Concertina fretwork design and original instrument cost.

[BrokenBox]

Hi all.  I am patching up the fretwork of an 48 button Wheatstone concertina, serial 3631. According to the ledger this was sold to a Mrs John Kingdon on August 6 1851 for 13 guineas. I have two questions.

1. All the 1851 Wheatstones I have seen online have a complete circle of fretwork on the ends. My fretwork does not continue around the outside of the thumb and finger fittings. I have attached a screenshot of Wheatstone 2846 from the Horniman museum, also 1851, for comparison. Any ideas why this might be? Is the fretwork not original?

2. The website Concertina.com carries copy of a Wheatstone advert of 1859 stating "Concertinas, with full compass (48 Keys) from 4 to 12 Guineas". Any ideas why mine would have been listed for 13 Guineas when it is a pretty basic instrument?

[Stephen Chambers]

1 hour ago, BrokenBox said:

I have attached a screenshot of Wheatstone 2846 from the Horniman museum, also 1851, for comparison. Any ideas why this might be? Is the fretwork not original?

 

Wheatstone number 2846 is typical of the instruments made for Wheatstone's by Louis Lachenal, and that's a cheaper model than their 12 guinea one (which would have been their normal "concert model" at the time).

 

Yours looks to have been a cheap model when it was made. Is it marked Wheatstone anywhere? 

[Tiposx]

Hi BrokenBox

I think that your fretwork repair sections look really good. Well done.

I will be interesting to see how you finish the ends. Sometimes it is easier to remove all the old french polish and start again. Not everyone likes that approach though.

Regards

Tiposx

[BrokenBox]

Thanks for the replies. And praise!

Stephen, no it does not say Wheatstone anywhere. I assumed it was one from the serial number stamping and the appearance of the internals, per the attached photos.  Having said that, as I was going over it in detail for any sign of a manufacturers mark I noticed that all the serial numbers are 3631 except for one which is 3634. So either it is a bitsa or the serial number stamper picked up the wrong stamp; the 4 and the 1 are quite similar.

Tiposx, I thought I would glue the new bits in and then remove the french polish from the old wood. I read a tip on here that smearing the old polish over the new wood as you remove it helps to blend everything together. I have some button polish on order for the new finish. Also, I am gluing it all with reversible glue, just in case!

[Stephen Chambers]

This Rock Chidley, #3651, looks very similar.

[BrokenBox]

Similar? It looks identical! So my Wheatstone is actually a Rock Chidley.  And there's me just spent all afternoon cutting Wheatstone pattern baffles!

Thank you Stephen, I'll start researching Rock Chidleys.

[BrokenBox]

Horniman museum also has an identical concertina.

 

https://www.horniman.ac.uk/object/M217-1996/

[Tiposx]

I thought it looked familiar, my first EC was a Rock Chidley with nickel silver reeds. Mine had the distinctive hook lever design like yours.

I see that you have a shake, or crack through several holes in the sound board. That might be a challenge to repair if it is leaking air.

Edited March 25 by Tiposx