BERNARD NOVELL MUSIC BOXES
  • Welcome
    • About
    • History >
      • Glossary of Terms
      • Styles and Types
  • The Collection
    • Cartels >
      • 12/195 Lecoultre Freres Cartel
      • 12/129 NF Fat Cylinder
      • 8/132 Nicole Freres
      • 8/130 Cuendet
      • 8/122 Ducommun-Girod
      • 8/97 Nicole Freres
      • 8/78 Langdorff & Fils
      • 8/77 Bremond Drum & Bells
      • 8/77 Paillard Vaucher HE
      • 6/107 Nicole Freres
      • 6/104 Nicol Freres
      • 6/103 Unknown
      • 4/78 Nicole Freres??
      • 4/57 Unknown
      • 4/50 George Baker
      • 3/99 Cartel
      • 2/82 Rzebitschek
    • Petites Musique's >
      • 6/51 Petites Musique
      • 6/50 Paillard PM
      • 6/42 Bremond
      • 4/82 Chevob Fortissimo
      • 4/77 Mandoline Zither
      • 4/75 PVF Mandoline PM
      • 4/72 Fortissimo PM
      • 4/52 American PM
      • 3/70 Burr Walnut PM
    • Tabatiéres >
      • 12/37 Ullmann
      • 4/61 Hamburg Tabatiere
      • 3/57 Burr Walnut
      • 3 Air Composition Tabatiere
      • 2/70 A Lecoultre
      • 2/70 Brass / Oak Tabatiére
      • 2/69 Sectional Tin Box
      • 2/69 Ebony
      • 2/69 Ducummun Girod
      • 2/59 Leather Cased Tabatiere
      • 2/55 Tortoiseshell
      • 2/52 US Ebony
    • Classic
    • Manivelles >
      • Multiphone Manivelle
    • Disc Players >
      • Symphonion Brevete
    • Ceramic
    • Jewellery Boxes
    • Paperweights
    • Novelties
    • Non Musical Boxes
    • Other Items >
      • Wooden Games
      • Geneva Wheel
  • The Workshop
    • In the Workshop >
      • Bird Barrel Organ
      • 12/129 NF Fat Cylinder RD
      • 10/69 Bremond
      • 8/132 Fat Cylinder NF RD
      • 6/72 Lecoultre Freres
      • 6/50 Petites Musique RD
      • 4/82 Chevob RD
      • 4/78 Nicole Freres RD
      • 4/75 Paillard Mandolin RD
      • 4/72 PVF Fortissimo RD
      • 4/62 River Scene Tab RD
      • 4/60 Maple Diamond
      • 2/70 H Lecoultre Tab RD
      • 2/51 Photo Album Tabatiere RD
    • Coming Soon >
      • 8/97 Nicole Freres RD
      • 8/77 Bremond Drum & Bells RD
    • How to restore a Music Box >
      • Mechanism Restoration
      • Case Restoration
      • Small mechanism restoration
  • Private Projects
    • 12/195 Lecoultre Freres RD
    • 12/72 Unknown RD
    • 8/130 Cuendet RD
    • 8/122 Ducummun Girod RD
    • 8/88 Paillard, Vaucher et Fils
    • 8/79 L'Epee RD
    • 8/78 Langdorff et Fills RD
    • 6/107 Nicole Freres RD
    • 6/104 Nicol Freres RD
    • 6/103 Unknown RD
    • 6/57 Cartel RD
    • 6/41 PVF Bells RD
    • 6/41 Ami Rivenc Cartel RD
    • 4/57 Unknown RD
    • 4/50 George Baker RD
    • 3/99 Opera Cartel RD
    • 3/36 Silver Birch Tabatiére
    • 3/36 Small Oak Tabatiére
    • 3/36 Burl Walnut Tabatiére
    • 2/82 Rzebitschek RD
    • 2/70 Piano Nécessaire
    • 2/69 Ducummun Girod RD
    • 2/58 Carved Paillard
    • 2/50 Cuendet
    • 2/32 Painted Music Box
    • 2/18 Personalised Mahogany Box
    • 1/37 Personalised Mahogany Box
    • 1/37 Personalised Oak Box
    • 1/18 Carousel
    • Cigarette Box Conversions
    • Do-terra Box
    • Necklace Box
    • Japanese Box
  • Commissions
    • Commissions & Restorations
    • Completed Commissions >
      • 12/72 Nicole Freres
      • 12/62 PVF Cartel RD
      • 12/62 Paillard Vaucher
      • 8/77 Unattributed
      • 6/66 Perrelet RD
      • 6/57 Cartel
      • 4/113 Henriot
      • 4/50 Reuge Tunbridge White
      • 2/61 Palais Royale
      • 2/56 JGM RD
      • 2/22 Trinket Box
      • 2/56 Tabatiere SG
      • 1/29 Cigarette Box
      • 1/18 Chalet & Japanese Box
      • 1/18 Chalet
