If I wasn't so poor after buying a Wheatstone I'd be tempted to bid at this and maybe take it on as a project myself (and throw the Coronet away ). However, I am poor and so will be disconnecting the internet on the day of the auction just to ensure I'm not tempted! It could be a nice buy for someone though, especially if it goes at their estimate.

Old Jeffries

You could always try wearing it on your head!

There's already been some comment on this auction here: http://www.concertina.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=7605&pid=72720&st=0&#entry72720

Two questions.................
Is the name "Jeffries" still stamped on a wooden ended Jeffries ?
Is the fretwork distinctive enough to know it's a Jeffries ?
Thanks
Robin

Look at this picture from the auction (if it works):
http://ebaylive.artfact.com/panel/eBay_ima...fm?img=87ZMFLYA

Would this one have most likely been made by Crabb? I vaguely recall hearing at some point that Jones made some early Jeffries-stamped instruments too.

Many years ago I had a very similar rosewood-ended Anglo that I thought was a John Crabb.


Yes, but I'm not convinced that the stamp on this one is genuine. Compare the lettering with that of the more typical one below it.





No, not really - especially when you consider that the so-called "Jeffries pattern" seems to have originated with John Crabb...

Don't took too dissimilar to me, at least in terms of typography! The C and M have variations but might this be down to the pressure applied when applying the stamp. Look at the AKER in maker.

The C looks very different to me, and I've seen lots of Jeffries stamps. How about the J and the I?

And I've seen a good few fake Jeffries stamps too, on instruments by Jones, Lachenal, Crabb and even Wheatstone! Probably explained by Tommy Williams, who said some pawn shops would only take Jeffries concertinas...

Anyway, draw your own conclusions, but "I'd hae my douts".

Dear teacher, Mr. Stephen Chambers
I have jeffries wood model. The seller (cocoa111) said "possible jeffrries".
I have same box the name BallBeavon.
Two boxes have another sounds.
Jeffries one has high tone than BallBeavon.

So, I think this jeffries is real...
Would you tell me what you think about ....


wakasaobama

Click to view attachmentClick to view attachment

Oh, of course I'd defer to your far greater experience - I'm just playing devil's advocate. However, surely you wouldn't expect a high degree of consistency in the application of a stamp to timber. It's not exactly like modern laser engraving, after all. Would the appearance not vary according to the pressure applied, the timber itself and the steadiness of the craftsman's hand?

The upper concertina has some color, finish and condition differences between the various pieces of wood used in it. Almost like the top piece of fretwork was replaced by a 'new' piece of rosewood which has not yet aged to the darkness of the rest of the piece.

In the lower photo the condition, color and finish of the materials look consistent. Even if it Is a Jeffries - looks to me like the fretwork has been replaced.

Dear pupil, Wakasaobama san,

It's hard to look at the stamp on your rosewood Jeffries in any detail because the woodwork has been refinished, partly filling the impression and causing some confusing reflections, and also part of it (on the right) appears to have been a "double-strike" in the first place, but I believe it is a Jeffries, especially as you mention that it has a brighter tone than your Ball, Beavon. (Though both would have been made by John Crabb, it would be my observation that the instruments branded Jeffries seem to have different reeds made of harder steel, producing a brighter, crisper sound.)


Not at all, the colour of a piece of wood varies depending on how it is cut, and what part of the grain you are looking at. The difference is simply that you're looking at the grain on the edge of the wooden end plate on the rosewood instrument, and it's quite normal, whilst the "ebony" one has metal ends.

Dear Mr. Stephen Chambers

Thank you for your lecture.
I like this wood (jeffries) sound.
This concertina is excellent repair.
So I take care of this box.

many thanks.

wakasaobama

Jeffries at "Live Auction"

This brings up more canned auction worms. Note that the description did not say "Jeffries Concertina," but rather "signed C. Jeffries, maker." It is like saying a painting is “attributed to somebody” rather than “painted by somebody.”
It is my understanding that this gives the house a big out. They did not claim it to be a Jeffries, only that it is so signed. I'm not saying the concertina is a fake Jeffries. But if it should turn out to be a counterfeit there would be slight legal recourse and little hope of a satisfactory resolution. This is what the house says about the issue of attribution:



Is this a reputable auction house on a par, say, with Sotheby’s or Skinner? I doubt it. They sell contemporary (reproduction) items which carry misleading descriptions. For instance, regarding item 361 (EBay # 140230824227) : "4' x 6'3" Kazak Rug SW Caucasus 3 Medallions." You would think from the picture and the description that this would be an antique rug. I asked if that were the case and received this reply: “This is a modern rug from the Caucasus.” I.e., this is not a Kazak rug, but a rug with a Kazak design. Obviously there is huge difference.

