Looking at this link, I was wondering what was the highest known price anyone ever paid for a flute. I assume it would be for an antique at auction, but that’s just my guess.
http://home.comcast.net/~musictreasures/antiflut.htm
In addition, what’s the most anyone’s paid for an “Irish” flute?
I assume all these old flutes would be difficult to play because they’re not in modern concert pitch. Does that increase or decrease their monetary value?
I’d love to get that Claire Godfroy flute, but for $1200 
Dare I say that a crystal Claude Laurent flute, perhaps the one presented to US President James Madison, would garner the highest bid? I believe it rests at the US Library of Congress Dayton Miller collection?
Laurent flutes have sold for as much as $25,000 American as well as little as $7,000 here in the UK
As there are so few it likely means a high price.
About a year ago Muramatsu had a solid gold flute (presumably 24 carat) on their Japanese web site listed at $98,000.00 U.S. dollars. That’s right ninety-eight thousand dollars. It was a beautiful thing all engraved etc. then it dissappeared.
Recently I read an article by one of these outfits that seem to always be testing flutes to find out if materials make a difference in sound (they call it being objective or something) that stated the most expensive flute they tested was another Muramatsu this one solid platinum for which they stated the value was $73,000.00.
I cannot speak for wood or antique flutes. Perhaps AndrewK will comment.
I know nothing !
I have heard of the odd high offer being made, but people like to keep these things private.
One wrench that’s thrown into the mix is the fact that prices on instruments is really affected by whether or not the instrument is played today, for one, and for another how mainstream the instrument is.
The best crumhorn or dulcian would never fetch as much as an exceptionally well-made harpsichord, for example. (The amount of work that goes into a harpsichord notwithstanding.) We often see uilleann pipes (well, not all THAT often but it happens) that are in the $15K-$20K US range, but even the really old instruments by masters won’t fetch any more than that, by and large. I guess that’s all to say that there’s probably not a heck of a lot, in the simple-system flute world, that’s going to come even close to something like that Muramatsu monstrosity. Even the solid-elephant-ivory flutes (to get into materials with some “intrinsic” value) of yore aren’t anywhere near $100K.
I heard an interesting story on the radio (XMPR) the other day about how the new “thing” is that young musicians (particularly violinists) are now starting to look to investors to purchase instruments for them. In the story, some guy somewhere in the Northeast (US) incorporated a group of investors to buy him a Guarnieri (I don’t think it was a Strad). The only data I can recall is that one of the investors is the bass player from R.E.M.
Stuart
They have to if they want to play a Del Gesu or Strad! Gidon Kramer’s Guarneri Del Gesu is valued at $3 million. Of course, the violin market does not quite work the same as the antique flute market. Personally I’d rather have a later fiddle than a Strad or Del Gesu. The years have not been kind to some of them. Many have lost most of their original varnish and some have had tops replaced, they also have had neck angles and bass bars changed to suit modern pitch and volume requirements, so we’ll never know how they sounded as their makers intended. Some have also encountered less competent luthiers at some point in their lives. The “Messiah” Strad is an exception, but it’s not played and access to it is limited. Of course, its authenticity has been called into question more than once.
One should remember that even the highest auction prices for instruments are nothing like as high as some of the prices paid privately.
One can still get a nice Strad for the odd million pounds or two !
A really good modern Italian instrument ( Lucca Primon , Maestro of the Cremona violin making school , say ) which will do a professional all his/ her life is readily available for £4000 so the problem is not so great for players.
P.M. if interested
You’re right Andrew. There are some modern makers whos work is stellar. A big part of the demand for Strads and Del Gesus to be used by performers is simply their cachet. Not all Strads and Del Gesus are of equal quality either. Many benchmade violins above the $5000 range are plenty of instrument for performers. Tops on my wishlist would be one of Steve Perry’s Del Gesu or Postiglione models. I’m quite partial to some of the Tyrolean influenced work around as well. Depends on what I’d be playing for music. Hmmm, I’m getting way off topic here!
Well if you hear of anybody wants a Fagnola copy I shall be able to buy loads more useless flutes !
How did we get onto the category of strings? I believe we were onto the woodwinds, most particularly the flutes. They are fairly disparate in pricing and value, wouldn’t you say?
I would think the flutes of Louis Lot garner a great deal of money as well, but hardly of the price likely from some Laurent crystal! There was a chap in the northeast USA some time ago who dealt in old flutes, Shorey I believe, and he once purchased the Laurent belonging to Boston’s Popmeister Arthur Fiedler. He listed it for about $23.000 US as I recall.
I don’t doubt there are other simple-system flutes that would garner as much, but few come to mind!
Quite right !
Let’s have a little discipline here. Especially from me !
Twenty years ago or so, James Galway told Johnny Carson that the flute that James had custom made (I’d hope so) cost $30,000.
surely flute playing is such an abstract discipline, that the one you find that is perfect for you becomes priceless?
currently there is a Boehm 1832 model, serial number 1, made by Rudall/Rose, that supposedly is available for $35,000.
I’m sure there are many, many other flutes for much more money out there. What would one pay, for instance, for the recently unearthed bone flutes of the prehistoric era? Priceless, of course…but…
dm