Yes, but he was very old-fashioned, and in a way that made no sense. He talked about women envying men their flutes. I mean, I ask you!
I believe it was an Irishman named Joyce who had the final word on the matter when he said something like: As I was Jung, and easily Freudened. . .!!!
Bob
The R&R is up to $2,168.50, and climbing… Still have 4 day and 1/2 day to go! 
I shall, of course, hate to say " I told you so".
£1320 - that’s about half-price so far… 
Righ-gh-gh-t … but with 4 1/2 days to go?
Your point is??? We all know the real bidders will snipe at the last moment and/or someone has a guaranteed winner mega-bid pre-posted to top any competition… So what it’s at now and the level of activity really only indicate the level of interest from eBay incompetents and give little useful indication of the likely outcome beyond it probably being quite healthy for the vendor.
My point is exactly as the now highlighted part of your comment above.
“£1320 - that’s about half-price so far… ” Jem.
or going on for twice what you need to pay . The Rudall & Carte I bought a year ago at auction cost 750 quid, with no cracks or repairs, a case, German silver keys, just needed careful rehydrating, and the leather pads softening up. It’s a nice flute easy to play in tune and with a lovely tone. There is also a certain mojo about playing on a flute that was made when Victoria sat on the throne. However if I had 2.500 - 3.000 sterling to spend on a flute I’d put it towards an Olwell, Wilkes, Williams, Hamilton, McGhee, Grinter or some other comparable modern flute
You were somewhat lucky, Steampacket - can happen, have had such luck myself, but it isn’t reliably repeatable or a sole indicator of current market value. The key material and serial number range do make a difference to value too, if not necessarily to playability. R&Rs are not regularly available for under £1k. And good ones should not IMO be significantly lower in price than top modern makers’ flutes.
If the flute goes for $5k they will still have to have the flute restored, I would put a restored price around $5,500.00…
This is the best years of R&R production!
Interesting. Is that a price you’d be able to get in the current market for a #3xxx that you’d restored? or an insurance valuation price? In better times I remember David had a couple available for sale in that serial number range for a bit less than that, maybe he still has them for the losing bidders…
PS. seller measures the C# to Eb length at approx 255mm, which would put it broadly in the ‘low pitch’ category on Terry’s graph somewhere around A=430Hz?
http://www.mcgee-flutes.com/CsharpEb.htm
Best get those embouchure muscles in training
Nah, Mark, my #4683 has a C#-Eb length of 256mm and, although it has moderate flat foot, is definitely not a lower pitch flute, as you can attest. My #2130, on the other hand, has a C#-Eb length of 260mm and although playable at CP, is definitely much happier tuned much lower - but then, a good few other features/dimensions are rather different. Terry’s “indicator” is useful, but I would not set too much store by it on its own. The sounding length is, I find from experience, still a good rough guide to probable pitch range, and the embouchure-C# length also has some significance - you can have the same C#-Eb on two flutes but if one of them is longer between embouchure and top tone-hole…
I’d anticipate this current eBay example to be a good CP player (probably with a little flat footedness) until proven otherwise.
Perhaps a bit optimistic in today’s market… 
1.486 sterling, then with 8 secs left the sniper came in, and the bidding rose to 2.477 sterling (4.040 USD).
$4,043.00 (2477.00 £) wow, outbid again… 
Well, I was shooting for $3,400.00 which would have been doable…
Of course the sniper (not me) got it. Why does anyone bother bidding any other way? Beats me.
But smug grin re: value prediction.
Jem wins the prediction (not the flute) again!