Hello, I have come across this flute and I was wondering if it was worth anything...

Photo: https://twitter.com/MoneyGang_/status/213081240440545282/photo/1

Oh - it's a 6 key block mounted simple system flute!

Sorry - you won't get much replies here - it's mostly Boehm heads around here (Boehm being a type of flute design) who don't appreciate the qualities of the romantic flute.

I had a simple system flute like this but the head was beyond repair. Mostly collectors are into the Potter, Astor, D'Almaine ones. After a hundred plus years, they don't have that magic 'grail' sound, but they do have wood worm; mould; cracks, hairlines, and elephant parts which are a big no no in today's CITES world. Plus the ivory tends to yellow as a dental product, since no one brushes their ivory end caps twice a day.

A modern simple system flute by a contemporary maker can cost from £600 - £3000+. The vintage ones (not for collectors) sell for about half the bottom end of that market maybe? I'm no expert, but I paid about £200 for unnamed simple system vintage flutes: the name on all the parts and no cracks/missing parts makes it reasonable to expect double for it (I think)!

If you're after the collectors market, you could try the antiques market or historical re-enactment groups. Maybe the usual auction houses, but they do charge commission for sales, and even shops in the city, will charge up to 20% if they sell your flute for you. Most simple system flute players keep the tradition of simple system flutes alive by supporting modern makers.

Good luck!

Oh xhxt.

I was thinking something wasn't quite normal about this flute and I just noticed something was unusual.

It's a left handed flute!

There goes 80% of the potential market. Any left handers (20%) interested in a simple system (<10%) vintage (<10%) English (dwindling % interest).... :/

It's ok - panic over. It's not a left handed flute.

It just doesn't have a long F nat key. I mean, it does have a long F nat key (as well as the short F nat key), only the long F nat key is rather short...

Please excuse my left handed panic above :D

Looks like it has the potter pewter plug keys on it:

http://www.oldflutes.com/english.htm
http://orgs.usd.edu/nmm/WilliamPotter.html

Buggers to restore to playing condition.

Joe B

Nicely & succinctly put Joe!

It looks like this flute has appeared for sale on ebay.co.uk with a different picture. Item #160836351623. I'm always wary of these 'urgent' sales. I feel they are just pushing buyers to put in bids without asking questions.

It's not an 'urgent' sale but I don't have the time for it to go to auction. With questions, there's not much help I can be a I know nothing about flutes other than the valuations the auction houses etc have given me.