Wheatstone 3792

[Dieppe]

I recently purchased a "needs fixin' up" Wheatstone from eBay. I'm still waiting for it to arrive, like ya do. Anyway I've searched the Wheatstone archives, and serial # 3792 doesn't seem to exist. I thought there was a place you could enter a number, and search, rather than just look through the lists---but I haven't been able to find that.

 

 

In any case, what could it mean if a Wheatstone serial number isn't in the registers? Is it a Ghost Concertina? Any ideas? Or am I just looking in the wrong place?

[PeterT]

I thought there was a place you could enter a number, and search, rather than just look through the lists---but I haven't been able to find that.

Here's the link, but I've drawn a blank:

 

http://www.concertina.com/ledgers/lookup/index.htm

[Dieppe]

I thought there was a place you could enter a number, and search, rather than just look through the lists---but I haven't been able to find that.

Here's the link, but I've drawn a blank:

 

http://www.concertina.com/ledgers/lookup/index.htm

 

Aha.. that's the page.. and yeah, it's not in there. Odd. Maybe it was a demo model? A workman took one home?

[Boney]

Here's the link, but I've drawn a blank:

http://www.concertina.com/ledgers/lookup/index.htm

Aha.. that's the page.. and yeah, it's not in there. Odd. Maybe it was a demo model? A workman took one home?

And why is 3791 listed three times?

[chris]

Hi

looks like it was sold then probably bought back, either as a trade in or a purchase then it went out on hire, then it went out 'on approval'

chris

[Steve Mansfield]

I thought there was a place you could enter a number, and search, rather than just look through the lists---but I haven't been able to find that.

Here's the link, but I've drawn a blank:

 

http://www.concertina.com/ledgers/lookup/index.htm

 

Aha.. that's the page.. and yeah, it's not in there. Odd. Maybe it was a demo model? A workman took one home?

 

Mine (5892) isn't anywhere in the Wheatsone ledgers either - this is probably a FAQ, so apologies if so, but what's the general theory about why some Wheatstones missed out on getting recorded in the ledgers?

 

Did they, for example, sometimes get sold in batches, in which case how is that recorded in the ledgers?

[allan atlas]

FOLKS: some of the instruments simply were not sold during the period covered by the ledgers. . . . .other instruments were sold a number of times, as they were sold, returned, and sold again. . . . .still other instruments appear to have been kept in the shop specifically for purposes of rentals. . . . . . .and then there is the occasional "scribal error". . . . . . .where, after the name of a purchaser, the serial number is not given. . . . . . . . . . . .

 

in the end, we're dealing with human-generated data. . . . . . .what's amazing is how complete the ledgers are. . . . . . . .they tell a truly incredible story about the role of the instrument during the 19th century. . . . . . .there is hardly another source -- for any instrument -- like them...............allan

[Stephen Chambers]

There are lots of instruments missing from that first ledger, especially many of the very earliest ones. My impression is that it was largely compiled retrospectively from other records, perhaps shop daily sales ones, that were incomplete and not altogether accurate. Some early instruments only put in a "first appearance" at a later date, when they were evidently being sold secondhand.

[allan atlas]

FOLKS: for what it's worth. . . . .my article on women concertinists in victorian england has been "reprinted" on bob gaskins' fine website: www.concertina.com . . . . you'll find a good deal of information about the ledgers and how they work. . . ..

 

i agree entirely with what Stephen says....................sometimes the documents are simply not what we'd like them to be. . . . .. allan

[Stephen Chambers]

i agree entirely with what Stephen says....................sometimes the documents are simply not what we'd like them to be. . . . .. allan

Thanks Allan,

 

Of course, what we need to remember is that such records were not necessarily kept for our purposes...

[allan atlas]

STEPHEN AND FOLKS: that they weren't. . . . .in fact, that we have the ledgers that we do is something of a minor miracle. . . . . .allan

[Stephen Chambers]

STEPHEN AND FOLKS: that they weren't. . . . .in fact, that we have the ledgers that we do is something of a minor miracle. . . . . .allan

Thank Harry Minting for rescuing the 19th century "Red Book" ledgers that we have, Boosey & Hawkes were going to burn them!

[wes williams]

..Mine (5892) isn't anywhere in the Wheatsone ledgers either - this is probably a FAQ, so apologies if so, but what's the general theory about why some Wheatstones missed out on getting recorded in the ledgers?

 

Did they, for example, sometimes get sold in batches, in which case how is that recorded in the ledgers?

 

I think the jury will probably always be out on that question. But we do know that part of the muddle is that instruments were being made in batches, see my article in the Concertina Library. If you want to search for similar numbers, there's some software you can download from my site, link below.

Edited November 24, 2008 by wes williams