A rare occurrence indeed. There’s a Wilkes keyless D flute, looks to be a Pratten model, on E-bay just now. African blackwood, wide silver rings, silver end cap, silver foot cap, wooden box. Corked tenons, not thread. I though Chris usually used thread. I wonder how old the flute is? The label in the box is very different to my Rudall model from 2000, so perhaps this is a recently made flute? Ah, I see the seller bought the flute in 2009. Location Southlake, Texas, does this invoke CITES as the flute is made of African blackwood?
Buy it now $2600 (€2,099) (£1867) (Swedish crowns 20817)
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Wilkes-keyless-Blackwood-Flute-with-silver-rings-head-lining-key-of-D/273066023947?hash=item3f9400dc0b:g:Q9UAAOSwFLBabqxV
That link is Ebay UK, here’s the Ebay USA listing
Yes CITES for shipping African Blackwood across international borders is now required. See flutemaker Casey Burns’ posts on this complex topic.
E-bay listing ended yesterday with no bids on the flute made at all.
Probably because the BIN price was ridiculously over-the-top and even the starting price was discouragingly high. Wonderful and hard to come by as Chris’s flutes are, I don’t think anyone is going to pay that for a keyless, even with the engine decorated silverwork. The starting price is at the upper end of what would be reasonable to expect to get for this flute, IMO.
what’s that $2600 price tag all about?
I saw this and thought it had sold for that price…and I was ready to put my Wilkes keyed Bb flute up for sale! lol
The Wilkes keyless is on offer again, same high price so probably no bids:
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Wilkes-keyless-Blackwood-Flute-with-silver-rings-head-lining-key-of-D/273078070055?_trkparms=pageci%3Acf09fea4-18c6-11e8-8b6d-74dbd1809aec|parentrq%3Ac3e8f27b1610abc6549b4f91fffb81a2|iid%3A1&_trksid=p2481888.c100675.m4236
Sold for $1900 (approximately £1,368.78)