Vintage survival rates - has anyone researched this?

[Simon H]

A few years ago when wrapping up my parent's affairs after their passing on, I took one of the old items that had been stored away, to sell, an old wind-up gramophone from the late 1920's. Turned out it had little value as my parents generation had kept such "valuable" items stored away in vast numbers and the market today had little need for them, only rarer ones being of value as decorative items.

 

Now we keep nothing valuable, the recycling centres are full of CRT monitors and big TV's as the affluent world changes over to flat-screens. Because of this throwaway society we live in some 1980's computer gear is already gaining value swiftly.

 

Anyway enough context.

 

Concertinas clearly fell into the category of things to store away for our parents and grandparents generation, and due to many factors we are all aware of and care about on this forum retain a high level of desirability right through to the present day.

 

Has anyone done a research project on concertina survival rates? With serial numbering available for key makes, the wheatstone ledgers etc it must be possible with a bit of statistical analysis to make a stab at the survival to the present day of different types. For example I'd imagine that Aeolas, Edeophones, Jeffries etc have a higher survival rate than old german honkers.

 

As an example would it be a valid project to collect Wheatstone serial numbers from this group and any other known sources, photographs, Ebay, sessions, festivals, workshops etc and tick them off the ledgers? I'd be fascinated to see what sort of stats that would give - survival by type, geographical location, age etc. I'm sure I've read a percentage survival estimate somewhere in my reading when I took up playing but couldn't find it.

 

I'd be interested in some of the experts' thoughts on this and any pointers to research (probably extensive) already carried out in this area.

 

As an aside : It would be great after a survey to find out your own instrument has siblings and organise reunions or photosessions !!!

 

 

Simon

[Peter]

Considering that the vast majority of concertinas were of cheaper paper bellows construction I can't imagine that a large percentage of all concertinas ever made still exist. However the better made instruments would likely have a much higher survival rate. They are exactly the sort of thing that would survive stuffed in a closet somewhere. At least until their owners passed on. It's easy to imagine that most of the higher end instruments survived until the 1920s/30s when the owners of these instruments died and thier children threw them away - after all why keep them when there are so many others?

 

It's enough to make you cry thinking about it.

[Chris Drinkwater]

Considering that the vast majority of concertinas were of cheaper paper bellows construction I can't imagine that a large percentage of all concertinas ever made still exist. However the better made instruments would likely have a much higher survival rate. They are exactly the sort of thing that would survive stuffed in a closet somewhere. At least until their owners passed on. It's easy to imagine that most of the higher end instruments survived until the 1920s/30s when the owners of these instruments died and thier children threw them away - after all why keep them when there are so many others?

 

It's enough to make you cry thinking about it.

 

 

I expect many concertinas were recycled in the early 1940's, for the brass in the reed shoes, which was melted down to help the war effort, just like iron railings and other scrap metal supposedly were. Which is a bit odd really, as Wheatstone and Crabb still carried on making concertinas during WW2, despite other firms being asked to switch production to making items needed to help the war. Maybe musical instrument makers were exempt.

 

Chris

Edited July 8, 2009 by Chris Drinkwater

[Stephen Chambers]

... Wheatstone and Crabb still carried on making concertinas during WW2, despite other firms being asked to switch production to making items needed to help the war. Maybe musical instrument makers were exempt.

Not so Chris. Manufacturing of most things, including concertinas, continued until 1942 - when the war really started to bite, with shortages of materials, and workers being called up for active service. Wheatstone's kept going mainly by doing repairs and rebuilds, whilst Harry Crabb did war work in an engineering factory by day, and worked on instruments by night...

 

Later in the war, after the liberation of France (which meant they could get suitable reeds!), Wheatstone's "war work" was the production of mouth organs - to boost morale. (After all, Britain had been at war with the main producer of them for the preceding 5 years! )

 

Normal production didn't resume until 1947 due to rationing, and members of the armed forces (the workers) not being demobbed until then.

[Simon H]

****ADMINS COULD YOU MOVE THIS TO CONCERTINA HISTORY PLEASE I SHOULD HAVE POSTED IT THERE

 

thanks

 

Simon