Flog It Wheatstone ~ £1,100!

Subject: RE: Flog It Wheatstone ~ £1,100!
From: Herga Kitty
Date: 02 Feb 11 - 05:00 PM

And thirded - though the last time I saw Chris Algar was about 3 decades ago, when he was in Stamford...

Kitty

Subject: RE: Flog It Wheatstone ~ £1,100!
From: Black belt caterpillar wrestler
Date: 02 Feb 11 - 07:22 AM

Seconded Ralphie!

Subject: RE: Flog It Wheatstone ~ £1,100!
From: GUEST,Ralphie
Date: 02 Feb 11 - 07:12 AM

FYI, In the UK. The only 3 people that I would approach re a valuation on a concertina, are Steve Dickinson (Wheatstone maker) Colin Dipper (Dipper maker)and Chris Algar, (Dealer, but straight and true!)
I can confirm that these three guys will tell the truth about the value of old tinas. I wouldn't consult anyone else. Hope that helps.

Subject: RE: Flog It Wheatstone ~ £1,100!
From: Gurney
Date: 01 Feb 11 - 09:30 PM

What lovely sites you posted, Ross. Wish I could get to England for a drool.

Subject: RE: Flog It Wheatstone ~ £1,100!
From: Surreysinger
Date: 01 Feb 11 - 08:43 PM

Guest with the Wheatstone ... I would suggest that you try the website for concertina.net. The forum users are a pretty friendly and knowledgeable lot, and could no doubt provide you with advice about your tina and valuations etc. You can find the concertina.net forums here

Subject: RE: Flog It Wheatstone ~ £1,100!
From: Ross Campbell
Date: 01 Feb 11 - 07:58 PM

Guest Harry with the Wheatstone -

Chris Algar (Barleycorn Concertinas) is based in Stoke-on Trent, Staffordshire, and can give valuations based on
a) his knowledge of the range of conditions in which you can find instruments
b) contact with various suitably-skilled repair people, and knowledge of the cost of various repairs
c) awareness of the current market, supply and demand for the various concertina types

I have found people in the antique trade very hazy about musical instrument values. Most don't have any of the above knowledge, they don't see a wide range of instruments, and a poorly-described instrument offered in a general auction will never get the best price.

You would get some idea of the relative value (or at least replacement cost) of your instrument from browsing the Hobgoblin second-hand catalogue (http://www.hobgoblin.com/local/secondha.htm) (and also some clues as to how to describe the instrument appropriately). Bear in mind that a dealer will not offer anything like the "insurance" valuation - some valuers would give you two separate values, one for insurance (replacement) and the other for sale.

There are more people at concertina.net who may be able to help. The more info you can establish about your instrument, the better.

Ross

Subject: RE: Flog It Wheatstone ~ £1,100!
From: Gurney
Date: 01 Feb 11 - 02:38 PM

I had my Lachenal valued for insurance purposes. I took it to a luthier I know, who asked me what it was worth, and certified that it was worth that much!
Not much help for Guest, I'm afraid. The luthier was a registered instrument valuer with the insurance...what! Organisation, society?

A music shop MAY be able to put you in touch with someone, but concertinas seem to be worth what they fetch at auction, not what they are valued at.

I once offered someone the equivalent of three weeks average wage for a Lachenal Aeolian. He thought I was joking.
Wish I'd been rich enough to make an offer he couldn't refuse.

Subject: RE: Flog It Wheatstone ~ £1,100!
From: Herga Kitty
Date: 01 Feb 11 - 02:12 PM

Steve Dickinson now owns the Wheatstone company and has records, but doesn't provide valuations of concertinas unseen - his
website is here .

Kitty

Subject: RE: Flog It Wheatstone ~ £1,100!
From: GUEST,Wheatstone whats it worth
Date: 01 Feb 11 - 01:43 PM

can you help i have a Wheatstone from the 1857 but can not find out how to get it valued im from the midlands

Harry

Subject: RE: Flog It Wheatstone ~ £1,100!
From: Dave Hanson
Date: 16 Dec 09 - 08:34 AM

The Flog It show has never had an expert who knows anything about musical instruments full stop.

Dave H

Subject: RE: Flog It Wheatstone ~ £1,100!
From: GUEST,Neovo
Date: 16 Dec 09 - 08:05 AM

Setting aside the rough handling of this instrument - I often think that the Flog It! valuers are under instructions to deliberately undervalue one item per programme so that we can all be astonished at the vast price it fetches in the auction. Or am I being too cynical?

