I apologize if this is posted in the wrong spot… I’m new to the forums.
I was directed to this website by a friend. I have had this flute sitting on a book shelf (wrapped in bubble wrap) for quite some time now and I have decided to sell it. However I do not know very much about it.
The person who directed me to this website did give me some ideas as to this flute’s ‘history’ - or information to include in a possible E-Bay ad (if I decide to sell on E-Bay).
I was hoping that there might be others out there might be able to provide me with some more information.
Here is what I know: It is just shy of 24 inches long. It has 4 sections, though I have not tried to separate the pieces as I’m afraid to as the flute has been assembled for who knows how long. It has 6 keys. It has a crack in the headjoint… as I mentioned I haven’t taken the flute apart so I can’t tell if the headjoint is lined. It is somewhat playable as it currently is. With all 3 right hand holes covered I believe it plays a ‘G’. So, the flute is in ‘C’? There is no maker mark or stamp anywhere on the flute. It is missing a ring at the end of the flute as well as the top of the headjoint.
The person who directed me to this board gave me this possible info: It’s either English (England/London) or French (Paris) and circa 1830s-1890s most likely. It’s made of boxwood with nickel-silver/German silver keys and block-mounted keys which dated to that area quite frequently and common to be found then.
Does anyone know anything about this flute?
Or if someone is interested in purchasing it, I guess you could message me your offers… the person who provided me with a bit of info gave me an idea of what it might sell for, in its current state, but we’ll see.
I was going to keep the flute for myself and maybe have it restored, except my hands are too small and I can’t make the ‘reach’ between the keys, comfortably. Plus, it’s been sitting on my shelf for so long I’d probably not get around to it anyways, even if I could reach the keys. I figure it should go to someoen who will have more of an appreciation for it (it kind of creeps me out) and will use it.
[ Moderator’s Note: Oversized photos replaced by clickable thumbnails. ]
If you actually wanted to learn to play it, you’d find that your hands will quite quickly become large enough to manage that flute, assuming you’re an adult-sized person. However, if you’re not interested, passing it on to someone who is is likely the best option. There’s someting sad about an instrument that no one plays.
In its favour, that flute shows signs of a good deal of hard use, which means that it’s likely to have been a reasonable player in its day. Conversely, it looks to my inexpert eye to be a bit cruder in design and construction than the better London-made flutes. The short foot (the best flutes had key-operated holes for C# and C below the bottom D) and lack of a tuning slide suggest the same. The small holes suggest that this was a continental (often called french or german design, which favored sweetness of tone and easy cross-fingerings at the expense of volume), again in contrast with the changes underway in English flutes of the era. As the latter have become the desirable ‘irish’ flutes, you’re likely to have something closer to a beginner flute, worth perhaps in the lower hundreds after restoration, rather than a valuable antique. The most valuable flutes of that era seem to be going for about $5,000 these days. It’s not one of those.
The three-fingers-down G does indeed mean that it’s the equivallent of a classical flute in C, but perversely in Irish music circles that gets called D rather than C. The fourth hole will play an F#, all fingers off is C#, and the bottom hole is D, making a D major scale the ‘home’ key of this flute. Because the nineteenth century saw a great deal of variation in pitch standard through the century and in different cities, the most desirable flutes now are those which easily play at A=440 hertz. A is the top two fingers down. Without a tuning slide this is likely to be the critical factor in your flute. Many of the era play closer to about 425 hz.
If I had to guess, I’d suspect that this flute might have been made by a European immigrant in North America, perhaps, rather than a specialist woodwind instrument factory in Europe. The fact that it’s real boxwood is a plus. It looks a touch warped, which is another boxwood characteristic, and isn’t usually considered a problem. The crack will need to be repaired, but it is repairable. That is not usually a job for a non-specialist, unless they’re unusually handy and have good advice from a pro. The missing rings at top and bottom should also be addressed, but they don’t affect how it plays.
Is it a flute or a snake? I wonder if it was kept in a higher humidity environment for a while to straighten out and then well oiled and broken back in if it would be viable.
Rick Wilson’s Historical Flutes Page will help you to ID the country of origin. One of my earliest eBay purchases was a flute like that which I gave to my repairman, he calls it “the wagon wheel” in reference to its being made out cheap soft wood. Nevertheless it has reasonably well made keys of nickel silver like this one. It plays OK enough.
It may not make a great session blaster, and may not be a terribly valuable antique, but I think it looks quite charming. From what you say, a full service will be needed (recorking, repadding at the very least), but if it plays nicely then it will be a thing of beauty.
The banana effect is nothing to worry about. There is no reason to suppose the curves will affect the sound at all.
I’d guess it will fetch more than the service costs. (Is there no icon for crossed fingers?)
wagon wheels are not made out of “cheap soft wood” 
