Mmm… :scratch: That’s a really good question, and I don’t know if I have the answer to it. However, a seller on eBay is currently selling something stamped with the name Selmer, which true to form, is listed significantly higher than exactly the same object minus the Selmer name.
What am I talking about you ask? I’m referring to an auction for what the seller describes, as a vintage Selmer Reed Musical Saxophone Lipstick Carousel Box.
Source: Rock The House Antiques
Here is what the seller says about this cigarette carousel:
Here we go EBAY… cool vintage carousel box … plays music, doors open, revealing little holders for reeds, i assume … these are usually listed as cigarette, or lipstick carousels … but with the SELMER label i think it is for reeds … 7.5″ tall X 7″ X 7″ …. condition is excellent, it opens fully, but it sticks before fully closing ( maybe just needs oil ) … when i turned it upside down the Reuge sticker fell out, plays Tales From The Vienna Woods …. its also stamped made in Selmer England…
For reeds you say. I would find that highly impractical, and unlikely, since reeds would be prone to chipping, cracking, and warping, if kept in this little vintage gem.
Source: Rock The House Antiques
Now in case you’re like me, and know nothing about how these cigarette carousels work, check out this video from YouTube. It shows a ceramic, Reuge musical cigarette carousel in action.
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_hSwUhtSk6s
My hunch is that the current eBay offering was a piece of promotional material that Selmer (UK?) had made for special people. Perhaps for Selmer employees, or dealers, or their special customers.
If you would like to add this bit of Selmer-labelled promo material to your curio cabinet, you have until June 17 to get your bid in. Bids are to start at $150, but so far, no one has pulled the trigger.
That kinda makes sense, because like most things with the name Selmer on them, you would need to pay a premium for the privilege of owning a Selmer-branded item. Sellers somehow assume that just because it says Selmer on an object, said object is more valuable than the same object sans the Selmer name. This is of course not true.
It just so happens that another seller on eBay has almost the identical item. However, their cigarette carousel is green, and lacks the Selmer name.
Source: electricantique
The seller describes their cigarette carousel like this:
UP FOR AUCTION IS A GREEN BAKELITE STYLE PLASTIC SWISS LIPSTICK CIGARETTE CAROUSEL MUSIC BOX. Music box is in all good working condition. Push the button music starts playing and doors fold out then back in. Music box is Swiss made Im not sure the maker. Box plays NACH em RAGE schipt d sunne “la vie en rose”. Box measures 7 1/2 inches tall x 6 inches wide base.
Source: electricantique
There is currently 1 bid on this green, cigarette carousel, and that bid is $49.99. With only 4 days to go until auction’s end, it will be interesting to see how high the price goes on this vintage piece.
Getting back to the rather odd economies of the name Selmer for a moment. I have a number of vintage, French mouthpiece caps made in the same plant that made the Selmer ones. They are just as well made, and do the same job, as those with the Selmer stamp on them.
Sometimes a mouthpiece cap is just a mouthpiece cap. And sometimes a cigarette carousel is just a cigarette carousel. 😉
since listing the Selmer item >>> learned that it was most likely a salesmans sample …. not for resale in stores … more of a don’t forget to BUY SELMER reminder , advertising piece … by the way >>> i still have it ….
and when i bought it …. it was full of reeds
Hi Beth.
Thanks for dropping by.
What you have there is quite interesting. I suspect that you’re quite right, and that it was likely a promotional product that the Selmer rep. might give to music store owners at Christmas time—or something along those lines. As far as it being filled with reeds, if the reeds were protected somehow, then storing them in there when they were new, might be a way that Selmer promoted their reeds (Selmer did market their own reeds for a while) at the same time, as a way of saying “thank you”, to retailers for selling their products. However, once reeds are have been used, they need to be stored a certain way, and this carousel would no longer work for that.
Whatever the case, you have yourself a very interesting collectible there Beth. It is an interesting bit of Selmer history, but sadly, since its history is not really clear, and its connection to Selmer Paris unknown, it will likely not be much more valuable than any of the comparable carousels. That is just my opinion of course, and you might just hit upon a collector who must have “all things Selmer”. With the economy being what it is though, the market has cooled considerably, and those collectors are fewer and farther between than before.
Best regards,
Helen