What's my accordion worth?

[Allan Witchell]

I recently inherited three accordions:
A Concerto DA-250 in exceptional condition
A Marinucci MI5?? Average condition
A Sisme Multivox good condition
There are also various amps and accessories, but my question is mainly about the accordions.
I would like to sell everything, but I know nothing about accordions and I have no idea what they may be worth.
I realize it may not be possible to give a firm price without more information, but ballpark figures would be great to start.
If anyone can help, or is interested, I would greatly appreciate your help.
Thanks
Allan in France

 

[knobby]

At the very least you need to post some pictures!

 

[Allan Witchell]

Thanks for the feed back. I have lots more photos if necessary.

 

[oldbayan]

Everything is worth what a buyer wants to spend on it There are hundreds of accordions for sale on most selling sites and blogs, prices vary enormously. Since you received these instruments for free, anything you get for them is probably fine. If a buyer gets a bargain then you made someone very happy. Everybody dreams of finding that million-dollar "lost" instrument. This is happening more often in movies than real life

Do some research online, check places like eBay and Liberty Bellows, or the Buy and Sell section of this board.

 

[dunlustin]

This may be a bit obscure but as you are in Béziers:
Burn them all - the Good Lord will recognise those he values.

 

[Allan Witchell]

This may be a bit obscure but as you are in Béziers:
Burn them all - the Good Lord will recognise those he values.

Amusing. An accordionist, historian and stand-up comic all in one. These are the Christian ones, I've already burnt the Cathars.

 

[Jaime_Dergut]

How about donating them to someone who really wants them?

As Oldbayan said, since you got them for free, you are losing nothing by given them to someone who might like to play.

Some of them look custom crafted. I bet they have plenty of people in France looking to learn but can't afford a brand new one.

 

[John M]

If that Concerto DA-250 is in good operating condition (electronics, etc.,) it would be worth a good sum to the right buyer. I believe this accordion was make by Accordions International in Utah. Their current model is the DA-300 which is +$20,000. Their "sales pitch" was: this is the best accordion available that is both Acoustic and Digital. They bought a good quality Acoustic accordion from Italy and they designed the Digital portion themselves.

 

[Ventura]

of course there is limited interest in
Western style piano-keyboard accordions in France,
so your most desirable buyer would be a Euro professional
who performs on Piano accordion,
but far more likely to find someone just curious enough
about the Concerto to try it (at the right price)

the Concerto is the only one of value, but you are
halfway around the world from where they are sourced,
so very few musicians in your area will be even vaguely familiar
with the brand and model. It is an item that must be
explained first to give it value as it is a specialty version of Accordion

the Multivox is a boat anchor of an ancient organ accordion
with likely Japanese transistor electronics and a vague accordion
body sourcing from somewhere around Camerano Italy
many many decades ago.. if the acoustic accordion itself
is still nice and not insanely heavy from the added in
electronic parts it might be useful to some student

 

[Allan Witchell]

Thanks for all your posts and advice, I did offer them to the local music school and, believe it or not, the teacher said "not interested".
There are a few second-hand musical instrument stores around, but I wanted to get an idea of the value before going to them.
Thanks for all the tips I've received on this forum, I think I now know where I'm going with this. Thanks

 

[Jaime_Dergut]

Thanks for all your posts and advice, I did offer them to the local music school and, believe it or not, the teacher said "not interested".

I am shocked, being honest. Children love the accordion. Although recently, I have heard from work colleagues from France already having some sort of stigma for the instrument. Perhaps the future of the accordion resides in Russian and eastern European countries, apparently.

Best wishes and I hope you find a good place for them.

 

[Ventura]

hey Allan,

if you get a chance, would you mind telling us a bit about the
relative you inherited these from ? considering the Concerto
being a contemporary model, he must have been either a serious
musician or a gigging Professional.. either way we are sorry
for his passing, or Dotage if he is now in a nursing home,
but we might mark his life and history here for a moment
if you have some information to share..

on a lighter note, each passing means many of us are now
one step closer to being the " worlds number one accordionist
top of the heap - A # 1 "
,

 

[John M]

hey Allan,

. . . considering the Concerto being a contemporary model, he must have been either a serious
musician or a gigging Professional . . .
,

I was at the last Las Vegas International Accordion Convention in 2019. That was the "unveiling" of the newest Concerto accordion. There were many there that had been coming for years. Several attendees had some of the first Concertos and were interested in the latest model. They would trade their "old model" in on a new model and not have to dish out a full +$20,000. Paul Pasquali, the owner of Accordions International was the creator of the Concerto. I talked to him several months back about bringing back the Vegas Convention after COVID (he was the "kingpin" that organized the convention). He said he wasn't going to do it anymore. There is too much risk involved in a big event such as this (Hotel wants a 1 year up front deposit, costs for great performers, teachers for the workshops, etc.). This was my first attendance to this convention and, I guess my last. I wish I would have attended some of the previous ones. They have been going on for about 20 years. I was very fortunate to be at a dinner table and have a good conversation with Cory Pesatoro -- a very interesting, "down to earth" guy. Much of our conversation was about "souped up" cars and track times on the "1/4 mile strip".

 

[Thomas N]

I am shocked, being honest. Children love the accordion. Although recently, I have heard from work colleagues from France already having some sort of stigma for the instrument. Perhaps the future of the accordion resides in Russian and eastern European countries, apparently.

Best wishes and I hope you find a good place for them.

These are huge, cumbersome and heavy accordions with mostly needless electronics for students. When I took lessons around 8 or 9 years old I started on a 12 bass, moved to a 72, and then eventually a student model 3-switch 120 bass. That progression took 5 or 6 years. It wasn't until I was probably 15 or 16 that I obtained a Cordovox, which was equally as heavy and cumbersome as these accordions here in this post.

I could see a music school teacher declining these under the premise of "here, YOU throw these away".

 

[Thomas N]

Amusing. An accordionist, historian and stand-up comic all in one. These are the Christian ones, I've already burnt the Cathars.

Please let me in on this joke! It's obviously localized but I think I'd find it interesting....

 

[oldbayan]

Please let me in on this joke! It's obviously localized but I think I'd find it interesting....

Not really a joke...

Massacre at Béziers - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[Tom]

I am shocked, being honest. Children love the accordion. Although recently, I have heard from work colleagues from France already having some sort of stigma for the instrument. Perhaps the future of the accordion resides in Russian and eastern European countries, apparently.

Best wishes and I hope you find a good place for them.

Haven’t you heard there is a revival on? Seriously, there is also South America, and the south of America.

 

[JerryPH]

The Concerto is the only one with any possibele value... an accordion made by Pier Maria, but ordered/modified by a company out of Salt Lake City. The Concerto is a very expensive accordion... if you have the supporting hardware like the pedals, tone generator, etc. Without it, you have a slightly above average acoustic accordion if in like new condition. A new Concerto with all the bells and whistles is about $20,000US. I've always called them massively overpriced for what they are. You would be very lucky to get $2000-$3000 from someone specifically looking for an accordion like this.

 

[Dingo40]

Children love the accordion.

Children may love them, but it is another matter to take on an instrument you yourself don't play and know little or nothing about, doesn't exactly fit your existing arrangements, which may not have all its required bits, is heavy and bulky and may require expensive and unavailable repairs: major trouble with a capital T;
I can see their point of view.

 

[Ventura]

actually Paul has sourced from MANY different accordion
builders over the years.. there is no way to narrow down which
ones came from SEM, IMF, Serenellini, Siwa and Figli, Fisart, because he
will not share that info