Help Deciphering Wheatstone's Ledger

[Aldon]

I know I asked this question on the old board, but can't find the thread, so here we go again:

 

I found my concertina in Wheatstone's ledgers here:

 

http://www.horniman.info/DKNSARC/SD03/PAGES/D3P0580S.HTM

 

It's number 35773 about two-thirds the way down the page.

 

In the first column what's the BN number mean at the top of the page?

 

In the second column I figure the 'amb' means amboyna. What does the '10 E' mean?

 

In the third column the '64 octa' means 64 button octagonal. What does the 'TT' stand for?

 

In the fourth column is this the date it was finished or just the date it was logged in the ledger?

 

Unrelated to my instrument, but what's up with #35774? Everything else on the page is dated in '51. #35774 is dated '58 with a check mark next to it.

 

Finally, what happened to all of those serial numbers that aren't used?

 

Thanks for your expertise!

Aldon

[Robert Gaskins]

Well, I'll try a few of the answers; I think nobody knows them all.

 

In the second column I figure the 'amb' means amboyna. What does the '10 E' mean?

 

"10E" is the model number, in the new model-numbering scheme introduced after the second world war. The number combines the "size" and other features, and the letter is the "system"; so "10E" is a model-10 English, "2A" is a model-2 Anglo, "5D" is a model-5 Maccann Duet, and "3T" is a model-3 Triumph (Crane) Duet.

 

You can find a Wheatstone pricelist from around 1950 at the Concertina Library, part of Chris Algar's large collection:

 

www.concertina.com/pricelists/wheatstone-duet/Wh-Pricelist-All-c1950.pdf

 

The only way we know what the model numbers really meant is by studying the pricelists in conjunction with the ledger entries.

 

In the third column the '64 octa' means 64 button octagonal. What does the 'TT' stand for?

 

I would say "tenor treble". A slightly later pricelist, again from Chris Algar's archives,

 

www.concertina.com/pricelists/wheatstone-duet/Wh-Pricelist-All-c1956.pdf

 

lists the model 10E specifically among the "Tenor Trebles", describing it as 64 keys, AEola new octagonal model, ebony finish, raised keyboards, nickel-silver capped keys, six-fold bellows, large-scale steel reeds, in leather case. Size 7 1/2 inches. (Notes on the price lists say that Amboyna can be substituted at extra cost.)

 

Finally, what happened to all of those serial numbers that aren't used?

 

On the page you mention,

 

www.horniman.info/DKNSARC/SD03/PAGES/D3P0580S.HTM

 

I see only a couple of possibly missing numbers. The diagonal line across the columns below a fully-filled-in entry appears to mean "ditto" or "same as above", indicating a number of similar instruments made in a batch. Your #35773 looks to have been made with a second #35774. I don't know what the check mark by #35774 means, and I don't know whether its 1958 date is the date it was made, or the date that a concertina made around 1951 was finally sold.

[PeterT]

I agree with Bob's summary of this page; this is how I have interpreted the ledgers since they became available on-line.

 

The only additional comments I would make are:

 

(1) With the passage of time, ledger entries became less complete (i.e. the earlier ones give a much fuller description). If in doubt, look c1910/20.

 

(2) Serial numbers were pre-written (typed on the earlier ledgers). Some of these numbers were never used. Some numbers were used as a "fill-in" at a later date. I'm pretty certain that in the later ledgers (the period from which your instrument dates), the date entry in the far right column is the date on which the instrument entered the ledger (i.e. order date).

 

(3) In some of the earlier ledgers, a page starts with what appears to be a special, or top quality, instrument, giving the instrument a serial number XX200, or XX250. This seems to have been a deliberate ploy, as the dates indicate that the previous page was not full at this stage. See numbers: 25625, 25650, 26250 (which was special!).

In other instances, a batch of instruments heads up a new page, rather than be spread over two pages see numbers: 26100 - 26011.

 

Regards,

Peter.

[Aldon]

Thanks ya'll!

 

It's very cool thinking that my concertina has a twin brother out there somewhere!!

 

The concertina on the first page of the c1956 pdf looks exactly like mine. Maybe it's my concertina's twin, since that one had the date 1958 next to it in the ledger, and I'm guessing mine was sold before that.

 

Thanks for your help with the cipherin'!

 

Aldon