Fascinating. I wonder what one of these would fetch on eBay. I wonder why they didn’t catch on.
The most welknown traditional player of the Orkon flageolet was Paddy Breen from KIlmihil, Co Clare who spent most of his later life in London. Several recordings of his playing used to be available. The infamous Peter Kennedy still has one on the go :
http://www.folktrax.freeserve.co.uk/menus/cassprogs/078breen.htm
Orkans have come up on EBAY on a few occasions over the past few years.
(Funny, this Orkon name always reminds me of another oddity of the fifties–Wilhelm Reich’s “orgone”) 
Note that most of the keys are of the “French” (i.e. annular) not “plateau” kind, so half-holing is “built-in”.
I believe it’s particularly interesting for the octave vent hole, next best to an “automatic” (sax-like) vent.
I always dreamt of finding an Orkon…
However, there is work under way for a similar unexpensive keyed “whistle” in C, aimed at schools, progressing in Germany; I hope to see some prototypes at the end of this month.
would it be possible for you to take some pictures and post them?
Check out the Web site mentioned in the first post.
Wow, that’s really interesting. I’ll have to watch for one of those on eBay and next time I go garage sailing.
-Brett
It looks like the way the toneholes are designed that it meters the hole with a smaller hole.
There was a discussion on this instrument about a year ago on the Flutemakers yahoogroups forum. Someone found the patent on it and it has quite a detailed drawing.
I like the simplicity of it’s key system and a bit curious about it. Being a keyed whistle builder, I’ve patterned my keying after keyed flutes used in Irish music since the system is already well known.
You might see if anyone on the flutemakers group is attempting to replicate these or not.
You don’t have to wait until your fifties to experience a true blue orgasm.
Odd that it may seem to you …
When you need a totally off reply, there’s one reliable source… :roll:
Not my jubilee, just The Fifties… 1950’s, like 1950, 51, 52… etc. ok?
Here’s another Orkon website: http://www.hieronymus.com/orkon/ and a link to the patent http://www.hieronymus.com/orkon/orkon_patent.htm
Oh yeah? Were you doing vegetotherapy in “The Fifties”?