      • 1/18 Premilex
      • 1/18 Secol Carousel
      • 1/18 Tunbridge Ballerina Box
      • 1/18 White Christmas
      • 1/18 White Japanese
      • Pair of small 1/18 Boxes
      • Queen Victoria Album
      • Seasons Photo Album
      • Two small boxes
    • Repair Shop >
      • African Plant Pot Stand
      • Bagatelle
      • Chequered Table
      • High Chair
      • Jewellery Box
      • Large Writing Slope
      • Polyfon case
      • Sewing Boxes x 2
      • Travel Box
      • Victorian Necessaire
      • Victorian Sewing Box
      • Walnut Writing Slope
      • Victorian Writing Slope 2
  • Shop
    • For Sale >
      • 8/88 Pallard, Vaucher et Fils
      • 8/79 L'Epee Cartel
      • 8/38 Mermod Freres
      • 8/25 Unknown in Oak Box
      • 6/58 Ami Rivenc
    • Stock
    • Sold >
      • 12/72 Unknown
      • 6/41 PVF Bells in sight
      • 6/41 Ami Rivenc
      • 2/55 Photo Album
      • 2/22 Photo Album Movement
      • 1/18 Ex Mallorca box
      • 1/18 Balerina Jewellery Box
      • 1/18 Georgian Box
      • Japanese Butterfly Box
      • Barrel Organ Manivelle Kit
  • Links

4/77 Nicole Freres? mini cartel serial no 22508 circa 1842?

Bought at auction in October 2023 
​A tiny cartel (box is just 195mm long) purporting to be by Nicole Freres. More likely to have been made by Lecoultre Freres or L'Epee.
All seemingly in very good condition. Evidence of replacement teeth and one tooth to repair. 
​Case restored November and mechanism clean 2023.
Previous tooth repairs have been badly done using the wrong grade of steel so it's going to be expensive to have them all repaired and set in register. Probably one for 2026/27.
Picture


Tunes
1. Lovely Rhine Waltz - 
​I can't find any reference to this tune on line. Any help gratefully received
2. Allegro for William Tell - ​Guillaume Tell is a French-language opera in four acts by Italian composer Gioachino Rossini to a libretto by Victor-Joseph Étienne de Jouy and L. F. Bis, based on Friedrich Schiller's play William Tell, which, in turn, drew on the William Tell legend. The opera was Rossini's last, although he lived for nearly 40 more years. Fabio Luisi said that Rossini planned for William Tell to be his last opera even as he composed it. The often-performed overture in four sections features a depiction of a storm and a vivacious finale, the "March of the Swiss Soldiers". It was first performed by the Paris Opéra at the Salle Le Peletier on 3 August 1829.
3. Mira O Norma - Norma is a tragedia lirica or opera in two acts by Vincenzo Bellini with libretto by Felice Romani after the play Norma, ou L'infanticide (Norma, or The Infanticide) by Alexandre Soumet. It was first produced at La Scala in Milan on 26 December 1831. The opera is regarded as a leading example of the bel canto genre, and the soprano prayer "Casta diva" in Act 1 is a famous piece.
4. Anna Polka by Johann Strauss Senior composed in 1842
See it in the workshop
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Site last updated 16th February 2026
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  • Welcome
    • About
    • History >
      • Glossary of Terms
      • Styles and Types
  • The Collection
    • Cartels >
      • 12/195 Lecoultre Freres Cartel
      • 12/129 NF Fat Cylinder
      • 8/132 Nicole Freres
      • 8/130 Cuendet
      • 8/122 Ducommun-Girod
      • 8/97 Nicole Freres
      • 8/78 Langdorff & Fils
      • 8/77 Bremond Drum & Bells
      • 8/77 Paillard Vaucher HE
      • 6/107 Nicole Freres
      • 6/104 Nicol Freres
      • 6/103 Unknown
      • 4/78 Nicole Freres??