Many auction houses now offer reproduction rugs. The best auction houses identify them clearly as new rugs. Tricky stuff. Especially since (as a one-time rug dealer) I’d bet that the rug (#361) is in fact a Pakistani reproduction of a Kazak and is not from anywhere near the Caucasus. The auction house is also selling "silk" rugs. So-called silk rugs are often made of art-silk, which is in fact polished cotton. It can be tricky to tell the difference. Skinner Auctions would perform a simple test to determine which it is and would state that clearly.

As a modern rug the opening bid of $200 is fair. However the cost of the shipping is not disclosed. If you follow the feedback trail for thomastonplace (on http://www.toolhaus.org/cgi-bin/negs?User=...rn=Received+by) you find that five of their six negative/neutral feedbacks has to do with their shipping prices. These are direct quotes:



Many EBay dealers offer items below cost and then make a large profit on inflated shipping and handling charges. I am bidding, but I am not bidding nearly as much as I would if it were an individual offering the concertina. Bidding on EBay is risky enough. Bidding here, where there is no face behind the auction, and no provenance offered, is even riskier.

Caveat Emptor -- more than ever.

Indeed so, though "signed C. Jeffries, maker" might sound pretty straightforward to most people, it actually comes at the bottom of the scale in "auctioneer-speak" when it comes to attribution, where the only unambiguous statement would be "by C. Jeffries".


Yep, the only way I'd bid on this would be if I was able to view it before the auction, so that I could come to some conclusion about whether the instrument is a genuine Jeffries, or a John Crabb that somebody has stamped to look like one, and to examine the condition of it. Then I could also collect it myself after the auction.

Otherwise, with an additional 18% Buyer's Premium + outrageous shipping prices + Customs Duty + VAT + customs clearance, it could turn out to be a very expensive mistake.

So sad... i cannot sign up for thois auction because i do not have a credit card
But it will be to expensive in the end for me.
This is, belonging to the option, exactly what i am searching for.
If someone wanst to sell me a similar model (or this one) and accepts paying by installments... pm me
(i know... improbable ... only the stupid hope of a poor student)

Final sale price was $8,000. To a floor bidder- so we may never know who bought it.
Add the 18% and you've got $9,400 for an unrestored wooden ended Jeffries.

http://tinyurl.com/57p5ga]

Maybe...

That's a hefty enough price!

Maybe that Coronet hat was worth a fortune. ???
Connie

Of course! That must be it...

Nothing better than selling an item for 1,600% more than the estimate. I'm guessing that the auction house will start looking at concertinas in a whole new light. They might even get a flood of consignments. lol
Connie

Add another $50 for Maine sales tax and you're in over $9,500. Since it was a floor bidder there would be no shipping charge.
Would somebody travel from the U.K. or drive up from Boston to spend that much money (over $10,000 including travel) on the concertina?
Is it an exceptionally rare instrument? Mark Davies said it had the most intricately detailed wooden fretwork he'd ever seen on a Jeffries.
It has been suggested that the market for vintage concertinas had peaked. Not judging by this sale.

Or coronets
I can imagine the buyer opening the packet with the instrument and than polish the coronet after tossing the little funny buttontoy into the trash or donating it to the two year old nephew.^^

If I'd been after it, I'd have considered it worth making the trip from Ireland.


Yes, it's only the second one like it that I've seen, in the 38-odd years that I've been involved with concertinas, though the first one wasn't stamped Jeffries (and didn't play like one)...


That wouldn't be hard when you consider that the usual fretwork on a wooden-ended Jeffries is very simple (crude even), like this one:



Or wakasaobama's.

Whilst the one in the auction had the same fretwork design that was used on Jeffries and Crabb instruments with metal ends: