Hohner Imperator IV Worth

[FlickFlackAccordions]

Been looking at an Imperator IV to resell. I am having a hard time finding a consistent price online. Assuming there are no defects and it is in perfect condition, what is the Imperator IV series worth to you guys?

 

[debra]

I think it's hard to find a consistent price because some consider the Imperator IV to be a fabulous accordion, and thus worth a lot, whereas others realise that the Imperator IV is essentially just an Atlantic IV but with cassotto, and thus worth a bit more than an Atlantic IV but not a whole lot more, certainly less than a Morino IV. The Imperator has "Metalbau", meaning a metal case which can be pressed at once, in a completely industrial way, which costs much less than making a wooden case like the Morino has. Couple this with cleaper machine reeds (unless you have a "de luxe" version) as opposed to tipo-a-mano (hand finished) reeds on the Morino. Around here the going rate for an Atlantic IV is roughly 800 (between 600 and 1000 depending on the condition), a Pacific IV (not a popular model but essentially a Morino without cassotto) goes for around 1500 and a Morino IV for between 2000 and 2500. The Imperator sits between the Atlantic and Morino, so I rate it around what a Pacific IV goes for, which is around 1500.

 

[FlickFlackAccordions]

I think it's hard to find a consistent price because some consider the Imperator IV to be a fabulous accordion, and thus worth a lot, whereas others realise that the Imperator IV is essentially just an Atlantic IV but with cassotto, and thus worth a bit more than an Atlantic IV but not a whole lot more, certainly less than a Morino IV. The Imperator has "Metalbau", meaning a metal case which can be pressed at once, in a completely industrial way, which costs much less than making a wooden case like the Morino has. Couple this with cleaper machine reeds (unless you have a "de luxe" version) as opposed to tipo-a-mano (hand finished) reeds on the Morino. Around here the going rate for an Atlantic IV is roughly 800 (between 600 and 1000 depending on the condition), a Pacific IV (not a popular model but essentially a Morino without cassotto) goes for around 1500 and a Morino IV for between 2000 and 2500. The Imperator sits between the Atlantic and Morino, so I rate it around what a Pacific IV goes for, which is around 1500.

Ok thank you much! How are you able to find all this information on diffrent models? Just prior knowledge?

 

[Dingo40]

Paul,
What currency are you using, Paul: €s, £s, $s?

 

[debra]

Paul,
What currency are you using, Paul: €s, £s, $s?

Prices are very close in euro, pounds or US $, because of differences in import duties and taxes. Exchange rates vary over time of course, but for many products prices in euro and US$ are the same because taxes in Europe are higher (but there's no import duty on accordions from Europe to Europe). Anyway, these figures are only a rough ballpark. It shows how the Imperator IV compares to other, more popular Hohner models, on the used market.