I picked up this Flute for my girlfriend in car boot sale a dirty thing in a batterd old box , it was only when I got home I noticed the very faint markings Rudall & Rose 15 Piazza, Covent Garden no 1331 stamped on it. it also has 3 other faint stamps on the other parts.
a google search brought me here??
Had a very close inspection and there’s no damage to the wood no splits or cracks its a very dark wood, and the silver metal (i thought it was steel until i started to clean it!!) is slightly tarnished. And two of the silver keys are missing (the long ones at the bottom that go into the square bits with round circles)
I can provide photo’s, but i’ve only ever uploaded to ebay… so someone may have to talk me through it.
The New Langwill Index of Musical Wind-Instrument Makers places Rudall & Rose at that address for the period 1824-1837.
These are usually desirable instruments depending on condition and pitch, often worth the expense of restoring if not already in good playable condition.
It sounds as if you have acquired an interesting instrument that your girlfriend would appreciate, although you will have to determine if it plays at modern pitch should she wish to play along readily with other musicians at gatherings or music sessions.
Don’t take it to a music shop, find someone with experience with antique instruments near you - If you tell us what part of the UK you live in, then the flute restorers here will point you to the nearest one to you.
emmmh, no man, you just won on a lottery…
it’s your lucky day.
it is a very good valuable flute. a rare one.
sell it, about £ 1000 - £ 1800… maybe more
then buy 2 tickets for Istanbul or wherever your girl wish to go, and have a great holiday!
You can always buy a modern classical flute for £50 when you’re back from your holiday!
£10 …negotiated …
Never heard in life about such shameless fortune…
btw from the pics I would not ask anyone for restoring except Hammy Hamilton, a good number of people
could do a nice job, Hammy can restore it.
I would say 1,2k-1,8k easy sell.
Oh, and btw, it came in the original box, by the look of it - I don’t suppose there was a rod and a little round pot as well was there? If the whole kit’s together that will add to the value.
That looks one hell of a flute! I reckon the price estimates above are under-stated. Love that silver bit. Looks original too. And that is definitely the original case.
There should be a serial number stamped into it just under the address on the body section. Can you read the number? (Try one of those magnifying glasses with a built-in light.) It would be of interest to us, and it will definitely help if you’re selling it.
Are you on about the engraved number under the rudall & rose 15 Piazza Covent Garden
I am sure it reads 1331
The number and the address is really very faint i can only just about see it if i angle it to the light, There are 3 other faint markings on the other parts as well
This is how i cam to look on the net, i only came aware of the markings through cleaning all the muck off. It was absolutly filthy when i bought it caked in dust and dried mud.
Great find! Typical sleeve repair on the lower section, I like to remove thos and graft new Cocuswood. To reverse the repair. Should be a nice player when it is restored!
Yup, the silver sleeve on the lower body is almost certainly a socket crack repair. Looks a well done job, maybe even in-house. The touch levers for the foot ‘grasshopper’ keys are missing most likely due to the broken mounting block. There’s quite a bit of very specialist restoration needed, and replacing the missing keys won’t be cheap. But the flute is worth it. I agree, as is it ought to sell on eBay for well over £1k. Fully restored and playing well it would be worth considerably more. The best person to restore it, if he would take it on, would certainly be Chris Wilkes, but failing him, then Hammy. From your girlfriend’s point of view, much will depend on whether she has any interest in learning to play an antique flute - they have some significant differences from the modern Bohm flute. But however you look at it, you’ve hit the jackpot. Rudall & Rose are the Rolls Royce of C19th English flutes.
the silver sleeve on the lower body is almost certainly a socket crack repair. Looks a well done job, maybe even in-house.
yes, I perfectly agree. A boxwood version with the same silver sleeve was sold recently.
About the value, for an unprofessional-flute dealer, sold through ebay (so in 7 days time), I think should be more or less correct. I’ve good memory that amusing #2130 reach just a bit more than this amount.
