This is a 63-Key Lachenal Edeophone (?) with steel reeds. It has fully functioning pads and valves, and is tuned to concert pitch (A=440hz).

You probably have many questions from looking at the pictures of this concertina, and it’s probably fair to say that we have exactly the same ones as you! We’ve never seen a concertina like this- we always cite the risks of a standard Edeophone rolling, so this is a step further! It has Edeophone 12-sided bellows, but the ends and reedpan are completely round. Weirdly, it appears that the ends for this concertina were made the wrong way around, as the makers-label-section is on the wrong side, and the thumbstrap and finger-holders seem to have been attached in unintended places due to the ends being flipped over. It’s a bigger instrument due to the number of notes/reeds, but unfortunately we’re used to measuring across the flats as opposed to diameter! It’s a good player in some respects, with a rounded tone and especially lovely sound from the lower notes- however the keys do feel to be slightly different to a standard concertina in relation to where notes are relative to the thumbstraps, meaning that a little adjustment period is probably necessary before playing.

This is a very difficult concertina to price. We always base our prices on playability rather than rarity, and it’s no secret that this isn’t a concertina in perfect condition- it was never perfect from its manufacture, and the design is flawed in a number of ways. But it is almost unquestionably one-of-a-kind, and a piece of Lachenal’s history that, whilst baffling, is incredibly interesting.

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