Gardiner Houlgate Auction in Corsham (nr Bath) UK
GOOD SET OF IRISH BAGPIPES BY LEO ROWSOME OF DUBLIN, stamped Leo Rowsome, Dublin; also the bellows and a chanter by and stamped Leo Rowsome* these pipes are sold with Leo Rowsome’s Tutor for Uileann pipes and an oblong manuscript music book bearing his signatures and musical jottings etc. These pipes were purchased directly from the maker by the vendors father*
Sold a few minutes ago for £6000.00 + 18% (to the auction house) to a mystery telephone bidder
I was not there but another maker was just in case no one else had noticed and it went for a few pounds
From what I have been told the drones had been cut down and middle drone had an additional bend at end to try to correct this. Bass drone a partial replacement. Extra chanter included with sale not by Rowsome
And some people pick up sets in rummage sales
Edited to add that the 18% was the auction house fee not VAT
6,000 sterling for a Rowsome set? I wonder what it would have fetched had it been in its original condition.
Looks great Alan. Thanks for posting the pics.
By the way, did you get a photo of the chanter you think is by Matt Kiernan? I’ve one by MK and am always looking for more information about him and his pipes.
So, converting 6,000 Sterling, that’s just over 12,000 US$ - and add to that the 18% auction fee, then I’m told there’s also the VAT (calculated on the auction fee only, so that’s what - another 1,100 quid, so you’re at about 13,100 Sterling total. Oh - and if the winner is in the USA, figure another 200 US$ for shipping, and then there’s the matter of the ivory, and the duty paid to US Customs…
I figure all in a US buyer (assuming) would be paying nearly $15,000 for this set.
Yow.
That’s been my experience as well, having imported a set a year or two ago.
However, I have heard from a reliable source that “no duty” doesn’t always mean that… sometimes, there have been cases were US Customs says “Pay up”, and what else is a buyer to do?
Still, with all the auction fees, etc., this set is at or north of $14,000 US.
You pay up without prejudice to your right of appeal. Then you appeal the assessment of duty on the basis that your import should have been exempt duty. This is usually a question of filling out a form. I’ve done it with Canadian customs and got refunded within a few weeks.
…and I live a few hundred yards down the road from the auction rooms! I think they had an armed robbery down there last year. Now I realise why - they obviously handle some very desirable objects.
Firstly, many apologies for resurrecting an old thread.
I’ve been doing a little digging on old Rowsome sets and found this thread. I believe the set that sold at auction is the same set that was more recently donated to the NPU by Michael Flatley.
What will NPU do with this and other classic sets which have been donated? I imagine that the instruments will be measured and studied, but is there any chance they’ll be provided on loan to deserving pipers?
I’m firmly of the belief that if the pipes are playable, they should be played and not stuck in a glass case.
A year after that date I acquired the 4-reg CP Froment set. The exchange rate was off of that high (against the $), but still very high. I paid a king’s ransom for the set in USD, but I still think it was worth it. The exchange rate can be a friend or foe.
The spare chanter I reckon was a Matt Keirnan.
