Mr. Christmas Grand Bell Symphonium Music Box With Discs. A/C adaptor. Key with gold tassel. 15 discs. 6 brass bells. 

Condition: Functional. 

Box Size: 11 3/4 x 10 1/2 x 4 in. 

#3445 #5 . 

In the Fall of 1933, in the middle of the Great Depression, a young entrepreneur named Merril Hermanson (1916-2000) began selling tinsel from the bed of his truck in Huntington, West Virginia, to make ends meet. In addition, he offered his artistic skills to local businesses, designing holiday window displays and painting Christmas images. A natural-born mechanic, he was particularly good at crafting wind-up toys and other moving decorations. His friendly, exuberant personality earned him the nickname “Mr. Christmas” from many of the Huntington children, and it became the name of his company. Their ultimate goal was to incorporate the magic of a large-scale window display one would see at Macy’s, Higbee’s, or Gimble’s in the old days into products that fit well in the average home, and Merril was adept at adjusting the styles to fit contemporary themes and technological advancements while still striving for timeless charm. They produced high quality but very affordable figures, ornaments, mobiles, clockwork tableaus, and an extremely successful line of music boxes in countless styles and shapes. Their contribution to the enduring popularity of Christmas music since the 1930s cannot be overstated. For over 90 years they have remained family-owned, crafting pieces by hand with new designs each year, expanding to include various other holidays and eventually moving their headquarters to New York City, with Merril’s granddaughter (also named Merril) becoming Executive Vice President in 2011.

Functional.