Selling A Concertina

[prender]

Hi

 

I am selling a concertina on behalf of my mother and was hoping I could

get some advice from the people on this forum as to how much I should be

looking to getting and what the best method for selling it is (I am based in the UK.)

 

The concertina belonged to my grandfather and is in good working order,

although the handle on the case is broken at the top. It has C.Jeffries

stamped on one end but the camera I borrowed to take the photos kept

insisting on using it's flash whenever I tried to capture this. On one

end it has 18 buttons(?) in a group plus one a little farther up, and on

the other end it has 19 + 1 buttons.

 

Any advice gratefully received.

[richard]

Hi There

 

Your concertina is a very strongly appreciated type of concertina. The keys it is in and the condition are factors perhaps in what it would be worth to someone leaning in the direction of making an offer to you. You could offer it for sale here on this website or sell it on Ebay. Those venues seem to be where many are sold. I could be wrong but I think it might be worth these days between 4,500. and 5,250. GBP.

 

This is just one guess.

 

Richard

Edited June 3, 2008 by richard

[chainyanker]

wishing it was mine is about all the help i chould be. i chould swap a good pack of beagle hounds. good luck on selling it, which im sure you want have a problem. jim

[David Levine]

I don't see how richard, or anyone, could offer an evaluation of a concertina from pictures. Are the bellows intact? Leaky? You can see that the leather on the frame ends has deteriorated. How about the reeds? Are they all there? Are they rusted or corroded beyond repair? What is the tuning? Has it been altered? Have the reeds been ruined by clumsy retuning? Is it even really a Jeffries?

The man's expectations have been raised, perhaps unfairly. The sale to a knowledgeable dealer or player has possibly been interfered with. I know that a genuine urge to help motivated the response to the original question. But it would have been better to stop after advising the owner that the concertina might be a sought after kind. It would have been kinder to direct the owner of the concertina to reputable dealers who would have examined the instrument more closely and offered an evaluation based on that examination. A shoot-from-the-hip high evaluation of this sort, even given a wide range of estimation, doesn't really help anybody.

[Dave Rogers]

A shoot-from-the-hip high evaluation of this sort, even given a wide range of estimation, doesn't really help anybody.

 

Although I do agree with what most of what you've said, there has been plenty of evidence recently that buyers are willing to pay the sort of prices quoted even for un-restored Jeffries anglos. Bonkers, maybe, but that's the state the market appears to have reached.

[David Levine]

I never said it wasn't worth it. Or maybe even worth more. But here's one possible scenario.

The guy takes the concertina, armed with the "estimate" he received here, to a dealer we all respect.

This dealer knows as much about concertinas as anybody on this forum.

He looks at the concertina and sees that the Jeffries imprint isn't really a Jeffries stamp but a poor copy.

The reeds are so shot from clumsy retuning that they have to be scrapped. The bellows is nearly worthless.

Sorry, he says, your concertina is really only worth about £500, and that's a generous offer.

The guy with the concertina leaves, convinced that the dealer is a liar and a cheat.

He then publicizes his new information by claiming that a concertina dealer tried to rip him off.

The guy lost out a fair offer and a sale. The dealer suffers a slight loss to his reputation

and doesn't get a concertina that might have been of some use to him.

Both parties are disappointed.

That's why nobody should give a specific - or even a range of value - estimate based on a few net photos.

It doesn't help anybody.

[s2maur]

I agree with Cocusflute that stating a value based on just a picture alone may unnecessarily raise a seller's expectations and hopes, however, prender did state, "Any advice gratefully received."

 

The answers to cocusflute's more probing questions would certainly get one closer to a proper valuation.

 

After reading Scott Fineran's FS post, I am certain that if I had 5,250 pounds to spend, I would borrow an additional 250 and buy Scott's restored 38b Jeffries and have an instrument that I could play right from the shipping box rather than have to sort through what would have to be done to this one once I received it.

 

No matter how beautiful a player this Jeffries will turn out to be when properly restored, I am fairly certain that the final cost will be way beyond the means and aspirations of most of the c.net members, especially mine.

[Dave Rogers]

After reading Scott Fineran's FS post, I am certain that if I had 5,250 pounds to spend, I would borrow an additional 250 and buy Scott's restored 38b Jeffries

 

Scott's looking for 5,500 in Australian dollars. I've just done a quick conversion and that equates to about 2,670 in pounds sterling. Sounds like a bargain!

[Dave Rogers]

No, he isn't at all - why can't I read properly?? That WOULD be a bargain!

