Chemnitzer Concertina!

Hey (from your host Bruce),

We got an informative email that I’ll include here:

—————

Bruce,

I looked at your blog about your recent find. It looks to be a 102-key
(51 button) chemnitzer concertina manufactured in Germany by Alfred
Arnold (note the “A” in the decorative badge on the front of the
instrument).

Ernest Arnold began manufacturing free reed instruments in Carlsfeldt,
Germany in 1864. His son Alfred took over the business some time
later, and then Alfred’s son Arno took over the business from him. The
Arnold family was best known for their bandonions / bandoneons.
However, they also produced many chemnitzer concertinas for export to
the United States prior to World War I. Once World War I began,
materials for constructing concertinas in Germany became scarce which
put an end to the import activity. That is what really prompted the
manufacture of instruments in the United States. Arno began to export
concertinas to the United States again in the 1950s and 1960s to offer
a less expensive alternative to the domestically produced models.

Arnold concertinas made while Alfred ran the company would have been
manufactured sometime between 1900 and 1940. I cannot date your
instrument exactly, but based upon the features and decorative
designs, I suspect that your Arnold concertina was manufactured
sometime between 1910 and 1930.

The early Arnold concertinas were well made, but suffer from being
vintage import instruments. As you may already know, these vintage
instruments are cherished more for their nostalgic value rather than
their musical quality. Most models do not offer the sound quality or
performance of instruments produced later in the United States when
more care was taken with design and material selection. These imported
instruments are generally not as desirable to today’s professional
musicians and serious hobbyists, although some specific early models
are known to be exceptional performers.

The original sales price depended on the number of buttons, sets and
types of reeds, and exterior finish. Prices fell within the range of a
couple of hundred to several hundred dollars; a lot of money during
those years.

Valuing these instruments is always difficult. So many variables can
affect their eventual sales price. An assessment must be made of the
instrument’s playing condition; do all buttons operate, do all reeds
operate, are there no air leaks (you can suspend the ‘box from one
handle with little or no leaks), is the finish good (no chips, cracks
or missing pieces), is the bellows leather good, is there a musty or
mildew odor, are all reeds in good tune, etc. Based on the photo that
you published, I believe that this is a double reed model (two reeds
sound for each button that is pressed) with 102 keys or tones (51
buttons) and that it is likely tuned to the key of C. This particular
instrument looks to be in fair cosmetic condition, and could be worth
between $200 and $400 in today’s market.

I hope that this information is helpful. Please let me know if you
have any other questions or if we can be of any other assistance.

Ken
___________________________________________________
Kenneth W. Yagelski
Executive Director
United States Concertina Association – ConcertinaMusic.com
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