George Jones 20 button C/G Anglo  #537 circa 1859 

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Comments

This is an example of a very early Gorge Jones (b. 1832) Anglo concertina made after he took over the shop and workshop of his employer, Jabez Austin, who had drunk himself to death in 1853 (Jones had  previously worked for  Wheatstone, Skates and Nickolds) . This concertina was probably made about 1859 at 3, Crombies Road to the North of Commercial Road in London. The rosewood ends, hardwood action pans and rivotted actions are beautifully made. The concertina has no labels or trademarks but does have a pencilled inscription stating that it was a gift from a grandfather to his grandson in 1873. There is also a Faversham dealer's stamp on one of the reed pans but this is faint and the name has not been decyphered yet.

George Jones is credited as the first person to make quality Anglo-German concertinas in London and this is one of his earliest. The biologist in me likes to think that the person who bought this concertina in 1859 went out the next day and bought a first edition of  Mr Darwin's new book............

 

 

Historical context: 1859 

  • Charles Darwin publishes The Origin of Species
  • Oregon is admitted as the 33rd U.S. state.
  • Charles Dickens publishes A Tale of Two Cities.
  • Ground is broken for the Suez Canal.
  • The chimes of Big Ben ring for the first time in London.
  • Sir Arthur Conan Doyle born (d. 1930).
  • John Brown, American abolitionist hanged (b. 1800).

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    Features

    keys:  C/G

    tuned to modern pitch: NO

    reeds:  brass & steel

    ends:   rosewood

    bellows:  5 fold

    box: Leatherette covered softwood

    general condition:  unrestored

    for sale:  NO

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