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Hi. I have inherited a black, 6 fold, metal ended C/G Anglo with bone or ivory buttons. No makers name but one handle has "Steel Reed" on it, and on the side what looks like the Lachenal trade mark. It says ENGLISH MAKE and TRADE MARK as well. Inside is a paper label with 170252.

 

I inherited it from my grandfather, who was born in 1890 in Kent (UK), He died in 1971 but I have only recently gained it. I remember him playing it when I was young, and he talked about walking up and down Gravesend prom playing it as a teenager. If its a Lachenal the "formula" makes it 1890 -same age as him. Seems likely?

 

It worked (mostly) when I got it back last year and I had it "serviced" by a local accordian expert here in Poland, where it now lives. I can play it -sort of, using an old book I got (price 2/6d) as a child.

 

Help? Its NOT EVER for sale, but I would like to confirm its origins to insure it

post-12185-0-04309900-1462104213_thumb.jpg

post-12185-0-76140300-1462104309_thumb.jpg

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A better estimate for the year of manufacture is circa 1901.

You do not indicate the number of keys, but my guess is 30. If it were a 20 key, it would not have metal ends and would have 5-fold bellows.

But is could be a 32-key, etc.?

Edited by Dowright
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From the one picture it appears to be one of lachenal's middle to high quality anglo concertinas (gold tooling, six fold bellows, ebony(ized) frames and handles, metal ends "framed" by the ebony trim). Certainly what the inside looks like is equally important for a valuation. I do not see any of this particular lachenal or a comparable model for sale at any of the usual places, though one of our members has a 40 button lachenal for sale http://www.theboxplace.co.uk/purchase/lachenal40/prod_362.htmlfor comparison. He may be a good resource as well for determining a value. These types of lachenals are highly sought after, hence probably why none are for sale anywhere at the moment. Good luck

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Lovely story, Chris. And with the photo graph, a real family treasure...............any ideas of the repertoire he played as he walked up and down Gravesend Prom ?

Kind of like what birds are doing in the natural world at the moment; playing better and louder to impress women !

Robin

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A better estimate for the year of manufacture is circa 1901.

You do not indicate the number of keys, but my guess is 30. If it were a 20 key, it would not have metal ends and would have 5-fold bellows.

But is could be a 32-key, etc.?

 

Chris sent me an email about his grandfather's concertina a couple of days ago Randy, and described it to me as "a 31 key Anglo, bone buttons, metal ends., engraved leather, black 6 folds".

 

However, the one in the beach photo appears to have only 5-fold bellows, so that must have been a different one of cheaper model.

 

By the way, I have seen metal-ended 20-key Anglos, including a C. Jeffries one! Not forgetting amboyna wood 20-keys too... :blink:

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Lovely story, Chris. And with the photo graph, a real family treasure...............any ideas of the repertoire he played as he walked up and down Gravesend Prom ?

Kind of like what birds are doing in the natural world at the moment; playing better and louder to impress women !

 

Not everyone approved of concertina players on the beach though - some people saw them as a nuisance, a bit like transistor radios or ghetto blasters for later generations...

 

Seasideconcertina-edit.jpg

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Hi Stephen

 

I have a 20 key metal ended C Jeffries in the pipe line.

Dont normally buy 20 key anglos.

I purchased a Lachenal 20 key plus air button here a in Australia a few weeks ago

It is Rosewood and has original 8 fold bellows . Bf / F

Are there many of these around ?

 

Patrick ( djangojessie)

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Not everyone approved of concertina players on the beach though - some people saw them as a nuisance, a bit like transistor radios or ghetto blasters for later generations...

I think that's why this story appealed to me so much !

It takes me back to charming times ( pre-penicillin and early death of course) when teenagers could rebel & strut their stuff playing loud music....................on a concertina!

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Stephen

I was only referring to 20-key Lachenals, not Jeffries etc.

Maybe I should have said that a 20-key Lachenal Anglo with metal fretwork would be extremely rare, to cover the fact that anything could appear as a special order.

