French indeed!

 

this is a Thorens Manivelle. normally there is Swiss imprinted into the housing when for the open market.
Thorens delivered also to the US Army - to my best knowledge without the Swiss mark because all the Germans would have stood straight at the border and asked for one too ; they were given to the soldiers for amusement and were cheaply made.

 

So charming. The vehicle appears to be a charabanc which were popular in the 1920s.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charabanc

Debora