Music Box

One of the rarest of the Dark Shadows collectibles is this plastic music box, a replica of the music box given to Josette by her beloved Barnabas on the show. It was produced in 1970 by Paul Randolph Associates and was only available through mail order. It was packaged in the cardboard box pictured above. The box plays the popular "Josette's Theme," just like the boxes featured on the TV show and in the movie House of Dark Shadows.

The box is rare for several reasons: It hit the market not long before Dark Shadows was cancelled, when the show's popularity was waning a bit, so it wasn't available for long; it was made of flimsy plastic, so many copies didn't survive; and since it wasn't sold in stores, it didn't sell as well as such items as gum cards and paperbacks, which were much more widely available.

The music box was re-created and sold by MPI Media Group in 1996, packaged in a different cardboard box. (The MPI box, featuring a photo of Jonathan Frid and Kathryn Leigh Scott, is pictured here.) The reproduction is currently available from MPI for $40. Click here for information on buying one.

The original music box has often been sold on eBay for ten times that amount. The existance of the reproduction does make the original slightly less valuable, because once upon a time if you wanted to own a Josette's music box, the only option was paying a lot for the old one.

 

 

Craig Hamrick is author of
The Dark Shadows Collectibles Book.

 
Read more about the DS Collectibles.

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