Bass Concertina

[aeolina]

I am considering letting my bass English go to help finance the commission of a bespoke treble. I'm not sure how to value the box and would welcome advice of any recent similar sales. I realise that full details would be helpful but I'm just at the ball park figures stage. I would prefer not to go through online auctions, should I proceed. Any help?

 

Stuart Eydmann

Edinburgh

[Chris Drinkwater]

I am considering letting my bass English go to help finance the commission of a bespoke treble. I'm not sure how to value the box and would welcome advice of any recent similar sales. I realise that full details would be helpful but I'm just at the ball park figures stage. I would prefer not to go through online auctions, should I proceed. Any help?

 

Stuart Eydmann

Edinburgh

 

 

I would imagine that bass English concertinas are quite rare; they were usually made to special order. Apart from the one that belonged to the late John Nixon, that was sold at auction last year for a mere £900, I don't remember having seen one for sale elsewhere or on Ebay either, certainly not recently, so it would be difficult to value the box based on recent sales. Obviously the condition and playabilty of the instrument will affect the price. And I guess their use is really limited to playing parts in concertina band arrangements of tunes, such as they originally were made for, so there is no great demand for them as they are rather a specialist item. It might pay you to seek advice on a valuation from Colin Dipper, who made a small batch of hybrid (i.e. made with accordion reeds) bass English concertinas a few years ago.

 

Chris

Edited January 4, 2012 by Chris Drinkwater