This instrument has been professionally repaired by the Box Place in December 2025, as follows:

- A few bellows leaks (not obvious to me) were found and repaired. The bellows show 3 visible areas of repair. 

- 9 keys were repaired. A few other notes needed attention too, and were repaired. 

- The most obvious keys where air was escaping due to eroded felt pads were fixed.

- Broken spring on the lower B on the left side rectified.

- Machine screw securing the left thumbstrap replaced with a wood screw which also required grafting a new piece of timber into the action board for the screw to fix into.

- Left side has 3 notable time-honoured cracks, all visible in the photos: one passing through the thumb strap region, another apparently a continuation of this, near an end bolt, and the third nearer to the finger rest, perpendicular to the other cracks, and leading to another end bolt. The left side woodwork was stabilised with regard to the cracks.

- New thumbstraps were put in. 

- The locking mechanism for the carry case no longer works


The concertina is sold as working. There may still be transient raspiness with a few keys, but this passes within minutes of playing. The concertina nevertheless needs a full overhaul in order for it to be professionally playable, i.e. in performances - as follows:

3. Action overhaul with new pads, end bushings and lever bushings
4. The bellows will need to be replaced sooner or later  

You could expect a cost of around £800 for these ultimate repairs - but bear in mind that the concertina would be worth around £1,200-£1,800 with these ultimate repairs.


Information borrowed from a slightly earlier serial number 232, found at the Concertina Museum website, page CM00269.htm 

A Cramer & Co "Artist's Concertina" - a 48-Key English system, Principal Serial No. 236, likely from 1880, which may have been supplied from the Wheatstone manufactory. The instrument shows many features of the post-1848 Lachenal-influenced design, with machine-cut frets with chamfered edges. The reeds are now in long-scale round-ended brass reed-frames with single small riveted steel tongues, and there is now no annular pan-label.

Maker: C Wheatstone.

Region of Manufacture: London

Main Maker's Label Wording: Inset gilt metal oval label, flush to RH embouchure: "Selected by Richard Blagrove. Cramer & Co Artist's Concertina".

Principal Serial Number: 236. This serial number appears on the LH sub-fret Chamois baffle, and would also be present on many other parts of the instrument.


Summary: Simple machine-cut black-painted mahogany fretwork with bevelled edges.

End Shape: Hexagonal.

End Sides: Six.

End Diameter: 155mm.

End-Profile: Flat, with chamfered edges, and a black-varnished finish.

End Material: Single-ply black stained mahogany ends, in a simple machine-cut style.

End Bolts: Medium height cheese-head brass bolts.

Fret Pattern: Simple machine-cut fretwork pattern, chamfered edges.

Label Embouchure Pattern: Oval to RH, scalloped shape to LH.

Strap Screw-insert type: Inset circular brass rectangle with two steel securing screws.

Finger-rest: New format moulded nickel finger rests, bevelled edge to frets, three securing screws. [NOTE: You can cushion the finger rests using extremely cheap self-adhesive hat-resizing bands, available all over eBay and elsewhere - just cut them to size with ordinary scissors]



Fingering System: English.

Fingering System Compass: Low G to high c.

Keys/Buttons Quantity: 48 Keys.

Keys/Buttons Material: Flat-Nickel-capped keys with fat wooden cores and pegs.

Keys/Buttons Labelling: None.

Keys/Buttons Bushing: Dark felt bushing to all keys.

Keys/Buttons Base Mounting: Standard peg, single very thick white felt washer per key.

Air Button method: None.

Effects Buttons: None.
    


Wheatstone & Co. were founded in 1824, and survived until 1974. In 1975 the company was refounded by Steve Dickinson.

C. Wheatstone & Co was established in London, England by Charles Wheatstone (uncle to Sir Charles and William Dolman Wheatstone) at the beginning of the 19th Century. They moved to 20 Conduit Street, London, England in 1824. After the death of William in 1862, the firm was taken over by Edward Chidley, a distant relation. Edward Chidley died in 1899, and the firm was then controlled by his sons Edward and Percy. In 1905 the firm moved to 15 West Street.

After the death of the younger Edward Chidley in 1943, part of the firm was sold to Besson & Co., who were taken over by Boosey & Hawkes in 1948. In 1958 they moved to Duncan Terrace, Islington, North London. In 1961 the Duncan Terrace property was sold, and the remains of Wheatstone & Co. were moved to the Boosey & Hawkes factory in Edgware, Middlesex. The company ceased trading on the death of its last employee in 1974.