I have descriptions of 1,374 Lachenal 20-key Anglos, and none of them have metal fretwork.

Edited by Dowright
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Correction. On checking, I did have one description for a metal-fretwork 20-key Lachenal Anglo. The serial number is relatively close to your 171428. It is No. 169989 with the same features as 171428. That is, inset metal fretwork, bone buttons, and 5-fold bellows.

It is conceivable that they experimented with this model for only a short time and found it not to be popular. "If you go to the expense of buying a metal-fretwork Anglo, why not spend a little more and get a 30 key"?

 

So now I have two 20-key metal-fretwork in my data.

Edited by Dowright
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Thank you all!

 

Yes its a 31 key and meets nicx66 description: From the one picture it appears to be one of lachenal's middle to high quality anglo concertinas (gold tooling, six fold bellows, ebony(ized) frames and handles, metal ends "framed" by the ebony trim.

 

The metal detailing is similar to the 20 key picture from mike byrne but not quite the same. I will take and post more pictures.

 

And yes- I have now looked more closely at the original beach photo and I dont think its the same one! I scanned it, enlarged it till the pixels showed and studied it carefully- its not the same! Pity really. However Granddad could play anything he picked up, so I am not surprised. I am fairly certain the one I have is the only one he owned in my lifetime (born 1949, he died in 72). I have been trying to date the picture, with help from my new wife. The costumes are somewhere 1900-1920s, and the hairstyles 1920s. I have created a family database and, if the girl under the concertina is my mum, and if she is 11 ???? That would make the picture 1925 (ish!!!)

 

Also: Thank you Robin Harrison and Stephen Chambers. I dont know exactly what he played on the prom, but he was a "real character". He liked comedy records (scznozzle Durante etc) and probably played jazz and folk. I intend to emulate him when I get good enough. At present I just sit in the garden and annoy the neighbours.....

 

Thank you all!!!

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. . . I just sit in the garden and annoy the neighbours.....

A lot of us could say that! Maybe one of our entrepreneurial members could work up a tee-shirt with a concertina and that saying.

 

Mike (although I generally do my annoying from the front porch; strangely, the neighbors actually seem to like it.)

Edited by Mike Franch
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Your instrument looks a lot like the one I have.

 

My is small size (5.3'') and 26 metal buttons, other features are the same. I really like it. I think it's best Lachenal I've ever seen and played.

post-9583-0-22057600-1463080367_thumb.jpg

Edited by Orm
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Your instrument looks a lot like the one I have.

 

My is small size (5.3'') and 26 metal buttons, other features are the same. I really like it. I think it's best Lachenal I've ever seen and played.

Oh my... that looks delicious! Lucky you.

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Your instrument looks a lot like the one I have.

 

My is small size (5.3'') and 26 metal buttons, other features are the same. I really like it. I think it's best Lachenal I've ever seen and played.

Oh my... that looks delicious! Lucky you.

 

 

Thanks, I feel lucky as well (well, at least when we speak about this instrument). And the sound is exactly what I wanted it to be - not too loud, but with certain vintage qualities in it. The only thing - I play more and more shanties and backup on this instrument and I sometimes wish I have a 30 keys and a little bigger instrument. So I'm keeping an eye of similar instruments on the market as well. But for irish music it's perfect

 

https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B_uhaVZlok36bjV6czFJU2FGZkE5YUFta1ZMU0VkRlQxTTNn

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Your instrument looks a lot like the one I have.

 

My is small size (5.3'') and 26 metal buttons, other features are the same. I really like it. I think it's best Lachenal I've ever seen and played.

 

One thing I forgot to mention is that the measured distance (side to side on the end , NOT corner to corner/diagonal) will affect the value. Standard size would be 6 1/4". Anything smaller than that tends to be more valuable. For instance, the above mentioned concertina (at 5.3") would be worth considerably more than a standard size counterpart.

Edited by nicx66
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