You see - this is a hobby of mine - buying things used, on the cheap. The entirety of my home furnishings save our mattresses and a few IKEA bookcases are used. I have gotten quite good at spotting bargains. People list things without complete names or with misspellings, or list them so poorly that their descriptions steer people away.
However, with an accordion, you simply do not know what you are getting for a playing condition without looking inside and hearing it play. And since the vast majority of them (especially?) in the United States have sat in basements and attics in old people's homes, the chances of it being in bad condition is really high. The older person dies and then the family liquidates the property and it's contents and they list things like, "I don't play accordion, but all the buttons/keys work and sound comes out of it." That tells you absolutely NOTHING.
Like right now there is a highly sought after small melodeon for sale on eBay. Don't get too excited to buy it as I'm writing this post more than a week in advance of it's posting date to Blogger. Of course, it's possible it's still not sold as this is the third time it's been listed and the seller drops the price by $50 each time. This club accordion is called the Liliput Hohner. The seller has the starting bid at $149 and buy it now at $199. It is listed as "accordian". Not even button accordian, or diatonic accordian. I found it by searching for Liliput Hohner.
This is the listing description:
This is the listing description:
This tells me nothing but the exterior cosmetics. Absolutely nothing. It's also being sold by someone who sells for a living I think - buying things at flea markets or estate sales which I can glean from the sheer quantity he sells and his seller's name.
Vintage Hohner "Liliput" small (miniature?) accordion from the 1940's with original case.
Accordian measures 9" X 9 1/8" X 5". Good condition with little wear. Plays well but I'm not familiar with the sound of this instrument so it may need to be tuned. Original leather hand and neck strap, straps have light wear. Hohner name and "Liliput" on top surface of accordion, on the colored surface, The cloth screening behind the metal frill appears to be a little loose at the bottom and the wood front has surface wear to the black paint, from use (see fourth and seventh photo). All the buttons work well, with none sticking and the center ballast has no holes and no deterioration. No chips, cracks, marks or damage to the marbleized colored surfaces. The case has some interior and exterior wear, the metal front locking latch has surface rust, the latch does work but I don't have the key to lock the latch. The original carrying handle is firmly attached to the case.
When I was talking with Ron Uhlenhopp when I was first starting my journey of finding an accordion, he told he that refurbishing one could by $300-$600 in repairs - depending on the internal damages/wear. Well, all of a sudden that $149 instrument doesn't seem so cheap!
And that is going to be difficult for me as I will need to rely on refurbishers to get any accordions and there goes some of the savings. I wonder how much of the guesswork they make too in purchasing these older instruments? Like, do they buy it low and "hope" they can flip it for profit? Probably.
And what is a bargain then - Most of the time the Liliput is listed on eBay for around $400 USD. On secondhand sites that refurish them, they are listed (and sell) for between $650 and $750. So, it is true this one at $149 is very likely to be a good deal.
I'm tempted by this one for another reason too - it's a club version and is small and lightweight. It could be a good learning instrument that has the different bellow action that I may or may not prefer. It's also good for resale (without losing much on it) as there is a market for these when they are in good condition.
See, I have MAD before even starting to play. It is taking everything in my power to not buy it! And we will see if I do or not. I might ask Scott about it to see if it's worth buying and him refurbishing. He might buy it for his shop for resale!
Lest you think I don't have my eye on other ones, you know me so little. Here are others tempting me:
This one for $199:
This one for $359
This one for $999.
This one for $1020
Editing to add... That Hohner Liliput now on it's way to getting refurbished. I bout it for $149. I could not resist. The good news is, I am now no longer wanting to try another new box. I have a traditional 2 row on the way and a club style on the way. I will learn pretty quickly which way is easier for me to learn from.
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