I had been communicating with a potential customer, a beginning flute player, concerning one of my pvc Irish flutes. He sent me an email today saying that his neighbor’s brother sold him a Casey Burns folk flute in excellent condition for $80. Give me a break! I asked him if his neighbor’s brother just happened to have another one of those lying around that he wasn’t interested in.
It reminds me of the Sweet four-key Irish flute that sold way below value on ebay recently. I think that is why people like collecting antiques so much. You never know when you may run into something that you recognize has good value, and the seller has it priced at next to nothing. I like watching “Antique’s Roadshow” for that reason, among others.
I should be so lucky. If it’s true, what a steal.
I have a Boosey & Co., Pratten’s Perfected with “Hudson” style silver keys here for repair. The owner found it recently in a flea market in the US for $20. Makes me grumpy. I had to pay $25 for my Prattens and that was back in 1972. And mine’s the nickel silver model.
Admittedly, the cost of the instrument when repaired is going to be vastly higher. This one has been played to death, and not recently. All the usuals, major cracks in head and barrel, broken and missing keys, etc. But I’d have cheerfully forked out the $20.
Terry
To know is not to know. Some of these instruments were gifts or purchased with someone else’s money. Some folks have no little idea how much they cost or are worth. Some will swing a sweetheart deal for someone they know.
That flute that sold for $300 on Ebay was from someone on who only sold one item during the past two years. While it might be on the up and up, it is a $300 roll of the dice, as there is a chance of a hijacked account with a stolen password. Even if the seller is honest, they don’t have much experience selling, and may not package the instrument properly, or insure and ship it properly. It may not be a bargain when all is said and done. To know is not to know.