Jeffries

[DDF]

Nice looking concertina with good receipt

 

http://www.the-saleroom.com/en-gb/auction-catalogues/bromptons/catalogue-id-brompt10000/lot-c3b8137c-db76-4cd1-b5b3-a62100bc8b1d

[Patrick McMahon]

Having read up a bit on Jeffries concertinas in the past week, here's a couple of observations.

The concertina looks in good nick and the case is in amazing condition for it's age.

Someone got a good buy there.

I struggled to read what's written, but finally decided that it reads :

1 39 keyed Concertina bought by Mr. Scott on March 11th 1897

and it looks like he paid a deposit, and the receipt was altered with the stamp later when the balance was paid,

as the amount was changed, a penny stamp was stuck on, and it was signed C Jeffries in black ink,

whereas the original writing was in blue ink.

 

Also, the C Jeffries who signed it would have been the son of the C Jeffries, who was the original concertina manufacturer.

The original Charles Jeffries couldn't write his name, and signed a couple of documents with an X.

Edited July 6, 2016 by Patrick McMahon

[gcoover]

It's interesting that "English" comes first on the receipt before "Anglo German", especially since Jeffries Englishes are incredibly rare today and it's the Anglos they are famous for.

 

Gary

[Patrick McMahon]

It was probably a status thing.

 

English concertinas were more in favour with the upper classes.

Anglos were more working class.

 

So putting English first probably gave the paperwork a bit of class.

 

While Jeffries didn't make many English concertinas, they probably serviced and tuned lots of them, (I'm guessing) so there was definitely money to be made there.