[Robin Harrison]

....................he's looking for £5500 in Oz dollars = Aus $ 11,190

Robin

[ben]

....................he's looking for £5500 in Oz dollars = Aus $ 11,190

Robin

 

That is the price for a brand new Steve Dickenson Wheatstone 40 button anglo (I am on the list)! I'd go for the new Wheatstone.

 

It looks like we are headed for new prices of 6000 GBP and upwards for Jeffries concertinas.

[ben]

....................he's looking for £5500 in Oz dollars = Aus $ 11,190

Robin

 

That is the price for a brand new Steve Dickenson Wheatstone 40 button anglo (I am on the list)! I'd go for the new Wheatstone.

 

It looks like we are headed for new prices of 6000 GBP and upwards for Jeffries concertinas.

[tombilly]

Sorry, he says, your concertina is really only worth about £500, and that's a generous offer.

The guy with the concertina leaves, convinced that the dealer is a liar and a cheat.

 

I appreciate your argument, Cocus, but are you not being somewhat pendantic. I mean the dealer is far more likely to say "sorry old chap .. this is/is not a genuine Jeffries .. but it has various 'xyz' problems. If it were in good condition, I could offer £x000 but as it is, it will cost £y00 to fix up and therefore I can only offer you £z00." If the seller isn't happy with that, he can go for another valuation. Your scenario is most unlikely.

I'm certainly no expert but the pictures above, appear at face value to show an instrument that has been looked after. Wasn't there some unrestored Jeffries sold for c.$10,000 there in the USA a few days ago.

[Samantha]

Whilst I appreciate and understand Cocusflute's concerns, Richard will have based his remarks on the words in the original post, as well as the pictures, and there it says "The concertina belonged to my grandfather and is in good working order, although the handle on the case is broken at the top. " [emphasis mine]. If, upon actual physical inspection this appeared not to be the case then the possible price would have to be reduced accordingly.

Samantha

[s2maur]

To my way of thinking, this person has not yet established any credibility as an authority on stating that the concertina is in "good working order" based on "it belonged to my grandfather." pender has only been a member since Feb. of 2008 and has had no posts until now. As far as I am concerned it is no different than looking at a concertina on ebay in which the seller has not earned any feedback. I would be and am leery of his representations concerning the condition of the instrument. I see some leather problems and the end bolts appear to be tightened down a bit to intensely. Other than that I have now way of knowing anything of importance other than someone's unprofessional opinion of its working order. I have no way of knowing if this is legit and would have every right to know a lot more about the instrument from a reputable dealer and the seller. I am not trying to defame pender but am reserving my right to be more cautious about the value and authenticity of this instrument and offer to sell.

 

I still contend that buying Scott Fineran's Jeffries would be a more prudent purchase compared to this one given the small difference in price but large difference in the unknown quality of this compared to Scott's. I won' be buying either as I refuse to think that I would do either justice with my meager ability as a yank to properly pay, play or restore a traditional Irish instrument with such historical significance.

[Greg Jowaisas]

... a traditional Irish instrument with such historical significance.

 

Er, uh, ...perhaps an english made instrument of historical significance currently enjoying immense popularity in Ireland?

 

I think Richard was letting Prender know that in certain venues (eBay) unrestored Jeffries in the proper key can sell for as much as $8000-$10,000.

 

I believe David and Steve are saying that more information is needed (pictures of the reeds, on site inspection, expert's opinion) before they or some knowledgable concertina.net buyer would pay anywhere close to that figure.

 

Could everybody be "correct" in this case?

 

Greg

Edited June 5, 2008 by Greg Jowaisas

[stevejay]

Your concertina is a very strongly appreciated type of concertina. The keys it is in and the condition are factors perhaps in what it would be worth to someone leaning in the direction of making an offer to you. You could offer it for sale here on this website or sell it on Ebay. Those venues seem to be where many are sold. I could be wrong but I think it might be worth these days between 4,500. and 5,250. GBP.

 

This is just one guess.

 

Richard

 

Seems he gave warnings

[s2maur]

... a traditional Irish instrument with such historical significance.

 

Er, uh, ...perhaps an english made instrument of historical significance currently enjoying immense popularity in Ireland?

 

I think Richard was letting Prender know that in certain venues (eBay) unrestored Jeffries in the proper key can sell for as much as $8000-$10,000.

 

I believe David and Steve are saying that more information is needed (pictures of the reeds, on site inspection, expert's opinion) before they or some knowledgable concertina.net buyer would pay anywhere close to that figure.

 

Could everybody be "correct" in this case?

 

Greg

 

God yes, I hope so Greg. How we do go on in the buy and sell forum about everything but the actual buying and selling. Maybe we should all change our channels to the other discussion groups and leave this venue/arena to the sellers and buyers for which it was intended.