Hi,
I just found an Ebony Simple System Flute that belonged to my Great-Grandfather. I want to learn to play it but my Grandfather says that if it’s worth a lot of money I can’t. Does anyone know what it might be worth? It has some writing on it something like “C. Pelouset New York 1435” it’s worn down so you can’t really see that well. It has 6 holes and 8 mechanical keys and a metal mouthpiece.
I have one more question, are Simple System Flutes like penny whistles in that it only plays in one key? I have a penny whistle(Tin Whistle) and am getting tired of having to sit out on some nice songs. 
If anyone has any info it will be much appreciated. 
Thanks!!
Hey, can you post some photos? We’d love to see the flute, and that might help someone here tell you more about it.
A keyed flute is fully chromatic, so it can be played in virtually any key, although playing in some keys will certainly be easier than playing in others…
Loren
I think the name is C. Peloubet and there are a couple of his flutes in the Dayton Miller Collection"
http://memory.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/D?dcm:1:./temp/~ammem_gwOm::
Dave
My personal feeling (but, then, I don’t have to argue with a grandfather about this) is that this flute should be broken in carefully, restored if necessary, and then played, not collected in case it’s worth something. Let’s say it is worth a bit; it will still not likely be as much as your grandfather might expect. Unlike violins and other instruments, rare flutes still don’t bring in huge dollars. For eg, a top London made flute from this time period, assuming it’s a marked Rudall, Boosey, etc., and in fine shape, might range between $2 and $5,000. Now, I’m not aware of similar prices on US made flutes, so I doubt you’d get into that area, but – even if the flute was museum-worthy – you are still talking in single digit thousand dollar area. This may seem like a lot of money for something found in an attic, but it’s really not much more, by our standards, than if you saved for a new fully keyed Grinter or other modern maker, and here you have a really nice antique that is probably worth more as an instrument than as a relic.
I guess what I’d find out first, (if you don’t know already) is what your grandfather thinks “worth a lot of money” means. Secondly, I’d still have it restored to playing condition, as this will increase its value anyway. Once it’s restored and then (slowly) broken in, playing it should not harm its value, either, so you could learn on it and then decide if (a you really want to play flute and b) you really want to own and play this flute or c) you want to sell it, split the money with Grandpa and get a more modern, probably better intoned, wooden flute you find more appropriate to whatever music it is you plan to play. Since you play whistle, I assume ITM – this flute might be a great classical flute, but not a great ITM flute.
In the end, though, an antique instrument not being played and/or not being displayed or studied is not worth much to anyone.
Gordon
I’m with Gordon here. Enlist the help of your parents to talk with your grandfather (if you can). I would just about die to have a family flute that’s just been gather dust for years so I could have a keyed flute for free (although if I died, it would defeat the purpose of having a flute to play 
).
Gordon is right about the price of old flutes vs a new one - it may be worth a little more than a new keyed flute, but probably not worth much more and the waiting list for most good, keyed flutes is years…
Eric
Um, dmcr35, that link didn’t work for me…
Hi Nano
Try a search for Dayton C. Miller Flute Collection.
Dave
Thanks!
You might try dropping a line to David Migoya, one of our resident restorers, valuators and all around great guy. He might be able to give you an idea of the value, and cost to restore, etc.
Aodhan
I also believe Dave is correct in assuming that this flute is from Flute Maker…
Chabrier de Peloubet
Maker from 1836 to 1850
Bloomfield New Jersey
Info from Dayton Miller
Sample photo:
http://memory.loc.gov/dcmflute/0000/0073/0073fr.jpg
From the Makers fabrication dates I will assume this is a valuable antique that may not be in modern standard tuning but “old scientific” etc. If the Date is 1835, not 1435 this could be a “first edition” and be even more valuable. Sorry buddy! Don’t fret though, used simple system flutes are cheap and plentiful!
Thomas Hastay.
The 1435 on the flute is very probably the serial number of the flute (ie, number 1435 that the maker made), rather than the date. However, some research into the dates that he made flutes and how many he made should let you make a guess as to the year that number 1435 was made.
Steven
Sounds like it is indeed a Chabrier de Peloubet flute, made in NY between 1829-1836. He moved the shop to NJ (and factory) in 1836, where he continued until 1881. He died in 1885 at the happy age of 79.
Anyway…worth is relative. Don’t be misled by it being a part of the Dayton C. Miller collection. He collected thousands of flutes of all kinds, from the exotic (such as Alexander the Great’s flute) as well as the mundane (dozens of nose flutes from Tahiti).
Patrick Olwell is fascinated by Peloubet flutes, probably because he has a taste for the French style of small-holed instruments. Peloubet flutes are quite good, or at least can be.
Chances are as an American-made flute (after all, he was born in Philadelphia…daddy, flutemaker Louis Alexander de Peloubet was born in Franch, then came to the USA in 1803 by way of Germany after escaping from prison. He was sentenced to death by a revolutionary war tribunal following his service in the French Royal army…anyway…innocuous history) it is in pitch at 440, or Low Pitch for the USA at the time.
I just sold a Peloubet recently, not able to get to the restoration work on it myself, so I passed it along with a Baack flute, german fellow in America.
hope this all helps somewhat!
dm
Wow! Thank you so much for all your responses! Sorry I haven’t written back, my computer crashed and it took a while to get everything back to normal. I can’t get pictures on here, I don’t have a digital camra or a scanner. Grandpa’s flute looks like the one pictured on the post of Thomas-Hastay only much darker. I forgot to say in my last post that one of the keys is broken off, but I have the key and the piece of ebony. I’ll tell Grandpa eveything you folks told me and keep you posted on the out come. I don’t know how much money is a lot but I’ll find out. Thanks again! This place is amazing!! [/b]