How Many Jeffries?

[PeterT]

Mine has a bone air button and stap end fixings.

Hi David,

 

Interesting. It would appear that the move from bone to metal, for the air button, came during 1918. From your photo, it looks like the bone button is of standard size. I had a 40 key Wheatstone (No. 26250 from 1914); this one had a bone air button, but a larger size. I would guess that Wheatstone firstly reduced the size of this button, then decided to replace it with a standard metal one.

 

I'd be keen to know whether other Wheatstone owners, with instruments from this period, can shed any further light.

 

Regards,

Peter.

[DDF]

Mine has a bone air button and stap end fixings.

Hi David,

 

Interesting. It would appear that the move from bone to metal, for the air button, came during 1918. From your photo, it looks like the bone button is of standard size. I had a 40 key Wheatstone (No. 26250 from 1914); this one had a bone air button, but a larger size. I would guess that Wheatstone firstly reduced the size of this button, then decided to replace it with a standard metal one.

 

I'd be keen to know whether other Wheatstone owners, with instruments from this period, can shed any further light.

 

Regards,

Peter.

Hi Peter,The air button looks like a standard cheap Lachenal button ie 1/4" flat topped bone.It runs without any bushing in a hole similar size to the metal buttons and doesn't seem to wear unduly.I'm surprised they didn't just make all the holes the same size and if using a metal air button,bush that hole.Yours looks like metal to metal I wonder why they did that.Regards David.

[d.elliott]

So we could be looking at up to 5,000 or 6,000 total production.

 

And with a comparatively high survival rate.

 

I do wonder about these "fake" Jeffries, as mentioned by Peter. I have handled a fairl number of concertinas over the years and I cannot honestly say that I have ever seen a so-called Jeffries that had any evidence of false labelling, but I have heard many stories about them.

 

Apocryphal???

 

Anyone with any first hand knowledge?

 

MC

 

 

No true!

 

I restored a ' Jeffries' which was clearly a standard 30k Lachenal thith Jeffries papers on the bellows, you could see the evidence of original dot & cross papers undrneath; and it had the small block capital Jeffires name stamping on the wooden end frames. Inside it still bore the lachenal serial number and had the standard Lachenal action etc.

 

As I remember the the proud owner was 'less then happy' with the news. I also remember emailing Wes about it and he confirmed that this sort of thing went on.

 

Dave

[malcolm clapp]

So we could be looking at up to 5,000 or 6,000 total production.

 

And with a comparatively high survival rate.

 

I do wonder about these "fake" Jeffries, as mentioned by Peter. I have handled a fairl number of concertinas over the years and I cannot honestly say that I have ever seen a so-called Jeffries that had any evidence of false labelling, but I have heard many stories about them.

 

Apocryphal???

 

Anyone with any first hand knowledge?

 

MC

 

 

No true!

 

I restored a ' Jeffries' which was clearly a standard 30k Lachenal thith Jeffries papers on the bellows, you could see the evidence of original dot & cross papers undrneath; and it had the small block capital Jeffires name stamping on the wooden end frames. Inside it still bore the lachenal serial number and had the standard Lachenal action etc.

 

As I remember the the proud owner was 'less then happy' with the news. I also remember emailing Wes about it and he confirmed that this sort of thing went on.

 

Dave

 

 

I spoke too soon!

Believe it or not, since I posted to this thread 18 months ago, I have had 2 "suspect" Jeffries through my hands.

The initial suspicion of both was the font size of the C Jeffries Maker stamped into the ends, though other aspects later became apparent. Hmmm.

 

MC