Daniel Hersh

Very nice! Reminds me of this great piece from around the same period: http://www.concertina.org/2009/12/05/mayhews-concertina-player-on-the-steamboats/

Great! I wonder who he was and what kind of music they were playing. The caption just says, "A Jewish woman can be seen cheerfully singing a song as she is accompanied by musicians, with onlookers enjoying the spectacle."

Here's Wim Wakker's page on this: http://www.concertinaconnection.com/replacement bellows.htm . The relevent text from that page is below: English/Duet versus Anglo bellows Not all bellows are the same. There is a difference between bellows made for an English or Duet concertina and for an Anglo. Bellows made for English/duet concertinas have thinner folds and are very supple. They should not 'pull back' when you play on them. The weight of the bellows in relation to the ends is very important. For English and Duet concertinas the bellows should be as light as possible. Just like the bow on a violin, it should almost be weightless in order not to interfere with the musical movement. Anlgo bellows folds are thicker. They allow less side movement of the bellows. The most important asset of anlgo bellows is stability. When playing an anglo, the bellows movement is very short and irregular. Because of the rapid changes it is important that the folds themselves do not move. When the folds 'bounce' when you change bellows direction, you lose energy which results in slower bellows changes and less control over volume. This does not mean that they should be stiff. We use an acid-free type of card for our anglo bellows, with a higher weight. The card does not bend itself and provides a solid base for the typical anlgo movement. The heavier bellows feel more stable and give the player maximum control over movement. I wonder if other makers or restorers would agree. There aren't many makers who make both Anglo and English concertinas.

Look at these ends (probably replacements): Overall listing is at https://www.ebay.com/itm/Vintage-1930-Key-Concertina/333084187506 .

Regarding the low notes, be aware that this is a double-reeded concertina, with the two sets of reeds likely tuned an octave apart. If that's the case, the low set of reeds are likely to be an octave below the notes you'd hear on a standard Anglo. Silvetta concertinas were pretty good for low-priced instruments. Their manufacturer went out of business a few years ago.

Ignore this post - now obsolete

If you're still looking and are willing to consider a Stagi, there's one on eBay now at https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Stagi-The-Gremlin-40-key-6-fold-leather-bellows-Anglo-Concertina/233127275368 /

I'm hanging on to my own copies...but I have had pretty good luck in situations like this in doing a "saved search" on ebay and getting an automated notification when the item becomes available there.

Thanks, Greg - I think you're right. I should have taken a closer look at the bellows, and I suspect you're right about the action too. The ends are a pretty good imitation of an English-made concertina.

I am puzzled by this one that's now on eBay: https://www.ebay.com/itm/ANTIQUE-30-Button-Anglo-CONCERTINA-Works-Needs-Restored/153321689713 It looks English-made at first glance, but I believe it has screws rather than endbolts , and the rows of buttons appear to me to be a bit straighter than on the British makes. The fretwork has a little crown-like shape where a brand name and serial number would appear on a Lachenal. This picture may show a British-style action on the inside, but I am not at all sure. Any thoughts, anyone? It occurred to me that it might be German-made but with British construction methods, like the English concertinas described here.

The one you linked to has the Lachenal trademark on it, so I would guess that it's a Lachenal:

Thanks! Link added.

Of the instruments that I have played, I would say that the top modern concertinas and the best vintage concertinas are both very, very good in responsiveness and tone. I hesitate to make an general statement that top modern is either better or worse than top vintage. I know that at least one top modern maker feels that he has improved on some aspects of traditional designs - I don't feel qualified to say whether I think he's right.

I've played Anglo basically forever (for 35 or 40 years) and I've played Crane for about eight years. I use Crane mainly for solo playing and Anglo mainly for playing with other musicians. I'm glad that I play both. I play piano accordion too (less often). I don't have any real trouble switching back and forth, though I find it helpful to have a couple of minutes to warm up on each instrument if I play one right after another. I also played Hayden before I took up Crane and I experimented with Chemnitzer for a while, but I don't actively play either of those now. Two concertina systems and one accordion seems about right for me.

A rather pretty German one with pierced wooden sides is now on eBay: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Antique-Victorian-Small-20-Keys-Concertina-No-Reserve-5-day-auction/352534901564