2025 MBSI ANNUAL MEETING
Join us in Chicago, IL, August 20-24, 2025
For collection tours, workshops and
a mechanical music mart
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play you a tune. It's what makes mechanical
music such fun to participate in
Join MBSI Now
Our members collect a wide variety of self-playing
instruments. Join MBSI to explore a whole new world
of musical entertainment and engineering magic.
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feature pianos, drums, flutes
and, yes, even violins.
Learn more by becoming
a member today
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the sheer power
of fairground organs
like the De Kei
are just part of the fun
members share at
our annual meetings
Join MBSI
most amazing private collections in the world
and get to see the rarest mechanical music
up close with experts explaining every detail
Browse Our Museum List
museums around the world
Browse the Classifieds
Looking for a musical box to fill out your collection?
Browse our classifieds to see what's on the market
or find an expert to help you repair or restore
something you already own
Join the Fun
Connect with other mechanical music lovers
and expand your enjoyment
Members can search an
online directory to find others with similar interests
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- Collection Tours
- Workshop Video Library
- Online Member Directory
- Annual Meeting with Mart
Join MBSI Now
- Collection Tours
- Journal Article Archives
- Online Member Directory
- Annual Meeting with Mart
50% off for New Members through 2025
Mechanical Music
Advertising space is available in our bi-monthly journal, Mechanical Music, and our biennial Directory of Members, Museums and Dealers.
2025 Annual Meeting
Sweet Home Chicago
The Musical Box Society International (MBSI) is a group of worldwide enthusiasts for automated musical machines whose origin predates electrically-amplified music. We are intrigued by musical instruments which play themselves using punched paper, punched discs, pinned cylinders, paper rolls, or Musical Instrument Digital Interface (MIDI) and are powered by hand crank, springs or electric motors.
Recently on our Facebook Forum
A rare Roepke book-playing music box. Instead of a metal disc, this instrument plays perforated cardboard cards that are attached end to end. They are stored in a fanfold fashion, resembling a book.
