[Dating A Lachenal From The Serial Number]

17 hours ago, Dowright said:

MakT,

I cannot do any better than your estimate of circa 1909 for No 49209. This is in a range where I have some seemingly contradicting "evidence." In the past, I commented on caution about confusing a resale date and an original sale date, based on handwritten dates inside the instruments. Something that I think has not been discussed is the confusing  of purchase dates and manufacturing dates. Today, there are waiting lists for new concertinas in the quality range of Lachenal. However, Lachenal had an inventory. Picture the following: It is 1913 and you step into the very small showroom at Lachenal headquarters. Directly in front of you is a showcase with several finished Lachenal concertinas. Hanging on the wall behind the case is a large poster showing Dutch Daly, comedian/concertinst.  Inside the  case is English-system N. 49209 which has been languishing in the showcase since its manufacture in 1909.

 

You asked about 3000+ for the average annual production of Lachena English/Anglo/duet  concertinas. That is not a bad guess.  In the first decade of the 20th century, the average was about 1500 per year. for English, 1500 per year for Angle. and 170 per year for Crane and Maccann duets combined. 

 

Dowright, Many thanks to your reply, I appreciate that even an approximation is better than nothing so late 19 th Century or early 20th is better than nothing. I like the picture you paint concerning shopping for an instrument, I shall leave this to the imagination.

 

Concerning an inimitable model or not I will know more when the instrument insides has been looked at more closely.

 

Thanks again for sharing your resourcing knowledge.

[Dating A Lachenal From The Serial Number]

Hi, everyone a fascinating read and very helpful in gathering a date on a precious instrument, shedding more light on its life.

I think I have managed to date my gem from the first page of this thread, thanks in particular to Dowright but also Mike and John, so a “Lachenal and co” label on an 48 button EC with Rosewood ends and fancy brass inlays having a serial number of 49209 = circa 1909 ?

 

The Lachenal labelled box accompanying the concertina is a leather one and I did manage to find in an old 1905 Lachenal price list online, a description of a 48 button EC with rosewood ends having a leather case, interestingly you could upgrade the concertina to nickel end plates for an extra 22 shillings!

 

Concerning the Lachenal production numbers per year, 3000+ is this approximated to EC’s, Anglos and Duets combined?