PaddyLosty Posted March 12, 2020 Share Posted March 12, 2020 (edited) Hey folks, I have this 31 button Jeffries with a number written on the reedpan. The way it has bled into the wood makes me think its sharpie or some kind of modern marker, but the number looks vaguely like a 4 digit number starting with 8. It could have been a stamp that has been smudged off. If I look up that number in Geoff Crabb's dating guide, the date is consistent with this style of Jeffries (31 ivory buttons, sycamore action). Has anyone found a Crabb 4 digit number stamped in one of these instruments? Where would it normally be found, or have you seen similar written numbers inside? Edited March 12, 2020 by Pgidley Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alex_holden Posted March 12, 2020 Share Posted March 12, 2020 Could be a quill or fountain pen. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaddyLosty Posted March 12, 2020 Author Share Posted March 12, 2020 (edited) Yea, could be. I'm curious if anyone has seen a Crabb 4 digit number written on the reedpan like this on a Jeffries. I understand most were stamped later and pencilled in earlier on (and erased) and if I'm safe to correlate it to Crabb's dating. It would give me a date of 1886 - 100 years older than I am. Edited March 12, 2020 by Pgidley Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sprunghub Posted March 13, 2020 Share Posted March 13, 2020 A couple of things spring to mind, from my inexpert research, "stamps"/impress marks in Jeffries are pretty uncommon, serial numbers per se non existent with pencil seeming to be the 'marker' of choice for fettlers. Whatever, using what appears to have been a 'dip' pen and bottled ink for writing on dry wood seems to be a 'Doh' ! moment by someone. It would have 'bled' like that pretty instantly one would have thought ? My such 'Doh' moments marking wood always have. You wouldn't have thought a 'Maker' would do that ? Below are the ink 'stamped' marks in mine which surprised me in the finding. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stephen Chambers Posted March 16, 2020 Share Posted March 16, 2020 Could we see the full fretwork, and the "C. Jeffries, Maker" stamps on the instrument please? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaddyLosty Posted March 17, 2020 Author Share Posted March 17, 2020 (edited) Hey Stephen, certainly happy to post some pictures. The last photo is next to my early unmarked C/G, likely a Crabb. It has a T. Bostock stamp inside and the action and sides are entirely mahogany (with ebony veneer). The reed dimensions are very similar, but the Jeffries has more aggressive undercutting in the reed frames, and the reed tongues have blue tempering colour. The Jeffries tone is quite different than the Crabb, though they play roughly about the same. The fretwork on the Crabb is a little more finely cut than the Jeffries. The Jeffries action is typical sycamore construction, and it has a wonderful warm honk, being in Bb/F. Other difference I just remembered is the Crabb has an Eb and D# on the LHS accidental row, whereas the Jeffries is the typical later Jeffries layout. Edited March 17, 2020 by Pgidley layout difference Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaddyLosty Posted March 19, 2020 Author Share Posted March 19, 2020 On 3/16/2020 at 6:34 PM, Stephen Chambers said: Could we see the full fretwork, and the "C. Jeffries, Maker" stamps on the instrument please? Photos posted for you Stephen, let me know what you think. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now