If I were rich...
I would have been able to buy an accordion this morning.
Yesterday the church had a silent auction to benefit a family in the congregation. We weren't able to go, so I don't really know what all was there. (It apparently went very well, though, as they raised like $10,000.) In Sunday School, though, they did mention that one of our favorite old ladies, Sally, had an old accordion up for auction that no one had bought.
I got very excited.
See, there's a lot of my dad in me. He owns a Civil War-era tuba, another old tuba, a trombone, a trumpet, I think he still has a banjo...the piano, the electric organ, the pump organ...hmm. That might be it, actually. But anyway, he likes old instruments, and there is some genetic piece of me that goes "Ooooh! Old stuff I'll never use!" that it is particularly strong about instruments. I personally have two alto saxophones (although one is really crap) and a bari sax, along with a tin flute and a cheap wooden fife. But an old accordion! How cool!
Sally took us out to the trunk of her car and showed us the instrument. It was beautiful. Really, it was breathtaking. The only minor flaw was that some of the rhinestones had fallen out of their settings, but the keys were in perfect condition, the bellows part looked great, the finish was this beautiful silver...wow, yeah. Just gorgeous! She told us some of the history while we were walking. Turns out she bought it in the 1940s, sometime between when she graduated at 17 and got married at 21. She also bought it used, so it's probably even older than that. She played a little bit, learned a few songs, but it was pretty heavy and pretty huge for her so after she got married it just kind of sat in the case in a closet. There was some music in the case, as well, from the 1930s, some of which was hers and some of which was her husband's, who also apparently played accordion for a little bit.
But alas, there was no way I could afford it. No price was named, but all I could offer was $100 and she bought it for $140 in the 1940s. I guess last night people were saying it could be worth a few thousand dollars now, which I totally believe, and I think she's right for holding out for more money. I would have felt like I was cheating her even if she had accepted my small amount.
But boy...was that thing pretty!
Yesterday the church had a silent auction to benefit a family in the congregation. We weren't able to go, so I don't really know what all was there. (It apparently went very well, though, as they raised like $10,000.) In Sunday School, though, they did mention that one of our favorite old ladies, Sally, had an old accordion up for auction that no one had bought.
I got very excited.
See, there's a lot of my dad in me. He owns a Civil War-era tuba, another old tuba, a trombone, a trumpet, I think he still has a banjo...the piano, the electric organ, the pump organ...hmm. That might be it, actually. But anyway, he likes old instruments, and there is some genetic piece of me that goes "Ooooh! Old stuff I'll never use!" that it is particularly strong about instruments. I personally have two alto saxophones (although one is really crap) and a bari sax, along with a tin flute and a cheap wooden fife. But an old accordion! How cool!
Sally took us out to the trunk of her car and showed us the instrument. It was beautiful. Really, it was breathtaking. The only minor flaw was that some of the rhinestones had fallen out of their settings, but the keys were in perfect condition, the bellows part looked great, the finish was this beautiful silver...wow, yeah. Just gorgeous! She told us some of the history while we were walking. Turns out she bought it in the 1940s, sometime between when she graduated at 17 and got married at 21. She also bought it used, so it's probably even older than that. She played a little bit, learned a few songs, but it was pretty heavy and pretty huge for her so after she got married it just kind of sat in the case in a closet. There was some music in the case, as well, from the 1930s, some of which was hers and some of which was her husband's, who also apparently played accordion for a little bit.
But alas, there was no way I could afford it. No price was named, but all I could offer was $100 and she bought it for $140 in the 1940s. I guess last night people were saying it could be worth a few thousand dollars now, which I totally believe, and I think she's right for holding out for more money. I would have felt like I was cheating her even if she had accepted my small amount.
But boy...was that thing pretty!