      • 4/57 Unknown
      • 4/50 George Baker
      • 3/99 Cartel
      • 2/82 Rzebitschek
    • Petites Musique's >
      • 6/51 Petites Musique
      • 6/50 Paillard PM
      • 6/42 Bremond
      • 4/82 Chevob Fortissimo
      • 4/77 Mandoline Zither
      • 4/75 PVF Mandoline PM
      • 4/72 Fortissimo PM
      • 4/52 American PM
      • 3/70 Burr Walnut PM
    • Tabatiéres >
      • 12/37 Ullmann
      • 4/61 Hamburg Tabatiere
      • 3/57 Burr Walnut
      • 3 Air Composition Tabatiere
      • 2/70 A Lecoultre
      • 2/70 Brass / Oak Tabatiére
      • 2/69 Sectional Tin Box
      • 2/69 Ebony
      • 2/69 Ducummun Girod
      • 2/59 Leather Cased Tabatiere
      • 2/55 Tortoiseshell
      • 2/52 US Ebony
    • Classic
    • Manivelles >
      • Multiphone Manivelle
    • Disc Players >
      • Symphonion Brevete
    • Ceramic
    • Jewellery Boxes
    • Paperweights
    • Novelties
    • Non Musical Boxes
    • Other Items >
      • Wooden Games
      • Geneva Wheel
  • The Workshop
    • In the Workshop >
      • Bird Barrel Organ
      • 12/129 NF Fat Cylinder RD
      • 10/69 Bremond
      • 8/132 Fat Cylinder NF RD
      • 6/72 Lecoultre Freres
      • 6/50 Petites Musique RD
      • 4/82 Chevob RD
      • 4/78 Nicole Freres RD
      • 4/75 Paillard Mandolin RD
      • 4/72 PVF Fortissimo RD
      • 4/62 River Scene Tab RD
      • 4/60 Maple Diamond
      • 2/70 H Lecoultre Tab RD
      • 2/51 Photo Album Tabatiere RD
    • Coming Soon >
      • 8/97 Nicole Freres RD
      • 8/77 Bremond Drum & Bells RD
    • How to restore a Music Box >
      • Mechanism Restoration
      • Case Restoration
      • Small mechanism restoration
  • Private Projects
    • 12/195 Lecoultre Freres RD
    • 12/72 Unknown RD
    • 8/130 Cuendet RD
    • 8/122 Ducummun Girod RD
    • 8/88 Paillard, Vaucher et Fils
    • 8/79 L'Epee RD
    • 8/78 Langdorff et Fills RD
    • 6/107 Nicole Freres RD
    • 6/104 Nicol Freres RD
    • 6/103 Unknown RD
    • 6/57 Cartel RD
    • 6/41 PVF Bells RD
    • 6/41 Ami Rivenc Cartel RD
    • 4/57 Unknown RD
    • 4/50 George Baker RD
    • 3/99 Opera Cartel RD
    • 3/36 Silver Birch Tabatiére
    • 3/36 Small Oak Tabatiére
    • 3/36 Burl Walnut Tabatiére
    • 2/82 Rzebitschek RD
    • 2/70 Piano Nécessaire
    • 2/69 Ducummun Girod RD
    • 2/58 Carved Paillard
    • 2/50 Cuendet
    • 2/32 Painted Music Box
    • 2/18 Personalised Mahogany Box
    • 1/37 Personalised Mahogany Box
    • 1/37 Personalised Oak Box
    • 1/18 Carousel
    • Cigarette Box Conversions
    • Do-terra Box
    • Necklace Box
    • Japanese Box
  • Commissions
    • Commissions & Restorations
    • Completed Commissions >
      • 12/72 Nicole Freres
      • 12/62 PVF Cartel RD
      • 12/62 Paillard Vaucher
      • 8/77 Unattributed
      • 6/66 Perrelet RD
      • 6/57 Cartel
      • 4/113 Henriot
      • 4/50 Reuge Tunbridge White
      • 2/61 Palais Royale
      • 2/56 JGM RD
      • 2/22 Trinket Box
      • 2/56 Tabatiere SG
      • 1/29 Cigarette Box
      • 1/18 Chalet & Japanese Box
      • 1/18 Chalet
      • 1/18 Premilex
      • 1/18 Secol Carousel
      • 1/18 Tunbridge Ballerina Box
      • 1/18 White Christmas
      • 1/18 White Japanese
      • Pair of small 1/18 Boxes
      • Queen Victoria Album
      • Seasons Photo Album
      • Two small boxes
    • Repair Shop >
      • African Plant Pot Stand
      • Bagatelle
      • Chequered Table
      • High Chair
      • Jewellery Box
      • Large Writing Slope
      • Polyfon case
      • Sewing Boxes x 2
      • Travel Box
      • Victorian Necessaire
      • Victorian Sewing Box
      • Walnut Writing Slope
      • Victorian Writing Slope 2
  • Shop
    • For Sale >
      • 8/88 Pallard, Vaucher et Fils
      • 8/79 L'Epee Cartel
      • 8/38 Mermod Freres
      • 8/25 Unknown in Oak Box
      • 6/58 Ami Rivenc
    • Stock
    • Sold >
      • 12/72 Unknown
      • 6/41 PVF Bells in sight
      • 6/41 Ami Rivenc
      • 2/55 Photo Album
      • 2/22 Photo Album Movement
      • 1/18 Ex Mallorca box
      • 1/18 Balerina Jewellery Box
      • 1/18 Georgian Box
      • Japanese Butterfly Box
      • Barrel Organ Manivelle Kit
  • Links