What is the best price you've paid for a concertina?

[Mike Pierceall]

Aside from an inheritance, what is the best deal you've made in the acquisition of a concertina? Mike

[KerryFrank]

Aside from an inheritance, what is the best deal you've made in the acquisition of a concertina? Mike

 

I found a 1928 Henry Silberman, Chemnitzer concertina, with the original case, (mint condition) in a pawn store for $150. (plus 6% state tax) My second best was a 1858 Wheatstone English, with wooden case, (VG condition) for about $700. (plus shipping from England)

[MandolinRefugee]

Are we allowed to factor in currency exchange and use Yen figures? I'm sure if I bought something in Canadian dollars right now, it would be the bargain of the century for me!

[conzertino]

Well, it just depends, when you started... Some thirty years ago I bought my first Jeffries ( in bad nick ) for 20 Pounds! My favorite Boyd-Wheatstone cost me 110 Pounds... And my pristine Aeola baritone I found in a pawn-shop for 180 pounds. But even that was a lot money for a student in those days...

[hjcjones]

Some years ago I was teaching at the WCCP weekend at Kilve Court. Someone there had a lovely Jeffries which he claimed to have got for 10/- (50p).

[martyn]

Just three years ago I purchased a 38-Key C/G C.Jeffries for £500 from a local antiques centre.

It just goes to show there are still bargains out there.

 

Martyn

Edited January 25, 2009 by martyn

[chris]

Hi

English in Amboyna in good condition by Joseph Scates bought about 30 years ago for £48

chris

[graham else]

My best buys have to be my two Dippers, made for me in 1979 and 1981. The C/G is the older of the two and cost £220, whilst the special edition D/G came to a staggering £430. Included in the price of both were the superb Holman leather cases. I must point out however that it was a lot of money at the time for a recently qualified teacher...about 2 months salary! However much they are worth now though is of little interest to me as I have no intention of selling them...I am still as excited when I play them as the day they arrived!

[Paul Woloschuk]

I came across my concertina whilst I was working as a TV repair engineer back in the early 1980s.

I had to collect a rented TV from the house of an elderly gent who had passed away. His son was in the house at the time sorting out his father's belongings.

I noticed a hexagonal leather case on the mantlepiece, and asked whether I might take a look at the instrument inside.

The son said it was his father's old concertina (I looked at it, but had no idea what it was, other than it had metal ends and looked quite old) and that he was planning to learn to play it. "Well done" I said, "but if you ever decide to sell it, please allow me the first offer".

After about 18 months, I received a call from the chap who said he couldn't get on with it after all, and would I like to make him an offer.

Now, I'd always wanted a concertina, and recalled that it was in need of some restoration work, but not knowing anything about concertinas at the time, and not even knowing what make it was but that it was probably worth buying, we agreed on a price of around £50.

Once it arrived in the post I took it to Marcus (of Marcus Music) for him to check out and re-tune (I had found that it was in old pitch). Marcus told me that it was a Jeffries Duet, and that it was quite an uncommon instrument, and that many people had converted them to Anglos because of the difficulty in getting to grips with the Jeffries Duet system.

I told Marcus that I wanted it to be kept in the original state, and that I would try to learn it as it was.....which I am still trying to do!

Several years later, I became a little more educated in the matters of concertinas, and only then did I realise what a gem of an instrument I had bought!

Edited February 18, 2009 by wolosp

[fiddlerjoebob]

I came across my concertina whilst I was working as a TV repair engineer back in the early 1980s.

I had to collect a rented TV from the house of an elderly gent who had passed away. His son was in the house at the time sorting out his father's belongings.

I noticed a hexagonal leather case on the mantlepiece, and asked whether I might take a look at the instrument inside.

The son said it was his father's old concertina (I looked at it, but had no idea what it was, other than it had metal ends and looked quite old) and that he was planning to learn to play it. "Well done" I said, "but if you ever decide to sell it, please allow me the first offer".

After about 18 months, I received a call from the chap who said he couldn't get on with it after all, and would I like to make him an offer.

Now, I'd always wanted a concertina, and recalled that it was in need of some restoration work, but not knowing anything about concertinas at the time, and not even knowing what make it was but that it was probably worth buying, we agreed on a price of around £50.

Once it arrived in the post I took it to Marcus (of Marcus Music) for him to check out and re-tune (I had found that it was in old pitch). Marcus told me that it was a Jeffries Duet, and that it was quite an uncommon instrument, and that many people had converted them to Anglos because of the difficulty in getting to grips with the Jeffries Duet system.

I told Marcus that I wanted it to be kept in the original state, and that I would try to learn it as it was.....which I am still trying to do!

Several years later, I became a little more educated in the matters of concertinas, and only then did I realise what a gem of an instrument I had bought!

 

 

I would like to think that the dudes father is happy knowing that its being loved and played. I want my fiddle in a good friends hands... when I am done with it... and not before.

fjb

[Hereward]

I came across my concertina whilst I was working as a TV repair engineer back in the early 1980s.

I had to collect a rented TV from the house of an elderly gent who had passed away. His son was in the house at the time sorting out his father's belongings.

I noticed a hexagonal leather case on the mantlepiece, and asked whether I might take a look at the instrument inside.

The son said it was his father's old concertina (I looked at it, but had no idea what it was, other than it had metal ends and looked quite old) and that he was planning to learn to play it. "Well done" I said, "but if you ever decide to sell it, please allow me the first offer".

After about 18 months, I received a call from the chap who said he couldn't get on with it after all, and would I like to make him an offer.

Now, I'd always wanted a concertina, and recalled that it was in need of some restoration work, but not knowing anything about concertinas at the time, and not even knowing what make it was but that it was probably worth buying, we agreed on a price of around £50.

Once it arrived in the post I took it to Marcus (of Marcus Music) for him to check out and re-tune (I had found that it was in old pitch). Marcus told me that it was a Jeffries Duet, and that it was quite an uncommon instrument, and that many people had converted them to Anglos because of the difficulty in getting to grips with the Jeffries Duet system.

I told Marcus that I wanted it to be kept in the original state, and that I would try to learn it as it was.....which I am still trying to do!

Several years later, I became a little more educated in the matters of concertinas, and only then did I realise what a gem of an instrument I had bought!

 

What a great story and well done; especially for keeping it as a Duet. I suspect many adapt them because they can get a much higher price for an Anglo - shame on them!

 

Ian

[Paul Woloschuk]

I would like to think that the dudes father is happy knowing that its being loved and played.

Now, that's a nice thought

[jgcoutts]

I bought a 46 button concertina for $250 back in 1996 with a few buttons missing, that seems to have all reeds working though rusted.

Turns out, as I discovered in 2008, to be a C. Jeffries, now I'm looking to restore.