Hi, I've just acquired a Triumph/Crane Duet with the number 631 stamped inside on the endframe and reedpan. Can anyone point me in the direction of where I may go to work out the age of this wee beastie? Thanks, AL

This link might help....

It may also help (though probably not a lot) if you could indicate the maker - Wheatstone, Lachenal, Crabb or somebody else?

A photo is worth a thousand words

And it's easier to type

Andrew

If that's the serial number, it could only be a Lachenal...

Yes, its a Lachenal alright. It is also, candidly, in one hell of a mess - the mahogany wooden ends having been very badly painted over in what looks likes a tin of Dulux black gloss _ I say painted, I mean that in a very loose sense of the word. An issue I commented on about another instrument on another topic I seem to remember (about a lot of Salvos wanting to darken their instruments and get rid of anything fancy on them). Anyway - pic to follow shortly!
God Bless! AL

................Minutes later.............
OK I'm racing around like a mad thing today as I am getting ready for the off to Whitby later on - however I also have the small matter of a funeral to do before we go. So, I've just taken three quick snaps of the exterior - see if that helps.
Click to view attachment
Click to view attachment
Click to view attachment

God Bless everyone - really looking forward to Whitby this year - going to take the duet along with me (hence the quick rebind on the bellows in order to make the thing playable, as the bellows were leaking almost everywhere) - also got a copy of the old SA tutor for it as well, so I'm going to spend the next week learning to play it! So if you're at Whitby and see this bloke wandering around with a really badlyblack painted duet (and if its obvious that he can't actually play it) then the chances are its me - so don't be afraid to say 'HI'.
HallelujahAL