two concertina's in auction

[Marien]

Two nice concertina's are in auction monday morning in the carlisle region.

 

The wheatstone is a hexagonal 56 key EC, the lachenal is a 30b anglo with ebony lists around metal ends (key unknown).

 

Check this PDF file: http://www.borderway.com/fileadmin/Cumbria...v_2008_PIFF.pdf

 

This is the information I got from the auction house:

 

Monday 17th November (auction starts at 9am)

 

14. A Wheatstone Concertina with six black leather fold bellows and octagonal nickel plated foliate-scroll pierced and raised ends, with 28 buttons to each end, the wrist straps gilt-tooled C. Wheatstone, & Co., Manufacturers, London, with thumb straps and finger rests, inset manufacturers plaque, numbered 30268, 18.5cm, in manufacturers burgundy plush-lined hide box. circa 1924/25. £800-1200

 

15. A Lachenal & Co. Peerless concertina with six paper-decorated green Moroccan leather fold bellows, with ebonised hexagonal and pierced foliate scroll nickel plated ends and thirty-one bone buttons, the leather wrist straps gilt tooled Lachenal & Co. Makers, London, with small oval printed paper label The Peerless Anglo German Manufactured by Lachenal & Co. Specially for John C Murdoch & Co. Ltd., number 18427, 15.5 cm, in Burgundy plush-lined mahogany box. £300-500

 

Both instruments appear to be in excellent condition with no obvious faults, please refer to the images attached, unfortunaltely I am unable to assess their internal mechanisms. Please don't hesitate to get back in touch.

 

Commision bids and bids by phone are accepted. For more information contact Paul Laidlaw, Cumbria Auction Rooms,

01228 640927

[Jack Bradshaw]

Sounds great ! But, where are the MacCanns (Mccanns) ??

Edited November 15, 2008 by Jack Bradshaw

[PeterT]

14. A Wheatstone Concertina with six black leather fold bellows and octagonal nickel plated foliate-scroll pierced and raised ends, with 28 buttons to each end, the wrist straps gilt-tooled C. Wheatstone, & Co., Manufacturers, London, with thumb straps and finger rests, inset manufacturers plaque, numbered 30268, 18.5cm, in manufacturers burgundy plush-lined hide box. circa 1924/25. £800-1200

Model No.19 which is tenor/treble. It's towards the end of the "best" Wheatstone period, so should be a good one. If it still has its original wrist straps, the instrument has probably not had heavy use. The catalogue photo looks promising.

 

I would expect the upper estimate to be exceeded.

[Marien]

what do you think about the word "Peerless" for a lachenal?

It looks as if the dealer (where lachenal made them for) wanted this name for the better type lachenals.

Still it may have the click clack hooked action(?)

Marien

[Leonard]

The wheatstone is a hexagonal 56 key EC, .....

Octagonal, you mean?

It's a Tenor-Treble Æola.

[Takayuki YAGI]

what do you think about the word "Peerless" for a lachenal?

It looks as if the dealer (where lachenal made them for) wanted this name for the better type lachenals.

Still it may have the click clack hooked action(?)

Marien

Accodring to this thread, John G. Murdoch & Co. were London dealers and "THE PEERLESS" was their trademark.

I own one Peerless anglo. But I don't know whether mine is better type or not, because its appearance is very normal mahogany Lachenal ( different from the one on auction now ) and it has hooked action. From my limited experiences and personal impression, reeds response are better than some other Lachenals though.

 

Cheers,

 

--

Taka

Edited November 16, 2008 by Takayuki YAGI

[Ptarmigan]

The wheatstone is a hexagonal 56 key EC, .....

Octagonal, you mean?

It's a Tenor-Treble Æola.

Merien, thanks for posting this.

 

Very interesting to see that these still come up in auctions.

I must keep a closer eye on my local auctions, over here, just in case.

 

Leonard, I thought Æolas were always wooden ended?

 

Peter, how can you tell from the photo that this is a TT. Could it not also be just an extended Treble?

 

Cheers

Dick

Edited November 16, 2008 by Ptarmigan

[Dirge]

Leonard, I thought Æolas were always wooden ended?

 

Cheers

Dick

 

No , definitely not. I'd guess wood aeolas are in the minority. The 8 sides is definitive I think, although even the odd six sider is also an aeola...

[Leonard]

Leonard, I thought Æolas were always wooden ended?

 

Peter, how can you tell from the photo that this is a TT. Could it not also be just an extended Treble?

The auction description say serial number is 30268.

