Help identifying accordion

[Edelweiss]

Hello. I am clueless about accordions. I have here a small accordion that I have no idea if it would be worth fixing it or not. It doesn't close completely since something inside is lose and rattels around. I got some sound out of a couple keys. Thats all i know. It belonged to my girlfriends late dad who got around quieta bit. So anything about age, maybe value, where to get parts, ect would be appreciated.
Thank you

 

[PhiliGol]

wow - that's incredibly small.
Never saw such a cute little box.
To me it would be worth restoring it.

 

[Dingo40]

Hi Edelweiss, and welcome!
Gorgeous!
To me, it looks as if it could be a circa 1930s 15/4 piano accordion, possibly made by one the excellent Italian Soprani families of accordion makers.
The rattling noise is likely caused either by a reed and it's mount (reed plate) having come away from its proper location (reed block) due to the wax used to fix it in place having become friable due to ageing and having let go, OR a reed tongue having broken off, and either item having fallen into the pleats of the bellows.
Do not try to force the bellows shut as you may simply push the sharpish metal item through the material of the bellows, causing a hole!
There's nothing else quite like it on the net .
It has several unusual features:
•Exceedingly small size.
•A piano accordion with only 4 basses (the usual minimum being 8).
Are the basses the same on push and pull?
•Slot-headed screws instead of bellows pins (sometimes found in old boxes from the 1920s & 1930s)
•Apparently, no metal bellows corners .
Does it come with a box?
Quite a novelty!
This little instrument could be worth repairing as they are quite useable by a variety of entertainers ( e.g., street artists and circus performers), or you could try to sell it "as is".
There appear to be a couple of musical instrument repairers located around about Boise : it may be worth taking it to them for a consultation?
Very interesting: thanks for sharing!
Good luck with it!

 

[SteveBox]

I have also never seen a piano accordion this small. I would guess it was intended to be a young child's first accordion. It is much too small for a serious adult musician, except perhaps using it in a novelty act.

An accordion museum might be interested in buying it, or could help you restore it, or just provide information if they have ever seen one before. One museum that I know about is the New England Accordion Connection and Museum.

 

[cass]

Hi Edelweiss, I will second all comments above. I usually work on flea market finds and to me that looks to be in remarkably good shape, at least on the outside. I recently resurrected a Wurlitzer that had screws instead of pins. The screws in yours look to me original given the lack of scratches around them. I have been told that screws were used, not commonly, in instruments of that era. The keys appear to be intact and level, the grill and area underneath it look in reasonably good shape. It appears you have a strap loop in a bag, possibly pulled loose. Given Dingo's comments, I would recommend having a professional look at it before I attempted anything. The only repair person I know of is Squeeze Box Surgeon in Portland, OR. If you decide not to invest further in the instrument, I would be willing to bet any number of people on the forum would be interested. What no one mentioned above is that old accordions are generally worth very little as they usually require a significant amount of repair. The apparent uniqueness of this might make it an exception. Good luck with it and post updates, please.

 

[Edelweiss]

Sorry I didn't post pictures from the side. There some hinge things that lock it together when closed which can't be used since something is preventing it from being closed completely. There are also leather straps on the side where you probably hold it with your thumbs? I believe one is still there and the other one is ripped or missing but the hardware is in a bag. I think even the screws are there. I emailed some museums, and even soprani in Italy. Tried some local shops and waiting for responses. I tried googling this small accordion but haven't had any luck finding that size. Why was such a small one build? As a kids toy? That would have been an expensive toy. Maybe a salesman example or for circus as someone mentioned? I will add some more pictures from the sides later after work. Any more info is really appreciated. Thank you all.

 

[tcabot]

While I agree that my 16.5kg excelsior is quite a bit on the big & heavy side, and one can benefit from a smaller squeezebox, this is a step too far...