Recent auction purchase-Giulietti Mother of Pearl Italy

[onesilverfox]

I recently acquired this beautiful accordion at an estate sale. I'm trying to make a living by selling things I find. I have no idea what it's worth. Can some one help me. Of the 5 keys on the front 4 have fallen off, but I have them. One of the many black buttons looks like the top has come off. Button is still there. It does not smell musty or show signs of mildew. It has metal snaps that lock it closed. I know nothing about musical instruments. This also came with a hard, velvet lined case. It is mother of pearl on both the case of the accordion & the keys. It does say Made in Italy. I'm in USA if that makes any difference.
Thanks so much for any help you can share with me.
Ruth

 

[JIM D.]

You have a late 40s early 50s student model accordion made by the Zero Sette factory in Italy. It was imported to the US by the Julio Giulietti firm of Westfield, MA and sold under the firms name. The button you speak of with the top missing is a button that has been drilled to identify it as the note C. The treble side should be a 3 reed LMH and a 4 reed bass machine. The loose treble shifts can be reattached and are not a serious problem. The accordion itself seems clean but its playability will have to be checked to determine an exact value. Depending on its playability it could fetch between $300 to $750 USD. See here -- http://www.giuliettiusa.com/history/

 

[onesilverfox]

Thank you Jim. I had already visited that site in my search to learn more. I was assuming that it was something from Julio's era because of the initials. Thanks for the conformation. How, not being musically inclined, can I judge it's playability?
Thanks again.
Ruth

 

[JIM D.]

Where are you located ??? If you don't want to post it here, send me a PM.

 

[onesilverfox]

South central Pennsylvania, about 25 miles west of Gettysburg.

 

[JIM D.]

Hi Ruth; I was hoping to know of a accordionist or dealer that would be close to your location but could not find anyone close to you. I could help you out on Skype if you have it on your PC.

 

[onesilverfox]

A friend at the area music school knows a player in a neighboring town. I appreciate your offer, but I don't think I have Skype. I also don't have a smart phone. One of my son's friends is a young, local music teacher. I may ask her to look at it as well. May I use the information you shared with me if and when I list this on ebay? Any other suggestions or help would be appreciated. Thanks so much.
Ruth

 

[JIM D.]

Yes, feel free to use the info. If this one has good compression and all the notes play I would start the bidding at $500.00. All the Giulietti accordion models, from any date in time, were noted for their excellent construction.

 

[Russ]

Try Liberty Bellows in Philly

http://www.libertybellows.com/

 

[JIM D.]

Yes Russ; A very well known firm, but they have a business that has a high overhead and spends quite a bit on advertising. Any appraisal of value will come at a price.

 

[onesilverfox]

Philly is a good 3 hour drive for me. I sent them photos and the offered me $100. I think I'll take my chances on ebay.

 

[JIM D.]

Typical; They should have offered $ 150.00

 

[Russ]

O, OK. I thought you just wanted an appraisal, not to try to sell it to them. - I would never sell to a music store because it is understood that they have to make their profit and do any necessary repairs and give a guarantee. And having said that for all they know they are taking a gamble unless they actually see or hear the accordion. I would also, myself, hesitate to spend 500.00 on an accordion, unless the person selling it could tell me about it, knew what good compression was what the notes should sound like, if the valves and the wax are ok, if the notes are responding and not sticking, etc, that is the value of an appraisal, you know what you are selling and that your description is accurate. I mean the accordion could be worth 500+ on the other hand it could be more expensive to repair than it is worth.

 

[onesilverfox]

I'm sorry you misunderstood what my goal was, Russ. In my first posting I said I was trying to make a living flipping what I find at estate sales. I really didn't pay very much at all for this instrument so even selling it at $150 I would make a sizable profit. But because I'm a single woman with no job, a mortgage, and overdue taxes, I would like to get the true worth of the instrument and not give it away because of stupidity. Thus I sought out what I thought would be a knowledgeable source to learn more. I appreciate all the information shared with me. My son does play the piano, guitar, and trombone. He did make some pleasant sounds with the accordion.
Thanks again everyone.

