An actual "concertina accordion" on eBay?

[Daniel Hersh]

Lots of eBay listings for concertinas call them "concertina accordions".  But here's one that actually sort of fits the description: it's a six-sided accordion!  Listing is at https://www.ebay.com/itm/OLD-ANTIQUE-Vintage-CONCERTINA-Accordion-squeeze-box-Made-of-WOOD-AND-BRASS/254664340147

 

 

 

 

 

Edited July 25, 2020 by Daniel Hersh

[gcoover]

Wow, this would be a real beast to try to play, but I'd love to see someone try.

 

I love the description: "old but still plays" - hey, that's me!

 

Gary

[wes williams]

Everything about this looks like a small German 'Swan Brand' melodian (especially the actions on each side) I have, except its a hexagon rather than a rectangle.  So maybe not so difficult to play?

[Stephen Chambers]

On 7/25/2020 at 9:45 AM, gcoover said:

I love the description: "old but still plays" - hey, that's me!

 

Gary

 

It's me too, so I bought it! 

[Stephen Chambers]

So the concertina-melodeon, "melotina", "quare yoke", or whatever you want to call it, arrived from Oregonia, Ohio. It's not enormous, measuring 9 1/2" from flat-to-flat, or 11" from point-to-point, and (as expected) it's built like a 2-voice melodeon internally, with single-plate nickel-silver treble, and chord, reeds, and brass bass ones. 

 

 

There's even a hole on top for a melodeon-style stop knob, to operate the slider for the second bank of treble reeds.

 

[Richard Mellish]

Unlike the Franglo, which is built like a traditional concertina with melodeon fingering, this beast really is just a one-row melodeon apart from its hexagonal shape. How many more hybrid configurations can anyone think of?

[Stephen Chambers]

Since I first saw the "melotina" (as I call it) I've thought the design punched in the side overlays of it looked familiar, and very-much reminiscent of the bellows-frame corner plates of one of the German makers, but I couldn't remember which one - but today a 20-key German concertina turned up with said corners and reminded me:

 

 

The maker's trade mark stamp on the right hand side of the instrument isn't terribly clear;

 

 

 but fortunately it still has its original cardboard box, and both the label in the lid of it;

 

 

and the one on the side of it;

 

 

very clearly display the Swan trade mark of the Brunndöbra, Klingenthal, maker Otto Weidlich, so it would seem likely that my odd melodeon/concertina hybrid was made by his firm.

 

For that matter, the large concertina being played for the dancers, on the above label, looks suspiciously like it's got a melodeon keyboard on it...

 

 

 

 

Edited November 22, 2020 by Stephen Chambers
Edited for clarification