I’m considering putting my as-new O’Riordan high D whistle up for sale, its one of the wood body/delrin (I think) fipple, with brass rings and tuning slide. Dated and signed Pat O’Riordan 1999. I bought it from a friend who never played it, and I’ve played it maybe an hour.
Anyone want to guess what it might be worth on the open market? I see that even the metal bodied O’Riordan instruments are going on eBay for nearly $500.00.
I just don’t play it much, an old Copeland brass high D is my weapon of choice.
O’Riordan’s haven’t had a stable Ebay market value…I’m thinking that the market is small-ish, so it mostly depends on who has the right amount of spare money at the time that you sell.
But I’d imagine you get between $500 and $700 for it. I’ve seen them as high as $850-ish, but I think that was before they started showing up more often for sale.
Amazing to me too. And the fact that it’s almost not been played in seven years would give me pause. Too good to play? Not good enough? Preserved as an investment? Lost in a sock drawer?
I’m sure it’s good, and having heard your playing, I’m sure a well-recorded clip will help you get a reasonable price!
I have an O’Riordan made in 1988 that has both a D and C barrel. The D never played well but I did get some use from the C. I was told on good authority that if I returned it to Pat he would correct the voicing, But I have no idea how to contact him. A recent sale on eBay sold the same set for ~8oo. I am not interested in selling, but would like to get the darn thing fixed.
windybaer, if you check out the high-end whistle list, scroll down to Patrick O’Riordan – an address and phone number is given. They might be worth a try. Or if they aren’t someone else will chime in and help, I hope.
I traded an O’Riordan C/D set and an Overton low C for a Copeland Low D. It has no serial number, so I’m guessing that it’s an older model…maybe even made by Copeland himself. The trade was worth it. I hardly played the other whistles, and the Copeland is the best.
Thanks for the feedback. To conclude my part… I was able to have both barrels and mouthpiece cleaned and re-oiled by Pat and now have practically a new whistle (old design), and am very pleased with it. He was able to detect that I had been a smoker from the residue that he removed when cleaning and oiling. Thanks to those who pointed me in the right direction.
Even the metal bodied O’Riordans…? I have Travelers in D/C, Bflat/A, G, and D, and the Bflat/A and G are the best in key of any whistles I’ve ever tried; the others are just great. Don’t knock the metal till you’ve tried 'em (and if you do, they’ll probably still be just fine with no oiling required).
