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Antique Jeffries Concertina For Sale


martin8107

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I HAVE LISTED CONCERTINA ON EBAY

STARTING PRICE $4000, LISTING TO

START 7/14/13 3AM, DETROIT TIME

 

I have a antique Jeffries concertina for sale.

It was my grandfathers, and eventually handed down to me, I don't think he every played it he had it

just for collecting. I don't know don't know anything about concertinas

I can try to answer any questions you might have, and send any additional

pictures.

Bellows appears to hold air, buttons seam to work, a few of them spring back slowly after being

pressed in.

I'm not sure what the price should be, so I'm hoping this post will help me out.

Thank you, Mike

 

More Informtion on concertina:

Concertina is an Anglo

Key is probably B flat, I will be taking it to a local concertina dealer to find out the exact key.

 

 

Mike, Grosse Pointe, Michiganpost-10683-0-76992400-1372943161_thumb.jpgpost-10683-0-20459600-1372943182_thumb.jpgpost-10683-0-51850900-1372943203_thumb.jpgpost-10683-0-45717600-1372943223_thumb.jpg

Edited by martin8107
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Hi Mike,

 

Congratulations! Most here would hope this beautiful concertina can be kept in your family and that one of you will learn to play it. However, many here might also like to own it themselves if it does come up for sale.

This is potentially a very valuable instrument, although I think the market has been down from its peak in the past couple years. A proper restoration may not be cheap, depending on the condition of hundreds of internal parts. Interesting that I don't see a lever for the right-hand air button, looking through the hole for it -- that may just be the angle or lighting, but could indicate that the button is not merely missing or dislodged. Also, some small screws for the button-bushing-board are gone so someone has been inside this.

 

If each button gives (more or less) the same note whether expanding or compressing the bellows, this is a "duet" concertina. If the pitch of the notes changes when changing bellows direction, it is an "anglo chromatic" or "anglo" concertina and maybe more valuable in that case.

 

Greg Jowaisas, the Button Box, or (ahem) I would be able to give this instrument a full appraisal and restoration estimate here in the US.

 

You can see a couple of Jeffries listed for sale on the Button Box website, but bear in mind 1) those are retail "asking" prices; those instruments have not found buyers at those prices, so far, after being offered for some time; 2) instruments sold by private parties usually command lower prices; 3) instruments sold before restoration often sell at a very great discount, reflecting the large cost, uncertainty, hassle, and substantial waiting time to restore them. However, that doesn't mean you necessarily want to get this restored yourself before offering it for sale, because different buyers can have different preferences about who restores a concertina, and how.

 

In fact, some potential buyers have a special interest in seeing and studying these instruments before they are restored. Some details of their original construction and subsequent history can only be learned by seeing them before a typical restoration.

 

Good luck with this adventure! I have a feeling you are about to learn a lot about concertinas, whether or not you plan to play yourself.

 

Paul Groff

Edited by Paul Groff
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The lack of an air button (with mechanism) suggests that it is probably a Jeffries Duett concertina. Testing the buttons as suggested above should confirm this.

I note that the last similar Jeffries Duet that was sold (on eBay), about a couple of years ago from a highly respected UK concertina dealer, went for £1800.

If it is an Anglo Concertina it should fetch more than that even in an unrestored state.

Inventor.

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The Jeffries duet noted by Inventor is a 62-button instrument centered around A.

This one appears to be 46(+/-) buttons which seems to be a rather limited scope for a duet.

Yes/no - ?

The key of the cental/core scale is also of interest.

If it is a duet with that limited of a scope, it would certainly be an interesting companion to my larger Jeffries duets.

I look forward to learning the results of the press and draw test.

Edited by danersen
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Interesting that I don't see a lever for the right-hand air button, looking through the hole for it -- that may just be the angle or lighting, but could indicate that the button is not merely missing or dislodged.

I'm pretty sure I can see a large pad - air vale size - through the fretwork above the place for the missing button.
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I have added picture of left hand end view on the post.

That side has a button where the hole is on the right hand end.

 

Looking through the fretwork on right hand end there is no lever or air valve hole or hole pad

that the left hand end has.

 

When I change direction of bellows movement from pulling to compressing

with a button depressed the sound changes, but I'm not sure if it is a different note.

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Here's a few links for you to read up on duets--if it is indeed a duet. Duets give the same note pushing or pulling. The lower pitched reeds would be on the LH side, the higher pitched reeds on the RH, like an Anglo. In fact, on one of these links I read that many of these were converted to Anglos.

 

http://www.concertina.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=1285

 

http://www.concertina.net/iv_duetguide.html

 

http://www.concertina.co.uk/Duet-Concertinas.htm

 

http://hmi.homewood.net/bnick/duet.htm

 

I wouldn't sell it, or accept any offers, till you know a lot more about it. Your concertina may be very rare and valuable.

Edited by Laurence
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I wouldn't sell it, or accept any offers, till you know a lot more about it. Your concertina may be very rare and valuable.

 

And even if it's not "very valuable". it's still pretty certainly worth well more than a pittance. :)

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Hello Mike,

Here's another test to try in addition to Laurence's suggestion about the lower notes on the left hand and the higher notes on the right.

If this is a duet and true-to-Jeffries-form, the following shold be found:

On the right hand side:

In the second row from the top:

The fifth button from the right (pinky) side will likely be the root of the key in which the concertina is oriented.

The fourth button from the right (pinky) side immediately to the right of the the root will be the major third of the chord, and the next adjacent button to the right will be the 5th of the chord.

The same root, major third, fifth orientation will be true in the left hand in the second row from the top four, three, and two buttons from the right in this case, the thumb side.

These both might be off one button in either direction depending on the compass of the notation and the overlap.

If the instrument is true-to-form for a Jeffries duet, the roots, thirds, and fifths will be one octave apart with the left side one octave lower than the right each sounding the same relative pitch on both the press and the draw.

As others have indicated, the most important task right now is to determine whether this is a duet or an Anglo which should be able to be determined among the three tests suggested.

Duets and Anglos are very different animals, and a s Laurence has indicated, many of the duets have been converted to Anglos or simply robbed of their reeds for other use.

The Jeffries duet is not particularly straightforward in its design or appeal whereas a Jeffries Anglo is among the most desirable.

Be Well,

Dan

Edited by danersen
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The lower pitch reeds are definitely on LH side (the side without Jeffries name).

I'm still not sure if note changes when going from pull to push.

I'm trying to find someone with a musical ear.

Thanks for all your interest and help

Mike

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A couple of ways to cope with your untrained ear in detectiing whether the in note is different to the out note.

 

1) Play the in note twice a few times. Now play the in note and immediately pull out. Does the in/out sound different to the in/in.

 

2) Find the lowest note on the left hand side. This will be the at the bottom of the third row from the handrest. Pull in and out on this button and you will hear the difference untrained ear or not, as these two notes are the most different on an Anglo, what is called a fifth apart. On a duet they will be the same.

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I was not refering to a 62 button Jeffries Duett, but a 44/45 button instrument of the 6"/6.25" size. The one that I saw on eBay, I am fairly certain was the same instrument that I had spotted on Chris's stall at Sidmouth about 6 months earlier.

Note that Gavin Atkin has been superbly playing a Jeffries Duet of this size for many years.

Inventor.

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