carolstosca Posted October 15, 2006 Share Posted October 15, 2006 Anyone know anything more about this on ebay Apparently Campbell's “improved concertina 03 Trongate Glasgow”. In a moment of weakness I bid on this one. Nothing like doing research after the fact, but you know when concertina madness hits..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Larry Stout Posted October 16, 2006 Share Posted October 16, 2006 Take a look at Eydmann's "Life and Times of the Concertina" on the www.concertina.com page. He has several references to a Campbell and Co, who sold concertinas at retail in Glasgow-- that doesn't say much about who made this one. though. I'd suspect that the serial number the seller gives is incomplete-- it is much too low for either a Wheatstone or a Lachenal from the period. I'd be a bit surprised if your current bid got it, so this may be academic. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stephen Chambers Posted October 16, 2006 Share Posted October 16, 2006 Apparently Campbell's “improved concertina 03 Trongate Glasgow”. Campbell's were probably the most important dealers in free reed instruments in the British Isles, being pioneers of selling by mail order, with free carriage to any address in Great Britain or Ireland. They advertised in many newspapers & magazines, and claimed 300,000 Testimonials in their 1909-10 catalogue (which I have a copy of). They were best known for their melodeons, which they sold in huge numbers, from the mid 1870's up until WW2, but they also sold "own label" concertinas made for them in Germany, and also by both Jones and Lachenal (and even Wheatstone's) in London. However, the eBay instrument appears to be none of those, and I previously commented on that fretwork pattern in this post. If, as I suspect, this one is French-made, it may be of an unconventional construction with multiple reeds mounted on one plate. The correct address in 1875 was 103, Trongate, and you will find the concertina pages from an 1890s Campbell's catalogue (from 116, Trongate) here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carolstosca Posted October 16, 2006 Author Share Posted October 16, 2006 Thank you all. I was outbid and think I'll pass on this unknown. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul Read Posted October 19, 2006 Share Posted October 19, 2006 Stephen, Would this be one of those Frenchy devils? http://cgi.ebay.com/GOOD-ENGLISH-CONCERTIN...1QQcmdZViewItem Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stephen Chambers Posted October 19, 2006 Share Posted October 19, 2006 (edited) Stephen, Would this be one of those Frenchy devils? http://cgi.ebay.com/GOOD-ENGLISH-CONCERTIN...1QQcmdZViewItem Mais oui, mon ami! Only, it was Neil Wayne who told me that these were French, when he was here for Eigse Mrs. Crotty a couple of months ago, as he had recently bought one, and I see that he bought the one that was the original subject of this thread too! (By the way, there is a complete copy of that 4 page Lachenal catalogue online here, if you'd like to read it.) But looking at the excellent photos of this latest one, I'm left wondering if it isn't German after all? The reedplates look more German to me, and though the D inside the right hand end could be a French marking (Droit = Right), the opposite end appears to be marked with a B, rather than a G (Gauche = Left), which is the convention in German concertinas where B = Baß = Bass = Left, and D = Descant = Treble = Right. Anyway, whatever it is, it sure ain't English! Even if it is an English ... Edited October 20, 2006 by Stephen Chambers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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