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I recently opened an antiques, vintage, and collectibles shop with my best friend, Maria. Within this shop, I also own a consignment shop for higher-end valuables, which is entirely my business - Maria has no part of that. (by mutual choice, this)
I do a lot of online sales - all of the online antiques 'sites, as well as Craigs List and (shudder) eBay (yuch!) for certain kinds of items.
A client brought me this very old harmonica (in not very good condition, sadly) to sell...
So, to test it out - since I know NOTHING about harmonicas, personally, and didn't want to wait for Mr Witchy, the musician, to come home and tell me about it - I blew into it, all the way up and down, both sides, up and down.
I have to interrupt myself to say that this is a <span style="font-style: italic">MONSTER</span> harmonica. It measures <span style="font-weight: bold">15-3/4 inches long</span>! It's got <span style="font-weight: bold">192 reeds</span>; it's got <span style="font-weight: bold">4 separate keys</span> (keys of A, C, D, & G). It is <span style="font-style: italic">THE BIGGEST</span> harmonica ever!!
It's a 1920s <span style="font-weight: bold">Matthias Hohner</span> Marine Band Echo Tremolo #635 concert mouth harp/harmonica! This is the biggest harmonica that has ever, <span style="font-style: italic">ever</span> been made; I believe it still holds that record.
Well, I've never even seen a harmonica before, not for real. Only just pictures. I hadn't known that Mr Witchy used to play the harmonica, used to own a Hohner Chromatica harmonica, years before I knew him... I picked this beast up - and she whispered to me, told me how to play a song! Sp I tried it. <span style="text-decoration: underline">Taps</span> came out of the harmonica! A perfect rendition of <span style="text-decoration: underline">Taps</span>! Wow! Next, she whispered to me, and I tried playing <span style="text-decoration: underline">Yankee Doodle</span>! Damned if <span style="text-decoration: underline">Yankee Doodle</span> didn't come out of my mouth and that harmonica! Double damned if it wasn't perfect! Remember that I've never ever seen a harmonica up close before, much less touched one - never mind tried to play one before!! OMG! Shocked - and a bit scared - I put this thing to my mouth yet again..... and sure enough - <span style="text-decoration: underline">Over There</span> played perfectly! Then <span style="text-decoration: underline">America the Beautiful</span>! I tried the national anthem, <span style="text-decoration: underline">The Star-Spangled Banner</span>. Yep - that, too... I only 'blew' two notes in <span style="text-decoration: underline">The Star-Spangled Banner</span>. Ah, well - shrug - nobody's perfect. I <span style="font-style: italic">HAD</span> to keep her! I <span style="font-weight: bold">needed</span> her!!
I called Mr Witchy at work.
"How much is an old harmonica worth? It's 15 3/4 inches long and it's 2..."
He interrupted me.
"What?! You've got a Hohner Marine Band 635 Echo Tremolo in your hands?! <span style="font-style: italic"><span style="font-weight: bold">Where on earth did you get it</span></span>?!!"
"How do you know --"
" 'Cause that's the only that big ever made!"
"Oh. Well, what's it worth?"
"Are all the reeds good?"
"Yep. I think so."
"Did you play all four sides?"
"Ah... no. Two sides."
"No, you gotta flip it upside down, too, and play it also!"
"Oh, OK. Wait..." (tried it)
"Yep. It plays. All four sides."
"Are both metal plates in halfway decent shape?"
"Eh. Feh. Meggleh-meggleh. No rot, but you're gonna hafta spend hours with Q-tips and silver polish or something..."
"No! Brasso! Not silver polish - Brasso. Silver polish is too rough."
"Kay... So... what's it worth?!"
"With it's box?"
"No."
"No box?"
"Nope. No box. For the last eff'n time, what the eff is the goddamn thing eff'n worth, for God's sake?!!"
"Eh... You might be able to sell it for $35 or $40. If I work on it, maybe you can get $75, if you work hard and get a little lucky."
"OK. So I'll buy it for$15 OR offer him the consignment option and tell him that I'll take 35% if and when it sells... and if he won't sign the consignment contract, then he can sell it outright to me for $15 and good-bye and good riddance and get out. And then I'll sell it and keep all that profit. His choice. Thanks, honey!"
Well, the client didn't want to wait for the harmonica to sell. He wanted me to take it on consignment AND pay him his money right away. DWL It don't work like that. *rolling my eyes* So he couldn't decide what to do. He said he'd take his harmonica home and think things over. I <span style="font-style: italic">FELT</span> the harmonica panic; it didn't want to leave me! And I knew that I didn't want it to leave my hands... So I did the deed that caused all of my Jewish ancestors to roll over in their graves. dwl
I told the man that I'd buy it for $30 outright and he would sign a bill of sale. (so he couldn't come back at me later for more money)
I quickly wrote up and printed off a bill of sale that amounted to a quit-claim, essentially.
He signed it, I signed it, and I had my partner and her brother (having breakfast with us at the time) both witness it. I handed the man a twenty and a ten, his copy of the bill of sale, and showed him out of our house. (our shop is a big old 1843 Victorian house)
I was the proud new owner of this nearly century-old circa-1920s M. Hohner Marine Band #635 Echo Tremolo harmonica.
I've since discovered that she really loves me - and I her!
Mr Witchy can actually play Vivaldi on her...
