David Helmore Posted February 15, 2022 Share Posted February 15, 2022 Hi all Not seen one of these before and thought it might be of interest to others... check out the second to last picture. https://www.the-saleroom.com/en-gb/auction-catalogues/amersham-auction-rooms/catalogue-id-sram10310/lot-34530353-ac2f-4449-b22d-ae3c00bb28e3?utm_source=auction-alert&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=auction-alert&utm_content=lot-image-link Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gcoover Posted February 15, 2022 Share Posted February 15, 2022 (edited) This is astonishing on so many levels - it's a Jeffries Duet, the first known one by Lachenal, and a beautiful 12-sided Edeophone-style one at that. And also with the first known Jeffries price list! Chris Algar of Barleycorn Concertinas is right, everything turns up eventually. Thanks so much for spotting this. Checking bank account now for possible bid... Gary Edited February 15, 2022 by gcoover 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard Mellish Posted February 15, 2022 Share Posted February 15, 2022 That is a lovely instrument. I would be bidding if I had any prospect of learning the Jeffries Duet system. I wish Gary luck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Helmore Posted February 15, 2022 Author Share Posted February 15, 2022 Thanks Gary! And best of luck if you decide to bid 😀 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stephen Chambers Posted February 15, 2022 Share Posted February 15, 2022 Everything in this auction lot is rare, even a Lachenal Price List, but a Jeffries one is unheard of, never mind a Jeffries duet made by Lachenal's - in comparison the handwritten Jeffries duet "chord book" seems almost commonplace... 😲 (I've got several of them.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wunks Posted February 15, 2022 Share Posted February 15, 2022 I'm only seeing 53 buttons with 24 on the left hand side like the "usual" 50+ air box. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wes williams Posted February 15, 2022 Share Posted February 15, 2022 I'll go with everything Stephen has said above! Our estimate of the date of the Edeo #4784 is circa 1930, and as I've written recently the change of telephone exchange for Lachenal to Holborn happened between July 1928 and November 1929. And now we have a Jeffries price list of similar vintage! Many thanks for bringing this to our attention David. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stephen Chambers Posted February 15, 2022 Share Posted February 15, 2022 1 hour ago, wes williams said: Our estimate of the date of the Edeo #4784 is circa 1930, and as I've written recently the change of telephone exchange for Lachenal to Holborn happened between July 1928 and November 1929. And now we have a Jeffries price list of similar vintage! I'd reckon the "Jeffries Bros." designation, plus the "Praed Street, London, W" address, suggest a date between c.1910 and 1917 for the printing of the Price List Wes, and the typeface looks like it's probably of that sort of vintage too. Whilst the presence of the Jeffries Bros. Price List, along with a typical example of a Jeffries handwritten chord chart book, suggest to me that the Edeophone's owner had originally bought one of their duets from Jeffries Bros. themselves, maybe 10 or 20 years previously. Quote Many thanks for bringing this to our attention David. Seconded! Thanks David!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Helmore Posted February 15, 2022 Author Share Posted February 15, 2022 Thanks Wes and Stephen - it was a lovely surprise when this came up in one of my searches yesterday! I hope it all goes to a good home and that the Jeffries Bros. list is ultimately scanned and made available with the other price lists on concertina.com I couldn't resist comparing the Jeffries Bros. list (c.1910 - 17) with the Lachenal list of c.1920.. .. At that time you could 'potentially' have gone to Lachenal & Co and picked up the following: 32 key Rosewood Anglo, with steel reeds and 6 fold bellows for 7 pounds If you had made the 40 minute walk (from Little James Street) to Jeffries Bros. at 23 Praed St you could potentially have picked up this: 32 key Anglo with Nickel tops and 6 fold gilt bellows for 7 pounds In todays money, I'm guessing that the Jeffries Bros. could be 3 times the value of the Lachenal? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wes williams Posted February 15, 2022 Share Posted February 15, 2022 2 hours ago, Stephen Chambers said: I'd reckon the "Jeffries Bros." designation, plus the "Praed Street, London, W" address, suggest a date between c.1910 and 1917 for the printing of the Price List Wes, and the typeface looks like it's probably of that sort of vintage too. Whilst the presence of the Jeffries Bros. Price List, along with a typical example of a Jeffries handwritten chord chart book, suggest to me that the Edeophone's owner had originally bought one of their duets from Jeffries Bros. themselves, maybe 10 or 20 years previously. By 'similar vintage' I wasn't claiming it was c.1930, but somewhere near that, perhaps 1910-1920. The last known directory entry we have for 23 Praed is 1921, and there is a handwritten receipt using that address from mid 1922, so that gives a rough indication of the latest date for the price list. An early 1914 receipt is for a 60K duet at 12 guineas, and the price list gives this model as 18 guineas (50% more) which suggests that the price list may be post war. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stephen Chambers Posted February 16, 2022 Share Posted February 16, 2022 32 minutes ago, wes williams said: ... perhaps 1910-1920. The last known directory entry we have for 23 Praed is 1921, and there is a handwritten receipt using that address from mid 1922, so that gives a rough indication of the latest date for the price list. An early 1914 receipt is for a 60K duet at 12 guineas, and the price list gives this model as 18 guineas (50% more) which suggests that the price list may be post war. It's the 1917 change in the London postal suffixes that made me suggest that year as a cut-off printing date Wes, when Praed Street would have changed from being simply "London W" to being "London W2" - and businesses need to keep their price lists up-to-date, if nothing else... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robin Harrison Posted February 16, 2022 Share Posted February 16, 2022 Also interesting that on the Jeffries price list it advertises English concertinas and yet we have seen perhaps 2 or 3 come up for sale in 20+ years ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Davelee Posted February 16, 2022 Share Posted February 16, 2022 From my recent research into the Jeffries family, I discovered from the 1921 census that Charles jr sold the business to his brother Thomas in 1919. The two younger brothers lived at 23 Praed st. at the time of the census. George Jeffries left to remarry soon after. Both said they were involved in concertina business. It could be that Lachenal made the instrument during late 1920’s because Jeffries had long finished making new instruments. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colin M Posted February 17, 2022 Share Posted February 17, 2022 Hammer price plus buyer's premium was £2,662. About right I think. I wonder who bought it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Barnert Posted February 17, 2022 Share Posted February 17, 2022 Gary C. See this thread. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gcoover Posted February 25, 2022 Share Posted February 25, 2022 And here's a scan of the Jeffries Bros. price list. For all you graphics nerds out there, Solotype calls the font "Huntsman". This Lachenal Edeophone Jeffries Duet is numbered 4764, 8.5" across the flats, home key of Ab, and to date is the only one known to have been made by Lachenal. In addition to a 4-page Lachenal price list (no date), the leather case also had a separately typed Lachenal bargain sheet - "instruments are slightly shop soiled only". Gary 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Helmore Posted February 25, 2022 Author Share Posted February 25, 2022 That’s great Gary! Thanks so much for scanning that price list too - much appreciated Enjoy!! David Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hjcjones Posted February 25, 2022 Share Posted February 25, 2022 £7/-/- in 1917 was equivalent to £517.43 today, suggesting that concertinas have increased in value roughly ten-fold in real terms. For comparison, the price of gold in 1917 was $18.99/ounce, equivalent to around $417 today, whereas the price of gold today is only $1910/ounce, a roughly 4.5 times increase. Next time my wife questions the purchase of a concertina I can explain that they appreciate in value at more than twice the rate that gold does. 3 1 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