A 1929 terramaxka, a roving music box costing €75,000 and believed to be the only one of its kind in Malta, was extensively damaged in a fire on Saturday afternoon.

The terramaxka, a kind of organ that plays tunes fed via stencilled pieces of cardboard, has been a regular sight in Valletta and various village festivals over the past few years, enlivening the streets with its authentic melodies.

Owner Mari Van Rooij, a Dutchman married to a Maltese, had just returned from Valletta and parked both the organ and his Mitsubishi Pajero in a garage in Gudja.

However, a fire broke out and his car, the terramaxka and another vehicle, an Audi, were extensively damaged.

Mr Van Rooij had the terramaxka restored in 2008 after buying it in Amsterdam. He has now contacted the restorer to see whether it can be salvaged.

“As I told the insurers, I’m not really interested in money. I’m only interested in getting my terramaxka back,” he said yesterday.

Despite being bitterly disappointed, Mr Van Rooij seems optimistic he can somehow track down another terramaxka for sale somewhere across the continent.

In a news item in The Times some years ago, Mr Van Rooij had said: “It is very difficult to buy one as they are dearly treasured by their owners, who are very attached to them.

“They are also very expensive to buy when you come across one.”

Originally, such musical instruments were hand-operated and the operator had to wind them up manually, building up air inside an internal compartment, which was then fed to the wind pipes to produce melodies.

Today, a battery-powered motor takes the strain but that in no way detracts from the magical tunes emanating from its windpipes. The terramaxka had been a popular feature in town squares in Malta towards the end of the 19th century. It was always present at the Mnarja festivities in Buskett.

Mr Van Rooij had stencils for more than 100 tunes, of which 25 were Maltese.

Police are investigating.