My cousins in Philadelphia (went down there for Yom Kippur and brought my harmonica with me) play her also, and covert her...
She loves me and my family AND my family love her right back!
I do a lot of online sales - all of the online antiques 'sites, as well as Craigs List and (shudder) eBay (yuch!) for certain kinds of items.
A client brought me this very old harmonica (in not very good condition, sadly) to sell...
So, to test it out - since I know NOTHING about harmonicas, personally, and didn't want to wait for Mr Witchy, the musician, to come home and tell me about it - I blew into it, all the way up and down, both sides, up and down.
I have to interrupt myself to say that this is a <span style="font-style: italic">MONSTER</span> harmonica. It measures <span style="font-weight: bold">15-3/4 inches long</span>! It's got <span style="font-weight: bold">192 reeds</span>; it's got <span style="font-weight: bold">4 separate keys</span> (keys of A, C, D, & G). It is <span style="font-style: italic">THE BIGGEST</span> harmonica ever!!
It's a 1920s <span style="font-weight: bold">Matthias Hohner</span> Marine Band Echo Tremolo #635 concert mouth harp/harmonica! This is the biggest harmonica that has ever, <span style="font-style: italic">ever</span> been made; I believe it still holds that record.
Well, I've never even seen a harmonica before, not for real. Only just pictures. I hadn't known that Mr Witchy used to play the harmonica, used to own a Hohner Chromatica harmonica, years before I knew him... I picked this beast up - and she whispered to me, told me how to play a song! Sp I tried it. <span style="text-decoration: underline">Taps</span> came out of the harmonica! A perfect rendition of <span style="text-decoration: underline">Taps</span>! Wow! Next, she whispered to me, and I tried playing <span style="text-decoration: underline">Yankee Doodle</span>! Damned if <span style="text-decoration: underline">Yankee Doodle</span> didn't come out of my mouth and that harmonica! Double damned if it wasn't perfect! Remember that I've never ever seen a harmonica up close before, much less touched one - never mind tried to play one before!! OMG! Shocked - and a bit scared - I put this thing to my mouth yet again..... and sure enough - <span style="text-decoration: underline">Over There</span> played perfectly! Then <span style="text-decoration: underline">America the Beautiful</span>! I tried the national anthem, <span style="text-decoration: underline">The Star-Spangled Banner</span>. Yep - that, too... I only 'blew' two notes in <span style="text-decoration: underline">The Star-Spangled Banner</span>. Ah, well - shrug - nobody's perfect. I <span style="font-style: italic">HAD</span> to keep her! I <span style="font-weight: bold">needed</span> her!!
I called Mr Witchy at work.
"How much is an old harmonica worth? It's 15 3/4 inches long and it's 2..."
He interrupted me.
"What?! You've got a Hohner Marine Band 635 Echo Tremolo in your hands?! <span style="font-style: italic"><span style="font-weight: bold">Where on earth did you get it</span></span>?!!"
"How do you know --"
" 'Cause that's the only that big ever made!"
"Oh. Well, what's it worth?"
"Are all the reeds good?"
"Yep. I think so."
"Did you play all four sides?"
"Ah... no. Two sides."
"No, you gotta flip it upside down, too, and play it also!"
"Oh, OK. Wait..." (tried it)
"Yep. It plays. All four sides."
"Are both metal plates in halfway decent shape?"
"Eh. Feh. Meggleh-meggleh. No rot, but you're gonna hafta spend hours with Q-tips and silver polish or something..."
"No! Brasso! Not silver polish - Brasso. Silver polish is too rough."
"Kay... So... what's it worth?!"
"With it's box?"
"No."
"No box?"
"Nope. No box. For the last eff'n time, what the eff is the goddamn thing eff'n worth, for God's sake?!!"
"Eh... You might be able to sell it for $35 or $40. If I work on it, maybe you can get $75, if you work hard and get a little lucky."
"OK. So I'll buy it for$15 OR offer him the consignment option and tell him that I'll take 35% if and when it sells... and if he won't sign the consignment contract, then he can sell it outright to me for $15 and good-bye and good riddance and get out. And then I'll sell it and keep all that profit. His choice. Thanks, honey!"
Well, the client didn't want to wait for the harmonica to sell. He wanted me to take it on consignment AND pay him his money right away. DWL It don't work like that. *rolling my eyes* So he couldn't decide what to do. He said he'd take his harmonica home and think things over. I <span style="font-style: italic">FELT</span> the harmonica panic; it didn't want to leave me! And I knew that I didn't want it to leave my hands... So I did the deed that caused all of my Jewish ancestors to roll over in their graves. dwl
I told the man that I'd buy it for $30 outright and he would sign a bill of sale. (so he couldn't come back at me later for more money)
I quickly wrote up and printed off a bill of sale that amounted to a quit-claim, essentially.
He signed it, I signed it, and I had my partner and her brother (having breakfast with us at the time) both witness it. I handed the man a twenty and a ten, his copy of the bill of sale, and showed him out of our house. (our shop is a big old 1843 Victorian house)
I was the proud new owner of this nearly century-old circa-1920s M. Hohner Marine Band #635 Echo Tremolo harmonica.
I've since discovered that she really loves me - and I her!
Mr Witchy can actually play Vivaldi on her...
My cousins in Philadelphia (went down there for Yom Kippur and brought my harmonica with me) play her also, and covert her...
She loves me and my family AND my family love her right back!
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