Subject: RE: Flog It Wheatstone ~ £1,100!
From: breezy
Date: 16 Dec 09 - 04:41 AM

It looked damaged and unplayable and in need of considerable even total renovation

probably another £ 1000 needed to be invested to bring it up to scratch

If so someone paid over the odds or someone who can do the work required

Subject: RE: Flog It Wheatstone ~ £1,100!
From: GUEST,Shimrod
Date: 16 Dec 09 - 04:11 AM

I'm sure that concertinas have been grossly undervalued before on 'Flog It' - it seems to be a feature of the show - as though the valuers are all afflicted by some wierd 'concertina-blind-spot'.

Subject: RE: Flog It Wheatstone ~ £1,100!
From: Alan Day
Date: 15 Dec 09 - 05:47 PM

1871 Ralphie
Al

Subject: RE: Flog It Wheatstone ~ £1,100!
From: Surreysinger
Date: 15 Dec 09 - 04:58 PM

Just had another look - the item in question materialises on the show at 33 and 40 minutes in ... and indeed he did say that he'd sold another one the week before, hence the hike in his estimation. And I winced again when I saw that they had stood the thing on it's end plate while waiting for the auction.Wonder who bought it then?

Subject: RE: Flog It Wheatstone ~ £1,100!
From: GUEST
Date: 15 Dec 09 - 04:50 PM

dealers get 2 grand plus for this model

Subject: RE: Flog It Wheatstone ~ £1,100!
From: Surreysinger
Date: 15 Dec 09 - 04:46 PM

Ta for that sir! Incidentally ... it wasn't ME that was suggesting price was dependent on number of buttons (what happened to the word Keys??) .. just in case anyone is in any doubt...

OK Ralphie - check this out ....a link which might be useful ?

Just let us know when and where, and we can come and spectate ... LOL!!

Subject: RE: Flog It Wheatstone ~ £1,100!
From: GUEST,Ralphie
Date: 15 Dec 09 - 04:36 PM

A 48 standard English Irene. "value dependant on the number of buttons????"
Good grief.
When looking at old silver candlesticks etc on these progs, the experts with one look at hallmarks say "Of course it's London, made on the 14 April 1870 by Josiah Winge, son of the late Joshuah Winge" and preen themselves in their superier knowledge, that proles like us couldn't possibly know! This idiot didn't even notice the serial number..
I do so hope there is an antiques roadshow near me soon!!!!!
What fun i'd have!

Subject: RE: Flog It Wheatstone ~ £1,100!
From: Surreysinger
Date: 15 Dec 09 - 04:28 PM

I thought that he actually said that one had been through his hands at an auction the previous week, and he then had an inkling of how wrong he had been ? Anyhow, the whole worrying episode can currently be caught on the iplayer at this location for the rest of the week. (NB Unfortunately not outside the UK if you're reading this elsewhere). I must admit that I was squirming at the way he was handling the thing too . Lots of comments about the fact that the value of a concertina depends on the number of buttons ... but I don't recall any mention being made of how many it actually had. Might go back to check that out again.

PS Anybody checked the rubbish skips lately ..couldn't believe I was hearing that bit!!

Subject: RE: Flog It Wheatstone ~ £1,100!
From: GUEST,Ralphie
Date: 15 Dec 09 - 02:24 PM

Yes. Saw it.
I was screaming at the TV when the Klutz "so called" expert valued it at £150...Doh!!
Will never trust a so called expert on that show again. It was obviously worth over a grand..(I estimated £1300).
Even worse he just yanked the bellows open without using the air button..philistine!. A bit like taking a chisel to an antique piece of furniture to see what the wood is!!.
One day I'm going to take one of mine to an antiques roadshow, just for a laugh!
I wonder who he got the real valuation from? (which he revealed at the end of the auction looking really sheepish!)
Stephen Chambers? Chris Algar?

Subject: RE: Flog It Wheatstone ~ £1,100!
From: WalkaboutsVerse
Date: 15 Dec 09 - 12:51 PM

It was an English concertina, with an Anglo-like strap as well as the usual thumb strap and pinky rest.

As I've said before, I love the sound of the concertina but, as the price climbed, I quickly went back to playing my £30 English flute! (as here. ).

Subject: 'Flog It' Wheatstone ~ £1,100!
From: Ptarmigan
Date: 15 Dec 09 - 12:38 PM

I just watched a Wheatstone Concertina go for £1,100 on 'Flog It', at an Auction in Kilmarnock.

The 'expert' thought it was only worth between £150 to £250 ... just shows you, they're not always spot on!

So did anyone here buy it?

If so, I'd love to know if it stayed in Scotland?

Cheers
Dick