Lachenal new model 56 Crane

[peterhurst]

Hello

I have been looking at one of my concertina,s that I forgot that I have.

It is a Lachenal New MOdel 56 Crane duet, Ebony Ends.

It is labelled Cranes of Liverpool, and the number is 339. any one able to date this box,a educated guess would be 1910/1920?

Any help and your expertise would be welcome.

Thankyou Peter.

[JimLucas]

I have been looking at one of my concertina,s that I forgot that I have.

It is a Lachenal New MOdel 56 Crane duet, Ebony Ends.

It is labelled Cranes of Liverpool, and the number is 339. any one able to date this box,a educated guess would be 1910/1920?

Unless you've missed out a digit, I would think earlier.

 

My New Model Crane is serial #3027. I don't know when it was built, but presumably well after yours. I don't know when they started making Cranes, nor whether all duets shared a serial run or the Cranes/Triumphs had a different serial run from Maccanns. (Englishes and anglos each had separate serial runs.) Since Lachenal published a tutor for the Crane in 1896, I would guess that #339 would be from before 1900.

[Marien]

It is like Jim indicates, there is no doubt that it´s older.

 

My lachenal 55b crane is number 532. Stephen Chambers and some older discussions gave me some information. It must be before 1910 and Stephen´s best guess was 1900. The real year is uncertain. It is somewhere between 1895 and 1905. Yours is older, may be 1890-ish? Who can tell...

 

If you look in the Crane concertina gallery you will see concertina number 330 (currently in a nice region in France) as well.

 

How about the layout of the label? Does it tell one of us something about the age???

 

Marien

[SteveP]

If it has a "Cranes" label then it is definitely one of the earlier ones, before Lachenal started to put their own name on them. 1896-1900 would be my guess, (but the emphasis is on guess).

[peterhurst]

Hi

Thankyou for your replies, the number is definetly 339, and the label actually states, Cranes of liverrpool,(and in small letters, manufactured by Lachenal).

I can understand a early box in this area as there used to be many Cranes Duet players in this area, and we are quite near Liverpool.

 

as I stated I had forgotten I had this Box, and I have no interest in playing it, i think I will have to sell it and give it a good home.

thanks again

peter.

[Marien]

1896-1900? My bets are on the low side of the same guess.

 

Here is a quote from crane driver:

"Well, my 48 key Lachenal Crane is number 256 according to the reed pan. It has a "Crane & Sons" pot-metal label on the end, instead of the Lachenal mark, but it's obviously a Lachenal. John Butterworth, who patented what became known as the Crane system, was a piano tuner from Cheshire. Crane & Sons were (still are) piano makers and sellers from Liverpool, just across the river Mersey from Cheshire, so Butterworth almost certainly knew them and sold them the rights to his system, around 1896/7. Lachenal were obviously brought in to make them, under license. Lachenal probably only got to put their own name on "Cranes" once Crane & Sons gave up the monopoly - maybe C&S have records/ledgers from then which would help to date this."

 

If I understand well Lachenal started to make Cranes under license in 1896 or 1897, and started with a number higher than 256. Possibly Lachenal started another ledger (starting at 300?)in Londen while in Liverpool they continued in the 2xx range).

 

The lowest serial number I know of a Crane made by Lachenal with the `Cranes Liverpool` lable is 339. Number 350 has `Lachenal Patent Concertina Manufacturors London` on the label and does not have a Liverpool or Cranes quote, as far as I know.

 

If we 'ld know when Lachenal discarded Cranes from the lable that could help to date the concertinas.

 

Another thing that could be interesting to know is if there are Crane serial numbers higher than 256 and lower than 339 - and what is on the lable.

 

Has anybody a Lachenal Crane with this kind of numbers (256 - 338)?

 

Best of luck

Marien

[Marien]

.. you will see concertina number 330 (currently in a nice region in France) as well...

 

Woops, little mistake. It is not 330. Freddy's Crane in France is 350, just a litle bit newer than 339...

 

Marien

[Dowright]

Lowest numbered Cranes (number less than #400) that I have seen (including a couple from craneconcertina.com):

 

Lowest number: #54, a 48-key instrument

35-key Crane: #166

42-key Cranes: #215 and #225

55-key Cranes: #153, #217, #256, #328,

Other 48-key Cranes: #54, #82, #120, #262, #286, and #324

67-key Crane: #350

 

Highest numbered Crane that I have seen: #4960

 

(Highest numbered Maccann that I have seen:#4850)

[Marien]

Hello Randy,

 

It is about the numbers and the moment that Cranes started to have a Lachenal Londen label.

 

This is what I saw.

Number 350 has a London label (on craneconcertina.com).

Number 256 has the liverpool label (read in this forum).

 

You wrote that you have seen Crane numbers 262, 286, 324 and 328.

 

Do you remember which of those had a Crane label and which had a Lachenal London label?

 

Another question is how long Lachenal used Crane´s label when he started to make Cranes under license, or didn´t he do so at all?

 

Thanks

Marien