tortoise shell Tortoise Shell Aeola Wheatstone 51 key Concertina

[JimLucas]

On 5/14/2019 at 7:38 PM, welsh boi said:

There seems to be an undercurrent of blaming Glocesterman for the fact it,s made of turtle shell.Back in the day we all used animal parts/products to make all sorts of things and still do. Turtle shell is not acceptable today, like elephant ivory. When the concertina was made it was acceptable. Now we all know better, so lets get over it and enjoy a lovely old instrument,made by very talented craftsmen.

 

"Tortoise shell" is often artificial, not the real animal product.  I believe it was Stephen Chambers who pointed out (in a previous thread on the topic) that the first "shell" concertina to appear in the Wheatstone ledgers is dated shortly after the invention/appearance of artificial "tortoise shell".

 

I know that my own TS Aeola is artificial, though still a super-deluxe instrument, with a special sound and gold-plated hardware.  After all, when certain plastics of reliable quality first appeared, they were rare, and considered by some to be more "special" than "the real stuff".  (Anybody remember the green Edeophone?  I forget the name of that particular plastic, but it is obviously  plastic.)  But I also know of one Aeola which has been identified by an expert as real tortoiseshell.  The appearance -- both colors, and patterning of the "streaks" -- of that one is quite different from my own.

 

Edited to add:  Just went back to look at the photo.  I'm not enough of an expert to be sure, especially from a photo, but from my memory ot the one I mentioned, I think this one may be the real thing.

Edited July 15, 2019 by JimLucas
add a bit

[Gloucesterman]

I appreciate the comments. And now the instrument has a new happy and satisfied owner.