Beginning in the 1880’s, interest in music boxes was developing in America. The Regina Music Box Comapny of Rahway, New Jersey, made many kinds of music boxes but the most popular were the boxes that played interchangeable metal disks. Regina was the largest American manufacturer of music boxes and in time, Wurlitzer became the largest single sales outlet for Regina.

Around 1896, Wurlitzer convinced Regina to equip music boxes with coin slots for commerical applications. The 27" diameter Orchestral Corona model would play the choice of one tune for a nickel giving the company insight into the potential for coin-operated music.

This Regina Music Box was made in 1898 and classified as an "idiophone". The idiophone instruments produced sound by vibrating objects set to a specific pitch. The first disks were made of zinc, but the projections kept breaking off, so the disks were then made from brass or steel. Some disks were even coated with copper!
Spin a disk to hear the unique music from this mechanical instrument...the wonderful Regina Music Box.