clough and warren pump organ

[philljo]

Hi everyone
im looking for some information on a pump organ that my partner is trying to value for his boss, its a clough and warren and i think the serial number is 99830 its hard to see on the plate, i will add some images[=CONFIG]30316[/ATTACH]
any info would be greatly appreciated
regards Jo

[Silken Path]

Hi, Jo - Welcome to the organ forum. It's really hard to say what a pump organ is worth. I can tell you that I paid $100 for an 1899 Kimball that was playable within the last year. Pump organ enthusiasts are not numerous anymore, and they don't price out like valuable antiques. An experienced eye often sees the defects and repairs needed as liabilities and that devalues the organ in their estimation. Another member said once that they've been given great organs and paid $300 for junk, but that discussion was about some upmarket models.

To further identify the organ, you can look here:

http://www.reedsoc.org/

Select "ROS Database" in the left-hand menu and then put "Clough" in the search term box.

I think he should offer his boss $100 for it, bring it home, and learn to play it. That's the real value of a reed organ. You can ploink on it, and they sound rather soothing. Some people become nostalgic when they see it, and many folks have stories about them. My mom tells the tale of the church organ that had to be pumped faster and faster as it aged and the organist that developed powerful legs. :)

Jo - I wouldn't go over $100 unless it's playable, and then I wouldn't go far above it.

[SubBase]

None of your pics provide enough info to determine if it may be anything more than run-of-the-mill; a pic of the stops will help.

[Organfella]

Hello and welcome to this Forum. My "standard" answer to a question regarding the worth of an aged item such as a pump organ is usually: It is worth as much as a prospective buyer is prepared to pay for it. Lamar has commented on the normal reactions to people considering to buy one of these. Invariably they need lots of work and it is seldom that one is found in proper playing condition - else why would people sell them otherwise? Then there are those who really just like the look of the old cabinets with their appealing features of craftsmanship of years gone by - those are the nostalgics and they may even be prepared to pay much more for it than what it is worth as a musical instrument.
If there is a prospective buyer on the horizon perhaps it is a good idea to find out what he/she wants it for. Most people interested in these want to hear it play so that puts us right back into square A, meaning it will need to be repaired, restored or whatever.... difficult question at best.

Good luck!

Nico

[Silken Path]

None of your pics provide enough info to determine if it may be anything more than run-of-the-mill; a pic of the stops will help.

Jo, SubBase brought up a good point, too. At the turn of the century before last, these things were common in homes. They were "music" in the days before radio and phonographs. They had reached commodity status, with many manufacturers throughout the country, and like commodities, they had to be economical. Most of them were like my Kimball, mass-produced and mass-marketed.

But some were made for serious playing and had advanced features. For example, a sub-base stop pulled in a set of reeds that played below the standard reeds. This can bring a little more at sale.

So we'd need a picture of the row of stops to determine how the organ is equipped.

Did I mention that reed organs are easy to play?