The best way to become knowledgeable on the subject is to join a collector group, of which many are available. The Music Box Society International is the most popular of all the collector groups in this category. Others include the Automatic Musical Instrument Collector's Association, Michigan Antique Phonograph Society and the California Antique Phonograph Society. Apart from this, refer to as many books on the subject as possible. Some of the must read books on the subject are ‘Collecting Musical Boxes and How to Repair consider, Error Coin Collection Them', by Ord Hume, ‘The Cylinder Music Box Handbook', by Webb, ‘Music Boxes: A Guide for Collectors', by Tallis and many others. Once you have enough information, look at, Sculpting for Fun you will need to start obtaining pieces. Start about by scouring newspapers for estate sales and auctions, where you can find some truly remarkable high end pieces. Apart from this, let your friends and family look at, Model Railways Railroading know about your hobby, as they can keep an eye out for interesting Music box collectibles while travelling, or from nearby antique stores. Establish a relationship with antique dealers, have a look at, Famous Coin Collections so that they inform you when new pieces arrive, or they might even obtain a hard to trace Music box collectible for you. Before the iPod, Walkman, turntable, or phonograph there was the music box. Though it's hard to imagine it now, the music box was actually an important first step on the road to the miniaturization of sound.