Saw what appears to be a boxwood flute on Ebay that the seller either doesn’t know is a Prowse or wants people to think it is a Prowse and they can get a steal. Sorry, I don’t know how to link to ebay, but I wonder what do you all think. Hidden gem, will probably get about the going price, or suspicious? BTW, it ends tonight.
Easy enough to post the link - copy the url of the eBay listing (from your browser toolbar) and paste it into your post here, then highlight it and click on the URL tab above the composition window.
Failing that, just copy and paste the Listing Number!
I can’t find it searching on eBay for either “boxwood flute” or “Prowse flute”.
Now that’s really weird - how did you find it? I did a worldwide search on “flute” for listings ending within 24 hours, with no joy but hundreds of red herrings, then after you’d posted, tried again with a whole series of permutations up to and including the full title and I still got 0 results - unless you count a hideous painting at Sotheby’s. I included title and description and ticked all sorts of relevant boxes - what did I do wrong? Shame about the crack.
years of practice
the seller’s misspelling of Prowse didn’t help
Sorry to have whetted appetites and people are having trouble finding this item. I don’t understand, because its near the top of “wooden flutes” on ebay. The item seems to have been listed in Canada. Anyway I can cut and paste this much
Item number: 200544091854
Item location: ville-portneuf, QC, Canada
Ships to: N. and S. America
Payments: PayPal See payment details
Its listed under Old Wooden Flute From London.
Jem, I thought this was something you might look at. Too chancy for me–beyond my $630 bid. Would like to see a board member get a find, but I’m no expert and don’t want to create false hopes. All the best
To be clearer, this flute, described as a “Pronse” is number 19 under “wooden flutes” with 7 hours to go. No info on its key, whether it has a tuning slide, how many cracks it has etc. Still, its an intriguing item, which is why I was curious what those who really know flutes thought.
I was the first bidder - I’m WAY down the line now!
the power of advertising…
Well, I have no flute-buying funds at present anyway, and it being in Canada would make me very unlikely to bid at that kind of price level even if I had funds and they were willing to post intercontinentally, given import duty risks etc.
FWIW, its a very nice bit of flamed boxwood and in generally pretty good condition so far as the rather limited photos show. It would appear to be of an early style - narrow hockey stick low C/C# touches, only 6 keys, small tone-holes … dunno Prowse’s dates, but I’d say 1790s to at very latest 1830s for a flute of this style. No dimensions are given, but there’s a strong probability that it plays at a lower pitch than A=440Hz. The box does not appear to belong to it - looks like a German case for a Meyer style design. Head crack obviously needs repair, but doesn’t look like a bad job. Overall, could restore to be a very nice flute for Classical/early Romantic use for a period specialist.
Langwill on Prowse, T (sr and jr):
fl London 1816-68
I can see how “T. Prowse” could be misread as Pronse, but if it really then says “London, Langway St”, that isn’t one of the marks listed in Langwill. There are a couple of variations including the address Hanway St, but the London always comes last.
So is the lister just being a bit sloppy, as is suggested by some of the spelling (paypall for instance) - and French-speaking perhaps - or is the explanation more sinister? I’m good at conspiracy theories! Why is it still not coming up on eBay.co.uk (worldwide search), for instance, though I can access it via Feadoggie’s link (thank you) and it even appears in my list of most recently viewed items, while stubbornly refusing to fulfill the search criteria? I’m not wanting to bid on it; I’m just bemused.
Here´s another Prowse, Nicholson’s Improved, from the Olwell shop:
Item number: 110613537894
4 days to go, no bids
If I were bidding on this flute I would request some additional photos showing the tone holes, and maybe of the flute assembled. Not a very good choice of photos.
Keep in mind the Nicholson’s Improved flutes have a very flat foot, they play better if a shorter foot is made for them. I don’t mind a foot that is 20 cents flat, but when it is 50 cents, that is a flat foot! 
Jem I think that the case is original from Prowse.
nice flute indeed.
unfortunatly I’m off budget 
I think I found what everyone should know about Prowse:
sure was a pretty flute, though
This Prowse sans end cap looks even nicer, no cracks as far as I can see, the auction is on 3rd December and judging by recent, plummenting, old flute prices, could be a bargain. Houlgate & Gardiner (as mentioned in the flute auction thread) http://www.gardinerhoulgate.co.uk/Catalogues/mi031210/lot0145-0.jpg
looks almost exactly like mine except missing crown and seems to have different embouchure than mine.
and in much better condition than I bought mine!! wonder what it will go for in the end…
Well the Houlgate/Gardiner Prowse eight key went very, very cheap indeed, just 300 sterling (472 USD = 354 euros) 
for a nice 19th cen. English flute, missing the end cap but seemingly crack free.
good price for such condition! paid about the same but mine was worse!!