Alfred Hays flute serial no.

Irish Flute
1

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/260888070057
nice flute sold on ebay, nice one for the buyer.
just curious about the marks:
“Alfred Hays Royal Exchange Buildings London 6977”

no. 6977
what’s that?

2

Alfred Hays

Royal Exchange Buildings, London

serial number?

3

The NLI confirms he was a dealer:

Hays, Alfred woodwind instrument and brass instruments, flourished London 1870-1936.
Dealer, 1880 successor to Christopher Lonsdale, music seller and publisher.
c1805 agent for Buffet-Crampon
From 1920 as Alfred Hays Ltd.

Address 1870-1910 4 Royal Exchange Buildings EC. 1911-36 Cornhill.

Presumably the number is a serial number, although I don’t think it was common for dealers to use serial numbers. This image shows another Hays marked flute with another number:

Terry

4

I’d googled “Alfred Hays Royal Exchange Buildings London”

It seemed like standard practice for Alfred Hays to number 'em

5

And they are pretty big numbers too. Compare the one above (9057) with Rudall’s 7500 or so 8-key flutes, built over a century. But it’s possible that they were all in one series covering the full range of brass and woodwinds they sold.

Terry

6

And speaking of googling, Denny the Googler, what’s this about? You google something like “Alfred Hays flute”, and you get hits like:

http://www.hydroponicsonline.com/store/Vintage--Antique--Irish-Wooden-Flute-8-Key-Alfred-Hays-London-Seral-No-6977_260888070057.html

or

http://www.frontierphrenology.com/list-of-woodwind-family/wood-flute

and so on. When you go into these sites, despite their weird domain names, you might or might not find the search terms you were looking for, despite a more detailed reference having appeared in the Google precis.

Are we seeing a range of scams, or a new breed of entrepreneurs - I know you were actually looking for an Alfred Hays flute but I think you’d love a hydroponic drip feed system - or some of both, or other?

Terry

7

I can get those to come up… :laughing:

I do try to avoid 'em as a rule

8

thank you Terry, Looks to be the right answer…
:pint:

9

Here from the home of BC Bud, I can tell you that the new hydroponic supply industry - locally and I’m sure on line - exists in large part to service grow ops. Maybe the proprieter of one wants to sell his flute, but I’m more inclined to suspect a google page rank scam.

10

All I get are flute sites. Are you sure your browser or DNS server hasn’t been hijacked?

11

I get the hydroponics and the phrenology too, but way down the list, with all the higher ones being flute sites.

12

Make that c1905.

Kevin Krell

13

Another Hays on ebay now, Serial # 4376
http://www.ebay.com/itm/280874126318?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1438.l2649#ht_500wt_1413

14

Well, Who ever got it… Well done!!!
£240…

15

I think it likely that it was a Buffet-Crampon marked by Alfred Hays, and the serial # could fit in their flute series.