Chris,
I just visited your site! That is a beautiful instrument...love the wood ends. I did not read too far...what wood is it?
As to my Dipper, it did not meet the reserve and I did not look to the lower offers. It has been a learning experience and a bit frustrating as 3 bidders have backed out and my heart rises and falls accordingly(like a bellows!) It has given me some clarity as to what I want for the instrument, however.
I am forced to sell the concertina for economic reasons only. I do not want to be concertinaless in this world, so given I need near $6000 to repay loans incurred moving to take care of my widow elderly Mom (true!!), I would consider any offer near that figure which also included a C/G (or maybe an English?) replacement (obviously a mid range instrument) or enough extra to buy a Clover kit from Wim Walker.
If I do not get such an offer, I will try again on Ebay after Mercury goes direct(April 4).
All the best,
Huckleberry