Can you identify this Crown accordion?

[Britt]

This Accordion has been in my family for a long time. Unfortunately, my grandfather was the last family member with an interest in playing it and I am trying to identify it and see if I can find a buyer for it. A local music shop told me that it is somewhat unique.

If there are other photos that would help, I can easily take them. Thanks in advance for any help you could provide.

I'm near Chicago if anyone is interested in it and can offer a fair price for it.

 

[Chickers]

Hey Britt
I'm surprised other forum members have not responded to your post.
There certainly are numerous experts, and very knowledgeable members on this forum that should be able to
provide lots of facts and figures.
Unfortunately, I can' offer any expert opinion as to the age and / or worth of the Crown accordion, but it appears to be a nice looking
and a well built accordion. From an outside appearance if looks to be in nice condition.
Is there any kind of name tag on the back that would identify where it was manufactured ?
From it's outward appearance, it looks Italian built, and has features of Excelsior, and features of Guerrini, and features of Cruicinelli.
I don't know, but it's nice.
If I lived closer to Chicago, I would certainly be interested in looking at it .
There should be a nice home for it.
Take care, and I hope you find a good new home for it.
CHICKERS

 

[Ventura]

ok, fine

it is a Crown accordion

it says so right on the front

that's all that matters regarding identification

American brand's like this who never actually built accordions
or had factories would source the accordions from many different
builders over the years/decades, and relative quality was not
a factor of who built any specific example, but the specifications
the Crown company ordered when they contracted and paid for it.

no-one can say what the quality level of this or any other
jobber-brand accordion might be based on the factory it
physically came from, because whoever that was only followed
the orders of the company ordering and specifying the item..
If you had records from Crown, you might be able to look something
like this up and infer or guess at the original quality level

as it stands, it is likely a basic LMMH 4/5 reed accordion,
one of countless similar private label accordions from that era
and more or less quite generic

this one is from the 1950's, so it is easily 70 years old, and
since it has been sitting unused for a long time, needs a lot of
work/parts/money to get it back into reliable playable condition

it does appear to be a pro or semi-professional build, but the
condition and quality of the reeds will be the critical factor for value

finally, it absolutely is not an Excelsior or a Guerrini or a Cruicinelli

 

[Chickers]

VENTURA:
Got it. Well stated.
Thank you for a very good, and very subjective evaluation.
When it comes to knowledgeable accordion people=---The Forum has it.
My "observation" was that as an amateur accordion player, and I was trying to be helpful with a response to the original post.
Thanks again for the clarification.
CHICKERS

 

[Ventura]

it is pretty easy to "see" elements of various famous makers
(especially) in 3rd party branded models from the old days..
and a lot of that was very deliberate because the competition
was fierce back then, and the major brands owned the higher
price points.. the easiest way to get close to the premium
price was to fool people into thinking the bargain brand
was just as good, and the easiest way to get people to fall
for that was to make it look like they came from the same
factory. That still fools a lot of people on eBay and other platforms..

actually making no-name accordions just as good for real was
a very expensive and risky proposition..

there is so little actual reliable information about origin that
only looking closely at hundreds seeing them taken apart
figuring out the "tells" which are often well disguised

 

[Alan Sharkis]

You are absolutely correct. How many brands of accordions, including Scandalli, have grilles with diamond-shaped cutouts? I have such an accordion. Anybody want to guess who made it based on that information alone? (No, it’s not a Scandalli)

No takers? OK, I’ll give you all another clue. Many accordions with those grilles with the diamond-shaped cutouts have some feature or badge in the middle of the grille. Mine had one, but it doesn’t have that feature on its grille any more because a MIDI control panel is now in that place. But wait — here’s that clue. The word, “Armoniosa,” is spelled out on the accordion in a script-y letters. That may be a positive identifier for some of you, but not enough of you to really guess.

OK, let’s examine that word, “Armoniosa.” It’s clearly not a manufacturer’s name. There are several possibilities:

1. It used to be owned by somebody else with that name. (No, I bought it new.)

2. It’s a store brand name. (Logical guess, but, no.)

3. It’s the name of a model, or a line of models. (Well, now you’re getting close. The problem is that the manufacturer no longer makes them or allows dealers to advertise that line.)

4. It’s Chinese. (Sorry. There’s a “Made In Italy”! sticker on the back of the accordion.)

So, now where are we with identifying the manufacturer? We know it’s Italian, but probably not from any manufacturer in Castelfidardo or Stradella. I’ll give you one more clue: it was made in Vercelli.

Got it?

Good! The manufacturer is Cooperfisa. Any of you who guessed it, or remembered my mentioning it on this website can pat yourself on the back.

But you see, even without a picture, just a description, an accordion’s manufacturer can be found. But sometimes it takes an awful lot of digging to do.

 

[Ben-jammin]

I'm near Chicago if anyone is interested in it and can offer a fair price for it.

It might be worth taking it in to Romagnoli accordion co in Chicago. They should be able to evaluate the condition (nominal fee might be involved) and they might even be interested in selling it on consignment.

Trying to sell on an online platform can be problematic. if the instruments condition is overstated and defects aren’t disclosed, it will usually fall on the seller to pay for return shipping.

 

[JerryPH]

It looks very clean, well kept. Unfortunately, that does not mean it is without possible work. Accordions that are unplayed or not maintained will require a good amount of work. While very nice outside, likely the valves will need replacing and it may need a tune.

What is missing:
- the straps are not visible in the pic
- the back/chest pad

While neither are super expensive, they are an additional cost needed if they are not on the accordion.

Also, what I see that some missed is the 1/4" socket at the bottom. This accordion does not display any volume/tone knobs, that along with this socket tell me that it has the older crystal (or similar) kind of microphones. Unfortunately, these kinds of mics do not last long and the chances are high that this is no longer functional. If it is the more "modern" version that uses a 9-volt battery, I'd look to remove it as soon as possible, as all batteries over time leak acid, something you definitely don't want inside your box.