Looking for information on accordion I picked up

[Johncas]

I picked this up at an estate sale I was trying to find out who made it, or any information or value of this accordion. It is marked Italia the large name on the front does not come up in searches as a manufacturer of accordions . The village names on the piece has only one manufacturer and it does not match the name on the accordion Numana Itiala . Any help would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Dingo40]

Johncas said,
"I was trying to find out who made it, or any information or value of this accordion."

Welcome Johncas!
Well, it's certainly gorgeous and in great cosmetic condition for its age!
(You could list it on the accordion beauty contest thread )
I'd say it's pre-WWii (over 80 yearyold)
Its a "full size" 41treble/120 bass item.
I imagine the eagle on grille could be significant to its maker's identity.
The "Italia" designation probably only means it's Italian made.
"Radicioni" could be the owner/performer's
name (a common practice at the time, particularly with virtuosi and professional players).
As to price: that's a bit tricky.
Unfortunately, "old" doesn't usually mean "valuable", especially when it comes to accordions these days.
A great deal depends on its internal condition, any special features (number of voices, couplers) playability and the interest it arouses in a potential buyer.
Here's one with a similar logo, possibly from the 1920s?

Reddit - Dive into anything

www.reddit.com

 

[dak]

As to price: that's a bit tricky.
Unfortunately, "old" doesn't usually mean "valuable", especially when it comes to accordions these days.
A great deal depends on its internal condition, playability and the interest it arouses in a potential buyer.

Actually, with piano accordions of this vintage, the playability is not a large contributor to its sales value. It's a wonderful decoration piece, with playability being a plus. But one wouldn't play it for its sound quality which will be loud and shrill once you brought all the valves into proper shape which will usually mean replacing them or, if you are into restoration, uncurling and refitting them. And that's before making the decision whether to retune, and you'll likely need to replace the wax (at least if the gaskets are not a leather job instead).

 

[Ffingers]

I picked this up at an estate sale I was trying to find out who made it, or any information or value of this accordion. It is marked Italia the large name on the front does not come up in searches as a manufacturer of accordions . The village names on the piece has only one manufacturer and it does not match the name on the accordion Numana Itiala . Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Made in Numana, just down the road from Castelfidardo.

 

[Dingo40]

Made in Numana, just down the road from Castelfidardo.

Well done, Ffingers!
(I couldn't decipher the font )
That could possibly mean "Radicioni " is actually the maker?
The one I found on Reddit is an early Excelsior, made in New York but it shares an almost identical grille logo.

 

[Ffingers]

Well done, Ffingers!
(I couldn't decipher the font )
That could possibly mean "Radicioni " is actually the maker?
The one I found on Reddit is an early Excelsior, made in New York but it shares an almost identical grille logo.

I cannot translate the Frontalini history page, but it seems to indicate that they have some kind of association with Radicioni.

Frontalini Accordion - play the new vintage

Once upon a time the best Accordion we made, it's time to play a serious Accordion

www.frontalini.com

Perhaps Ric can enlighten us.

The Accordions Worldwide site:

Accordions Worldwide - the largest accordion internet site with weekly news from around the world about festivals, competitions seminars, artists, concerts, masterclasses, events, CD reviews, videos, celebrity interviews, information about accordion

The largest accordion internet site in the world, Weekly News in 7 languages: English, German French, Italian, Spanish, Russian and Chinese, general information on the accordion and bellows related instruments, list of all accordion producers, Accordion Yellow Pages events calendar with direct...

www.accordions.com

has an entry for F.lli Radicioni operating from 1946 to 1954 in Numana.

 

[Johncas]

Thank you so much for all your help your information is greatly appreciated.