 

[Happy girl]

You sound like a lovely lady Ruth: A sensible & busy one at that, so here’s a thought for you:

This may sound preposterous to you, & it may be, but why not pick up your beautiful acquisition & have a go at learning to play? You have everything going for you in your a talented son who will help you with the basics.

And who knows, before you can say ‘Jack Robinson’ (Or whatever your expression is over the pond) you could get hooked & you will be on your way to a worthwhile hobby with the added bonus of a channel to relieve the many stresses which life has a habit of throwing at us.

as you have already experienced, members of this forum are superb at encouragement & advice; so what is there to lose?

So Ruth, here’s my challenge….. Give it 3 months & let us know how you get on…… I will not be the only one awaiting news of your progress with baited breath.

Good luck & best wishes Happy Girl.

 

[donn]

that is the value of an appraisal, you know what you are selling and that your description is accurate. I mean the accordion could be worth 500+ on the other hand it could be more expensive to repair than it is worth.

I would like to get the true worth of the instrument and not give it away because of stupidity.

Russ explained how to do that. You need an appraisal, in person. In my opinion, musical instruments are not a very good business for people who know nothing about them. You cant look up values for them, because the value is not simply determined by name and date (unless were talking about antique instruments, which this isnt.) You may succeed in getting a profit out of this item, but not knowing what youve sold, you run a strong risk of disappointing the buyer, which is the sort of thing that can cost you more in the long run.

 

[onesilverfox]

Thanks for the encouragement to take up a new hobby, Happy Girl, but it's not for me. I express my artistic side through needle felting and basket making.
I really don't need an exact estimate of the value here, just a ballpark figure, which is what I got.
Like I said, I got this item very cheap (less than $20 - yes- less than twenty dollars). All I needed to know was about where to begin pricing it. The experts here told me that. I've listed it on ebay, starting at $495. I did this about 12 hours ago and already have 22 views, 3 watchers, and 2 people asking if I will ship to Brazil. The pickers I compete with are interested in old glass, tools, etc. I've found I can pick up instruments cheap and make a very good profit, even if I know nothing about them. I've purchased 2 lap harps, one for $1.25 and sold it for $25, and one for $60 that I sold for $300. Both of these were face to face transactions, so the buyer saw & played the instrument.
Without the advice of this forum, I would have started pricing around $200, or ten times what I paid. By getting the rough estimated value, I had a better and more profitable starting point. I hate to say it, but for me it's all about the money.
Thanks again for all the help.

 

[Russ]

I would hate to see a new player or a kid get this who wants to learn to play and have an instrument and knows nothing about accordions. he or she might be in for a very sad lesson.

 

[onesilverfox]

I wouldn't be a top rated ebay seller if I wasn't upfront and honest about what I am selling. I have included multiple picture, stated that the keys were off, and that I know nothing about it. I offer 14 day money back on all my sales. I have never had anything returned. Some "kid" isn't going to pay $500 for it. I have a bidder out of Brazil, willing not only to pay $495 for it as described, but also $250 to ship it to him. Why be so negative Russ?

 

[Russ]

I am sure you are a great ebay dealer, and your policies are fair.I am more concerned because accordions are not like other instruments, they deteriorate with age and need upkeep. New players and buyers are often not aware of the right questions to ask and if the seller does not know about accordions the seller really can not tell the person what kind of condition the instrument is really in. Because if it it is falling apart on the outside (which it is) who knows what problems there are on the inside. People that don't know a lot about accordions don"t realize how expensive it is to repair them (I mean really expensive), and a new learner thinking he or she is getting a deal often winds up having wasted their money on a box not worth fixing. And kids (or their parents) often wind up easily paying 500 plus for an accordion for their children to start on - a decent starter accordion is not cheap. Hopefully this person in Brazil knows what he/she is doing: 750 for that accordion in that shape seems quite a bit. Just my own opinion of course.