FS: Rare mini Anglo by David Leggett

[Geraghty]

EDIT - no longer available.

For sale in Oregon USA.  I purchased this mini from Chris Algar of Barleycorn Concertinas in February 2021 but now need to sell to finance a potential new acquisition.  It is about 4 inches across the ends. It has 16 buttons and contains the complete G row for a normal C/G Anglo plus half the C row and an F/C# button.  Based on the labels I believe it was made in 2009. It comes with a custom hard case.

 

 

Chris's description is as follows:

 

"It is unique - there is no other one made with this configuration in the World. It is a cut down C/G 20 key with the whole G row and bits of the C row+ an accidental. Like all miniatures its weakness is the size of the bellows which make it quite hard to play anything other than single note tunes as there is so little air that holding notes is hard. You can just about play a tune with an odd chord but the bellows wobble a bit and you have to develop a technique. Having said that - I just sold a genuine Wheatstone miniature and that was smaller - but way higher in pitch and you could only just manage a single note tune. This is way, way more useful.  It was made by an amateur concertina maker who was a skilled silversmith so it is quite a decent instrument."

 

Condition - Very good condition.  All notes sound; the topmost note on the right hand sticks a little bit and could use some attention, but it's a VERY high note and rarely used.  It's the equivalent of the highest note on the inside row.  Tight bellows.  It is fast enough/has enough air to play Irish music if you're not going crazy with chording.  From a smoke free home.

 

I am asking $3,500 plus insured shipping from Eugene, Oregon.  I can also meet within an hour's drive of Eugene.  Image sizes have been reduced for display but if you right click and open them in a new window you should be able to get the larger versions.  Feel free to ask me questions!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited May 12, 2022 by Geraghty
No longer for sale.

[John Wild]

MMIX is 2009 in Roman numerals.

[richard]

Hi

 

What is the origin of the reeds in this instrument?
 

Richard

[Geraghty]

Hi Richard,

 

I don't have information about the construction beyond what I wrote above, but when I was contemplating this purchase a fellow CNet member, Mike Hulme, had this to say about Leggett's work:

 

"What I can say with absolute certainty is that Dave was a very knowledgeable craftsman of the highest order. He was a skilled jeweller and this shows in his attention to small details. Each part of the instrument was made by Dave, in his own workshop, and finished to a high standard.  He made his own reeds for special projects, both frames and tongues and my box has the distinction of having some reeds which I completed with spring steel supplied by Dave, from the makers of the Spitting Image puppets."