Del Principe Info Needed

[LaBoss]

My dad purchased this Del Principe accordion in the early 1950s/late 1940s. It is stamped "Made in Italy #728" on the back. The word "Master" is also printed above the keys. I can't find much information about Del Principe online, except that it was a store in Chicago near where my dad lived. I found a site that said the Del Principe accordion store distributed Dallape accordions. Is this a Dallape that is branded Del Principe? Any information would be useful. Additionally, I am looking to sell it and do not know where to start. I appreciate any advice. Thank you!

 

[Ben-jammin]

I can’t say it’s not a Dallape but it doesn’t look like one to me. Some stencil brands would contract different Italian builders over the years. I have 3 Lo Ducas and each of them is from a different builder.

If there is an accordion shop handy it may be best to get an appraisal from them as they can identify which feature sets this instrument has and its condition, maybe even confirm an original builder. All of which will be critical to come up with a fair asking price.

 

[Alan Polivka]

It looks like it could be made by Excelsior / CEMEX in Italy, probably in the 1960s. There's a good chance it has handmade reeds, in which case it would be a high-end pro model, worth some $. Send me a message at the following email and I can tell you how to get a pretty good idea of its value. AcrdionMan@msn.com

 

[Riccardo]

I rarely challenge anyone re Excelsiors and if I'm off base, I apologize. In my opinion, to start with I don't believe this is an Excelsior for a few reasons.. I've never seen that style of grill on their products and further I can't recall any Excelsior product using only 2 pins on the front to attach the treble to the bellows. And the treble register markings are not typical of Excelsiors nor is the bass switches style. Not being defensive, just trying to help...
Agreed that Excelsior did build some higher end models for competitors .. saw them at the factory... another story for the future.
By the way, Principe was a famous professional Italian accordionist during that era and later. It's possible he may have allowed his name to be used but I have my serious doubts. He was an Excelsior player however... The instrument may have been built by any number of the dozens of accordion companies in Castelfidardo as well as in the surrounding region. Some builders even allowed almost any name to be attached to their product by request except of course the major ones.. It perhaps was some attempt of defiance of copyright with a few changes in lettering of the make...
No, I won't suggest names and be liable for litigation!
Rumour years ago was that there were over 130 'factories' building accordions in that area after WW2 to help re-establish the economy! Many very small ones with very high quality instruments. In this case, 'm sure Sr. Tombolini wouldn't mind me mentioning his name. If you own one, I'm confident it's an unusually fine instrument in every aspect. Knew him well. . But that's another story for another time.
Hope this helps.

 

[Alan Polivka]

I have not seen that exact grill design on an Excelsior either. It does, however, look a little like the grill on some from the 300 series and some Accordiana's of that vintage. More significant, though, is that the use of only 2 bellows pins (rather than 3) on the front is a very common thing in Excelsior accordions. All of the Symphony Grands, Symphonies, and 1940's rocker boxes I've seen had just 2 pins on the front connecting the bellows to the RH body (and just 2 pins connecting the bellows the LH body). Even my 1989 Excelsior (Pigini) AC has only 2 pins in these front locations. Also, it's a little difficult to see in the photo here, but the shifts are arranged in the Excelsior crescent arrangement. While a few others also did that (like Stradavox), I've never seen the combination of 2 front bellows pins and crescent shifts on anything other than an Excelsior. So, I'll put my money on this one having been made by Excelsior.

 

[Riccardo]

I stand corrected with sincere apologies and I bend to your experiences.. My only lame excuse is that approaching 90 in a couple of months, the memory axons and dendrons often play havoc in this complex body of knowledge. I should have checked of course. Best regards and appreciation for clarifying.

 

[Alan Polivka]

I stand corrected with sincere apologies and I bend to your experiences.. My only lame excuse is that approaching 90 in a couple of months, the memory axons and dendrons often play havoc in this complex body of knowledge. I should have checked of course. Best regards and appreciation for clarifying.

No problem at all. Glad to have been helpful. Take care, Alan