The last ornate Rudall & Rose went for $10k, let’s see about this one…
Fancy!
a bit gaudy fer me taste 
Agreed.. I wouldn’t pay one $ more for this then an “ordinary” one
She Who Must Be Obeyed tells me that for $10k, if we can’t put gas in it and drive it around, we’re not interested. . . 
Bob
LOL 
Yes, I think there is real beauty and elegance in simplicity and functionality, especially when it comes to flutes.
I confess I have the same feeling about Wilkes’s flutes (the more ornate ones, that is) though I
confess the bling makes my pulse quicken.
I like elegant simplicity too. But I must admit, I like the look of this one. Chris Wilkes’ flutes never strike me as too flashy. They’re relatively simple designs, in appearance, at least. Not so easy to do, I don’t think.
I have a few silver spoons that were my grandmother’s and I swear the pattern looks just like the keywork. What’s that design called?
Strewth - two of 'em (acanthus keys etc.) in one year, plus the Bb foot one at the same time as this… Hell, a previously unknown low Bb will be the next out of the woodwork!
FWIW, although I do like these ones with the fancy rings and keys, I’d rather have the one with the extended foot if I had £5-10k to chuck at a single flute. If I was even in a position to take out a loan to shoot at the Bb foot one, I would - but not for the bling ones.
It is true, the key work was done by a silversmith, the clam shell pattern in salt spoons was very popular. Either the silversmith or the customer probably suggested it! If you google salt spoon you will find a lot of examples.
uh, guys, am i missing something here?
this is the very same flute. #859. It sold May 14 on eBay for the $10k.
this one has no reserve (duh?)
i can’t figure out what’s going on.
anyone?
ah… (the other thread) no
The seller from the prior ebay sale has no feedback until June 11 and very few as the seller and none that mention a flute. Most of them do mention something, however so we can rule them out. There is one from phils-historic-instruments
Phil just sez he’s in Gloucestershire, United Kingdom.
Why Eddie is selling it however… Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, United Kingdom
Google gives that over 2 hours away
Eddie (eBay Member ID edward7460) was the buyer of the $10k flute - it shows in the feedback he received when he purchased it from eBay seller Darlington1952-58 (4th line item down)
http://feedback.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewFeedback2&userid=edward7460&ftab=FeedbackAsBuyer
Duh indeed! 
I did actually wonder about it (given the rarity of these), but couldn’t be bothered/spare the time to go hunting to check the serial number, which I didn’t recall offhand.
Certainly rather strange behaviour by the vendor, on the face of it.
good work! I wonder why it isn’t in the sellers feedback
For $10,000, I would want the ornate aspects of this flute to be seen by the folks in the balcony.
It would be interesting if the engraving served a purpose, like checkering on a rifle stock, but it doesn’t seem to interfere with the function either. Seems a shame to put all that work into the aesthetics of the thing and not take care to get the screw slots to run parallel to the length of the flute though.
As a side comment, how many flutes are purely functional without choices made in materials and design that are based in someone’s idea of aesthetics?