A true concertina emergency! Well..kind of antiques road show

[seanc]

ok… an antiques road show thing is coming to my town tomorrow. I have a couple of things that I’d like to get a value on. This is in the US, not the UK where I assume they see quite a few less than they may in the uk.

 

but I thought that it could be interesting and enlightening for all of us for me to throw this at them to see what they say..

 

it is obviously a new model 55b Lachenal crane, rosewood, steel reed. However, I have never got a date. Can anybody help?

sn is 621. (My estimate is 1890s-1910s)

 

I know what I paid for it from the awesome Greg J. And I know, generally current market on these. Probably $2-3k. 
you are welcome to put a value estimate, OUR valuation or what they will come back with.
 

 

I am not selling. This is purely an academic, reality check persuit.

 

Edited September 24, 2022 by seanc
Spelling

[JimR]

Let us know when it is on the air.

[David Barnert]

Have you thought about what to play if they ask you to demonstrate it?

[SIMON GABRIELOW]

Play something for them very much in a way they do not expect! Otherwise they will either attempt a few basic noises and expect that is all you can do! ( That's what the uninitiated usually think!)..

[Geoff Wooff]

If  you like to  buy  concertinas, on the  rare occasion  you  may  come  across  one, then  perhaps it is  wise  not to   inform  Joe Public  of  their  value  to  you  as a musician.  Of  course,  such  exposure  may  release  one or  two  more  concertinas  from  Granny's  attic, and that's no  bad  thing.

Have  fun.

[seanc]

5 hours ago, David Barnert said:

Have you thought about what to play if they ask you to demonstrate it?

the ARS appraiser doing it here. Is the relative of a person I know. And this event is being done to benefit a charity I am involved with.

 

as such. This can be not a gotcha type thing.  

[seanc]

1 hour ago, Geoff Wooff said:

If  you like to  buy  concertinas, on the  rare occasion  you  may  come  across  one, then  perhaps it is  wise  not to   inform  Joe Public  of  their  value  to  you  as a musician.  Of  course,  such  exposure  may  release  one or  two  more  concertinas  from  Granny's  attic, and that's no  bad  thing.

Have  fun.

I hope that my acquisition disease has maxxed out at the current 4.

 

I say that… any time I see bright and shiny or warm and woody.. the temptation starts.

 

[David Barnert]

5 hours ago, David Barnert said:

Have you thought about what to play if they ask you to demonstrate it?

8 minutes ago, seanc said:

This can be not a gotcha type thing.  

 

I didn’t say anything to suggest that. I only thought it would be a good idea to be ready if they put you in the spotlight.

[JackJ]

1 hour ago, seanc said:

"I hope that my acquisition disease has maxxed out at the current 4."

 

Disease?  At only four I consider that a mere sniffle.  Yes, perhaps symptomatic of a disease in gestation, but still some ways from requiring professional intervention. 

 

Stay well!  

 

 

Edited September 24, 2022 by JackJ

[wes williams]

15 hours ago, seanc said:

...it is obviously a new model 55b Lachenal crane, rosewood, steel reed. However, I have never got a date. Can anybody help?

sn is 621. (My estimate is 1890s-1910s) ...

We'd put this as circa 1907 with our current estimates. But although we've got around 6,700 instruments listed we only have around 180 Cranes, so we can't be very accurate. The Crane system only came into use in 1896 and it's numbering system changed about 1912 to use the Maccann duet numbering.

Edited September 24, 2022 by wes williams

[seanc]

Wes. Thanks for that. I am glad I was pretty much on with my date range.

 

unfortunately, the ARS guy was not one of their instruments appraisers. And was completely baffled by the appearance of this strange beast.

 

so to their credit. They would not put any sort of figure on something they knew they were out of their league on. So, I give them a lot of credit and credibility on that.

 

[SIMON GABRIELOW]

Go dressed up in classical orchestral gear ( tie, black tailored suit) and then launch in a Franz Liszt manner ..a series of massive technically fast notes! They won't expect that!🌝
 

Edited September 24, 2022 by SIMON GABRIELOW
Entered article more than once..oops!

[SIMON GABRIELOW]

Months back someone made a cake in form of a concertina! Yes they really did (I have to admit I thought it was a real one to begin with)... So why not make a cake concertina and proceed to either have a pie fight instead, or play something very " tasteful"!😄😄😄😄😄😄😄

[Stephen Chambers]

1 hour ago, wes williams said:

 The Crane system only came into use in 1896 and it's numbering system changed about 1912 to use the Maccann duet numbering.

 

The way I see that Wes is that Lachenal's were making under licence from the patentees for those two systems, and the separate number sequences made it easier to keep records (for royalty purposes) of that.

 

Now, it seems that by the second half of the 19th century British patents expired 14 years after they were filed (rather than when they were granted), so J. H. Maccann's No. 4752 of 12th March 1884 ran until 12th March 1898, overlapping with J. Butterworth's (Crane duet) one, No. 21,730 of 1st October 1896 that ran until 1st October 1910.

 

So there would have been no need to have separate sequences after 1st October 1910...

[wes williams]

Agree entirely, Stephen. My comment was just to show a brief dating summary, without any details. We don't have enough data or documentary evidence to pin down the exact date change in numbering system. Was it related to the patent expiry (1910), or was it related to the adoption of the Crane by the Salvation Army as the Triumph system (1912)? Maybe we'll find out one day!

[Stephen Chambers]

6 hours ago, wes williams said:

Maybe we'll find out one day!

 

We'll have to keep looking Wes!

 

Does anybody have a Lachenal Crane duet that's dated 1910?