The ledgers say that's a No. 19, sept 18th 1924, N.P. 56 keys S.V. W.S. (N.P. stands for Nickel-plated, S.V. for air (S? ) valve, and W.S. for wrist straps)

The pricelists say that No.19 is a Æola Tenor-Treble "...with fifty-six keys, four octaves, from Tenor C to C ..."

and further down:"Æolas can be fitted with Raised Nickel-plated metal ends, if desired, at £1 10s. extra, ...."

Edited November 16, 2008 by Leonard

[PeterT]

Leonard, I thought Æolas were always wooden ended?

 

Cheers

Dick

 

No , definitely not. I'd guess wood aeolas are in the minority. The 8 sides is definitive I think, although even the odd six sider is also an aeola...

Viewing the Wheatstone Ledgers, I would suggest that the split between wood and metal ends was fairly even. However, my experience is that I have seen more wooden-ended Aeolas, particularly the 48 key treble. Maybe the wooden-ended instruments were viewed as better for ensemble playing, which is the context within which I seen most Aeolas.

[Paul Read]

Leonard, I thought Æolas were always wooden ended?

 

Peter, how can you tell from the photo that this is a TT. Could it not also be just an extended Treble?

The auction description say serial number is 30268.

The ledgers say that's a No. 19, sept 18th 1924, N.P. 56 keys S.V. W.S. (N.P. stands for Nickel-plated, S.V. for air (S? ) valve, and W.S. for wrist straps)

The pricelists say that No.19 is a Æola Tenor-Treble "...with fifty-six keys, four octaves, from Tenor C to C ..."

and further down:"Æolas can be fitted with Raised Nickel-plated metal ends, if desired, at £1 10s. extra, ...."

I think SV is slide valve ) as opposed to a push button_

[Leonard]

I think SV is slide valve ) as opposed to a push button_

Thanks.

And for the push button I found "Key Valve":

#31100: "Key Valve W.S." and #31125: "K.V. W.S."

And next to #25266 ("S.V. W.S.") is #25365: ("B.V. W.S.") Button Valve, I suppose.

[Pete Dunk]

I think SV is slide valve ) as opposed to a push button_

To the best of my recollection Stephen Chambers defined SV as 'single valve' (a lever rather than a button). Doesn't make much sense I'll grant you because generally there was only one anyway ...

 

Edited for typo (as usual!)

Edited November 16, 2008 by tallship

[Ptarmigan]

I think SV is slide valve ) as opposed to a push button_

To the best of my recollection Stephen Chambers defined SV as 'single valve' (a lever rather than a button). Doesn't make much sense I'll grant you because generally there was only one anyway ...

 

Edited for typo (as usual!)

Hmmmm that's interesting, cause there are two air valve levers on my Wheatstone #22.

 

So are you saying that most ECs only have one?

 

Or were some made with none?

 

Cheers

Dick

[Paul Read]

I think SV is slide valve ) as opposed to a push button_

To the best of my recollection Stephen Chambers defined SV as 'single valve' (a lever rather than a button). Doesn't make much sense I'll grant you because generally there was only one anyway ...

 

Edited for typo (as usual!)

Hmmmm that's interesting, cause there are two air valve levers on my Wheatstone #22.

 

So are you saying that most ECs only have one?

 

Or were some made with none?

 

Cheers

Dick

Yep, these levers work better than a button in my opinion. Slide makes more sense than single but I guess we'll never know. As for the two, some instruments were fitted with two 'bowing valves' which were supposed to allow you to imitate bowing effects on a fiddle. I think it was a Regondi marketing idea.

[PeterT]

I think SV is slide valve ) as opposed to a push button_

To the best of my recollection Stephen Chambers defined SV as 'single valve' (a lever rather than a button). Doesn't make much sense I'll grant you because generally there was only one anyway ...

 

Edited for typo (as usual!)

Hmmmm that's interesting, cause there are two air valve levers on my Wheatstone #22.

 

So are you saying that most ECs only have one?

 

Or were some made with none?

 

Cheers

Dick

Most Wheatstone English concertinas have just the one air-valve/lever. Two is not that common; in fact I only recall seeing one (probably model No.22, since it was the ebony-ended version of the instrument which you play), in all my years.

 

Some, like mine (No.25750), were made without an air valve, but I think this practice was becoming increasingly rare by this date (1912).

 

Regards,

Peter.

[SteveS]

Anyone know what these fetched at auction?

 

Steve

[Ptarmigan]

Anyone know what these fetched at auction?

 

Steve

 

Yes Steve, the Wheatstone went for £1,400 & the Lachenal for £1,500!

 

I wish I'd bid on that Wheatstone.

 

Of course the buyer had to pay 15% on top of that but still.

 

Cheers

Dick